Professional House Cleaning Supplies List
–A comprehensive professional house cleaning supplies list.
As a professional house cleaner, you are expected to have the right supplies at the right time for the job. Your equipment and supplies are what assist you in providing that exceptional service that your clients want and expect.
Don’t show up to a client’s home without the needed cleaning supplies to clean a home. This comprehensive cleaning supplies list was created for professional house cleaners. You won’t use all of these supplies with each house you clean, but there will be times when you will need to use each of these listed.
Some house cleaning services may choose to use their client’s supplies. If you do this, you should still keep these supplies on hand as a backup in the event your client runs out of a cleaner or their vacuum breaks. You can read this article about the pros and cons of bringing your own cleaning supplies versus using your client’s supplies.
Professional cleaning services that provide the cleaning supplies needed to clean a home. When pricing new cleaning jobs companies should take into account the cost of these supplies.
Choose equipment and supplies that will work for you so that you spend less time scrubbing. With the right supplies, you can clean faster, while still maintaining a high-quality clean.
Professional House Cleaning Supplies List
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- Vacuum, use for carpet and hard floors.
- Steam Clean Mop – used to mop hard floors.
- Spray Mop – used to mop Wood and Laminate floors.
- Broom – used to sweep outside areas (porches, walkways).
- Long Duster – used to dust ceilings, ceiling fans, high-to-reach wall hangings, and baseboards.
- Apron – used to carry cleaning supplies on you as you clean.
- Cleaning Caddy – used to carry all cleaning supplies into a home.
- Small Hand Duster – used to dust small objects such as lamps and picture frames and furniture surfaces.
- Razor Blade – used to scrap stuck on goo or heavily built-up soap scum. Great for use on glass or tile.
- Plastic Scrapper – used to scrap up stuck on grime, usually when mopping with food stuck on floors.
- Large Scrub Brush – used in showers and tubs.
- Small Scrub Brush – used to clean grout lines, around sinks and faucets. Best to get 2 colors (1 for the kitchen and 1 for the bathroom).
- Whisk Broom – used in hard-to-reach areas and to brush animal hair and dust off furniture and lampshades.
- Plastic Cups – to rinse showers and bathtubs down when the client does not have a removable shower head.
- Disposable Gloves
- 50-foot extension cord – used to plug in vacuum and steam mop so that you can vacuum larger areas without having to find another outlet.
- 5 & 10 Gallon plastic bags – used to line bathroom garbage cans. The client loves the detail thought and makes it easier to empty and keep cans clean.
- 2-step step stool – used to reach high areas in a home. Usually, liability insurance will not allow higher than a 2-step ladder. Check your insurance if you decide to go with a larger one.
- All Purpose Cleaner – used on most bathroom and kitchen surfaces.
- Heavy Duty Cleaner – used for tough jobs. Great for build-up in showers and bathrooms.
- Glass Cleaner – Any glass cleaner will work. We diluted an essential oil cleaner and worked awesomely and smelled great. You can even use a mixture of vinegar and water.
- Bar Keepers Friend – used for porcelain sinks or stainless steel. This was the best way we found to get porcelain sinks to look brand new.
- Wood polish/cleaner – used on wood furniture only when the client requested it. This is a light cleaner that can be sprayed directly on your microfiber dusting cloth and does not take much buffing.
- Stainless steel cleaner – used in the kitchen on stainless steel appliance surfaces.
- Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Microfiber cleaning cloths – used to clean all surfaces. Get 4 separate colors each for bathrooms, kitchens, dusting, and glass cleaning.
- Terry Cloth towels – used to buff out glass and mirrors.
- Toilet bowl brush – I highly recommend you use your clients. It is not fun carting around a used toilet brush. If you do though, purchase one with a sealed lid like the one shown in the link.
A few rules to follow when bringing house cleaning supplies to a clients home.
#1 Always use the same supplies.
All cleaning supplies work differently and leave a different clean. By using the same supplies, you’ll become very familiar with how to use them. And secondly, you will provide a consistent cleaning service. Once you find the supplies that work for you and your business stick with them.
#2 Always keep backup cleaning supplies.
You don’t want to arrive at a job and run out of toilet bowl cleaners halfway through the job. When we cleaned houses, we always kept backup cleaning supplies in the car. This way when we arrived at a house to clean, we would fill up our cleaning bottles before we went into the house.
#3 Use quality products.
Stay away from dollar store cleaners or off-brands. They do not clean as well as premium cleaning supplies.
By buying quality house cleaning supplies you will provide a better cleaning service for your clients. Plus you will have to do less scrubbing because the cleaning products will work better at cutting through soap scum, grease, and grim.
#4 Buy Cleaning Supplies in Bulk as much as you can.
Save money and the environment by purchasing your cleaning solutions in bulk and not by individual-use bottles. Cleaners that you buy at the store for single use are diluted with water and create lots of extra waste that ends up in the landfill.
Purchase quality reusable spray bottles (16 oz fits best when using a cleaning apron) and add your own water. This will save you lots of money in the long run. You can also be proud that your business is environmentally friendly by reducing the waste that it generates.
#5 Properly label all cleaning supplies.
When you are buying in bulk and diluting your own cleaning solution it is VERY important to label all spray bottles so that you know what cleaner is in them. Don’t make the mistake of spraying the wrong cleaner on a delicate surface that can be damaged.
Never mix cleaning solutions in your spray bottles. If a bottle was used for All Purpose cleaning ONLY fill that bottle with All Purpose cleaner. Cleaning solutions are chemicals and will create a chemical reaction when mixed, so never repurpose a spray bottle for a different type of cleaner.
#6 Maintain your equipment for cleanliness and safety.
Keep your equipment and supplies looking clean and in working condition. Don’t bring broken down and dirty equipment into a client’s home. They will notice and this does not look positive for your cleaning business.
Have a nightly routine where you clean out your vacuum filters. We always had extra so we could clean filters each night with hot water. Wipe down all other equipment including mops, steamers, dusters, and any other equipment you may have.
Wipe down all spray bottles after each cleaning service, you can do this while you are topping them off to prepare for the next house. Clean out your cleaning caddies each evening and never toss garbage or dirty towels in them to help keep them clean and sanitary.