Sometimes mops, brooms and vacuums just can’t get the job done. These effective, affordable products can make your cleaning easier and keep your home sparkling…
• Clean baseboards without bending: Baseboard Buddy lets you clean baseboards from a standing position. Baseboards are a common cleaning trouble spot because their ridges collect dirt and dust. Baseboard Buddy’s flexible microfiber pad works its way into baseboard ridges to grab grime, and its handle extends to four feet, so you can clean baseboards by simply walking this tool around the room’s perimeter—no kneeling needed. $14.95 for Baseboard Buddy and three reusable cleaning pads. A 10-pack of replacement pads costs $14.99. BaseboardBuddy.com
• Vacuum where vacuum hoses can’t reach: VaccUFlex is a simple, effective kit that uses a narrow plastic hose to convert your vacuum cleaner or wet/dry vac into a tool capable of reaching into and cleaning out small, hard-to-access spots such as the tracks of sliding windows…inside car seats…and dryer vents. When attached to a wet/dry vac, VaccUFlex even can suck clogs out of drains. $23.95. VaccUFlex.com
• Scrub tough-to-reach tile: OXO Good Grips Extendable Tub & Tile Scrubber is a scrubbing pad on the end of an extending pole, so you can clean bathtubs, shower stalls and tile floors from a comfortable standing position. This OXO scrubber is particularly helpful for cleaning behind toilets. $12.99. Replacement scrubber heads cost $5.99. OXO.com
• Pull pet hair out of carpets: Evriholder FURemover Pet Hair Removal
Broom with Squeegee & Telescoping Handle has rubber bristles that extract pet hair from carpets far better than vacuums. Flip it over, and the squeegee feature can clear liquids off floors and windows. $14.35. Evriholder.com
• Clean floors without chemicals: Bona microfiber mops have reusable pads featuring millions of extremely tiny fibers. These little fibers generate a modest static electric charge that attracts dirt, pet hair and even microbes. Microfiber can clean without the help of chemical cleaning products, so there’s no buildup of shine-deadening residue on floors or in the grout between tiles. $44.99 for mop with a set of three microfiber pads. US.Bona.com
Alternative: Norwex microfiber mops are even more effective than Bona but more expensive. $118.57 including one wet and one dry pad. Norwex.biz
