Optional but Handy
There are a number of tools that professionals use to help the work go faster.
We don't need or use them on every job, but they are available for every job.
You probably don't need all of these either, but they can be quite helpful in certain situations.
Each home and homeowner is different.
You decide.
A Squeegee
Windows should be looked through not at. And personally, I hate smeary glass. There's just something magical about a crystal clean window...amirite?! And if you have a lot of glass in the home, you can risk a shoulder injury just keeping up!
This is one of those "above and beyond" tricks that pros do to hook the customers and keep 'em coming back. Quick and easy when you get the hang of it, window cleaning with a squeegee is 'da bomb!
I am talking about a professional grade tool here, designed for window cleaning, not the bullshit thing you have in your shower.
Here's why:
The one in your bathroom is just meant to skim away excess water from the walls and glass of your shower to prevent soap scum buildup and mildew. To do that, they have to be used...every shower, every time.
And if you've tried to clean a window with them, it's understandable that some may think that squeegees don't work...
Professional grade squeegees are widely available online or at your local hardware store. A decent one will set you back $5-15. An inclusive kit with an extension pole and wand with the cloth applicator will run around $20.
Word of Advice...
If you're not going to get all busy and do outdoor or elevated windows, don't buy the kit. The extra pieces will only gather dust and the pole might become a light saber.
Just buy the squeegee.
Using one takes a little practice, but your windows will be SO clean that you will want to keep up with them! Especially where your dog looks longingly outside...with his nose...on the glass. 😐
Pumice Stone
NOT the one in your shower that you use to get your heels ready for sandals...ick! Or one of the ones in your gas grill (that is actually lava rock...yes, one of my employees thought she was being clever once...ugh).
There are pumice stones for cleaning. Man-made and cheap, they are pretty handy for that ring or rusty streaks in the toilet that won't come out with your grit cleaner.
They can damage other surfaces (badly) so it is important to be careful. When in doubt, don't.
Putty Knife
Save your fingernails!
These are nifty to have for any number of things...that smooshed raisin on the kitchen floor, getting into skinny spaces, candle wax drippings, those #$@! % stickers, or maybe scraping out the charred remains of your attempt at a souffle from your oven.
Also available at your local hardware store, I recommend a plastic one for this. Metal putty knives, even the really flexible ones, can cause severe damage, including slicing your skin open.
This is one instance where I don't hesitate to have you buy a "plastic" thing. Safety first!
Real Ostrich Feather Duster
You know the commercial. The one comparing the popular papery dusting gizmo with a feather duster. The feather duster swishes back and forth while the other product goes straight across the furniture, thereby "scattering no dust". This sleight of hand advertising is meant to convince you to buy their product. I loathe this product because of its cheap construction and the refills...that go into landfills, to sit there forevermore.
Because an ostrich feather comes from...a bird, they are biodegradable once it has worn out (and it will). Like anything else, learning to properly use it is the key.
The other duster promises that you can "dust in and around" thoroughly. That too, is false. Sorry kids, you have to move stuff to dust thoroughly, and you have to dust, you know, the stuff.
There are gobs of gadgets and gizmos out there that promise to make cleaning easier.
But at some point they become super specialized
and really just take up valuable space. Save your money!
There are, however, a few more that truly are useful but not necessary
for the average homeowner.
If you are an aspiring professional,
see my course, Freaky Green Cleaning 2.0,
for a list of those supplementary tools.
My goal is to save you time, energy, money, and space.
That's what being green is all about.
Doing more with less!