I’m a minimalist; I really do like to keep things simple. Excess of anything raises my stress levels. I scour my closet, the kids’ toy box, the glassware cupboard, and the storage closet at least once a year to make sure we’re not compiling unnecessary items. I just function better with less clutter.

Once our children arrived, I knew I wanted the cleaning supplies cupboard to reflect that personality trait. So, I set out every bottle, jug, and cleaning supply I had on my kitchen counter-top and weeded down my stash to just three items. (This does not include things like a good broom and a mop… those are essential. This list just includes the actual cleaning products). I’ve been using only three items for a few years now, and I haven’t needed anything else. Here are the only three cleaning products I keep in my home.

Three Handy Cleaning Supplies for a Minimalist Cleaning Cupboard

1. Bleach. It’s kind of hard to do without bleach, as it comes in handy for certain laundry loads and tough stains. It helps to super-sanitize stinky dish rags and towels and helps reverse messes from potty accidents and other mishaps.
2. All-purpose cleaner. I use my all-purpose cleaner on my floors, in my sinks, and in my toilet bowls. It’s a very useful item whenever something needs to be disinfected or when an appliance could use a thorough, deep cleaning. (Yes, it really can be used as toilet bowl cleaner)!
3. Glass-cleaner. This iconic blue spray-bottle cleaner is just… nice. Wiping smudges from windows, refreshing mirrors, or giving the glass oven-top a quick wipe down is so easy when you can apply a few squirts and wipe the grime away.

That’s it! I’ve been cleaning my home with just those three supplies for three years now, and I haven’t found the need to add any other items. Aside from keeping the cleaning-supplies cupboard spacious, here are a few other reasons for why it’s smart to maintain a minimalist cleaning supply stash.

First, fewer supplies means fewer dollars spent. That’s a no-brainer, but any time there’s an opportunity to save a couple bucks, I’m on it. My husband and I try to keep our weekly grocery budget at a frugal (but not too tight) level. Not needing to buy so many cleaning products really does help with that.

Second, using minimal supplies saves space. I used to cram everything under the kitchen sink, but that changed when the kiddos came along.  The supplies were weeded down to the three items and I moved them to a safer location. Now, the only things that live in the cupboard under my kitchen sink are cleaning rags, a sponge or two, some extra dish soap, and some brown paper bags. It looks empty down there, and I like it that way.

Third, fewer supplies means the house can be kept more child-proof. I store our cleaning supplies in a small, tall shelf inside a skinny closet in the bathroom. The shelf is way too tall for the kids to reach, even once they have figured out how to open the closet door. I don’t have to worry about them reaching the supplies and conveniently for me, don’t have to install child-proof mechanism on the closet door. It’s a win-win.

So, if you are feeling overwhelmed by how cluttered your cleaning supplies cupboard has gotten, try weeding down. I did, and I love it. It’s nice to know that you can keep your home clean with only a few things on hand!