Diwali cleaning usually starts with the home. But I suggest starting somewhere else, with the things you use to clean it.
Open your utility cupboard, under-sink cabinet or cleaning shelf. You may find half-used bottles, extra scrubbers, old clothes, brushes, garbage bags and products you forgot you had.
Before you start your Diwali deep clean, take everything out and give your cleaning supplies a reset too.
Here are 4 tips to Reset Utility area:
1. First, see what you actually have
Bring your cleaning supplies together from the kitchen, bathrooms, utility area and other storage spaces.
Remove empty, damaged or unnecessary items and check product instructions for expiry or disposal.
Don’t buy new organizers yet. First understand what you own.
2. Group things by how you use them
Once you’ve edited your supplies, create simple categories.
For example:
Kitchen cleaning | Bathroom cleaning | Floor cleaning | Dusting & wiping | Laundry | Refills | Cleaning tools
You don’t need twenty categories. The system should be simple enough for everyone in the household to understand.
Then think about frequency of use.
Daily-use supplies should be easy to reach. Occasional-use products can go further back or higher up. Refills can have their own designated space.
And if your domestic help manages the daily cleaning, the system should make sense to her too.
3. Organize the utility area, not just the products
Mops, brooms, buckets, cleaning cloths and brushes often end up wherever there is space.
Give them a designated zone.
Use a basket, tray, caddy or existing container where it genuinely helps. You don’t need to buy a new organizer for everything.
And remember cleaning tools should be appropriately cleaned and dried before they are stored.
4. Create a small Diwali cleaning caddy
If you’re doing a whole-home deep clean, keep frequently used supplies together in one portable caddy.
Your clothes, dusters, suitable cleaning products, scrubbers and brushes can travel with you from room to room.
It saves repeated trips to the utility area and keeps the cleaning process moving.
Just remember to return everything to its permanent home when you’re done.
This Diwali, reset before you clean
When everything you need is easy to find, easy to use and easy to put back, everyday life becomes easier too.
So before you start your Diwali cleaning this year, don’t just ask:
“What do I need to clean?”
Ask:
“Are the things I use to clean my home organized?”
Start there.
