How to Organize Your Cleaning Supplies

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How to Organize Your Cleaning Supplies

Staff Writer · Feb 17, 2010

Every renter needs a small stash of basic cleaning supplies to keep their apartment clean and sanitary. However, the chemicals found in many generic and brand name products are harmful to those living in your home, especially children. They can also poison pets and plants. Prevent disastrous accidents from occurring by organizing cleaning your supplies properly.

Separate Storage from Everyday Supplies

Smart shoppers take advantage of sales and stock up on their favorite cleaning supplies. Some renters prefer to buy non-toxic, chemical free cleaning supplies that are not available to them locally, which means that they have to buy it in bulk or cases in order to make shipping worth it. If that’s you, then you may have several months worth of cleaning supplies to organize. Separate the ones that you’ll keep in storage from the supplies you need to use in the next 30 to 60 days. Box the storage items, and lock them away or store them out of reach of children and pets. Label the boxes with a sharpie marker and list what’s in the box and the quantities.

Group Similar Items to Together

Figure out the cleaning supplies you need for each chore and group those items together where you store them. For example, if you make your own household cleaner for mopping floors, then store the white vinegar with the baking soda. If you use commercial products, then store the liquids and cleaners that you use for mopping floors. This saves you time, because you don’t have to hunt down supplies. Store the items together in a safe place, which may not be where you actually do the chore.

Keep away from Foods

Keep chemical cleaning supplies away from foods. The chemicals can seep into the air and affect your foods over time. For this reason, it’s not a good idea to organize them in the food pantry or in the refrigerator. A bathroom cabinet or laundry area would be the best place to keep them away from your foods.

Fire Safety

Don’t store cleaning supplies anywhere near your kitchen stove or cooking area, in order to prevent fires. Many cleaning supplies are flammable and can cause fire in your apartment, which in turn could spread to other apartments, homes and buildings. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen in case you need to put out a fire.

The bathroom and kitchen cabinets you use to store cleaning supplies should have child-proof latches on them. You can buy latches at your local hardware or home improvement store. They are easy to install, affordable, and there’s no excuse not to have them in light of the danger they pose to children. Children have a way of getting into everything, and the moment you’re not looking, they’ll go to the cabinet and grab one or more of your cleaning supplies. If you use cleaners that are full of dangerous chemicals, swallowing them could be fatal.

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