DIY Cleaning Products: The Steam Cleaner

This is the end of my cleaning series. I am working on wrapping up a number of projects before I attempt to blog for 31 Days of the same topic in the month of October, so be sure to tune in for that! I didn't think cleaning would be such a complex topic, but I guess you never know.

This post is for the germophobics out there. You know who you are. You have nightmares of your 4 year old licking the toilet seat, or your toddler eating his breakfast off the kitchen floor, or your mother in law using the cleaning rag on your dishes. You use gallons of hand sanitizer to remain calm. You know there are germs out there just waiting to attack your helpless family. This post is for you.

One of the tools commercial cleaners use is a steam cleaner. Plain old water heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit is all that is needed for complete sterilization. One of the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen was steam cleaned regularly. We do ours about once a month.

My husband found this nifty Crofton steam cleaner at Aldi for $19.99. It's awesome. It comes with numerous attachments, half of which I have yet to use. You add a cup of water to the device, plug it in for 5 minutes and you are good to go.

The steam loosens up all sorts of crud, soap scum and hard water deposits. It works great on all surfaces. We use it on the faucets, the grout, around the drains, the toilet bowl, even the floor. Just wipe the crud away with a cloth, and it's clean. Really clean.

Then we switch devices and go over the tile walls, shower doors, mirrors, etc.

This is my sons favorite job. They actually fight over who gets to clean the bathroom.

I know what you are thinking, what kind of parent lets their 11 year old clean the bathroom? A crazy Mamma that hates dirt, that's what kind. I don't feel guilty about it either. Not one bit.

Designer Mom