Organize Your Cleaning Supplies with Colorful Cleaning Kits!

Spring is in the air, and boy oh boy do I have an urge to get spring cleaning! Not only do we have a move coming up, but this time of year always makes me want to get rid of the clutter and sort and label every last thing we own! Please tell me I’m not the only one! This last weekend I got a bee in my bonnet (so to speak) about our cleaning supplies, and set to work not only cleaning them out, but making them pretty darn cute too. Today, I want to show you how to organize your cleaning supplies into convenient (and colorful!) cleaning kits. Not only are they adorable to look at, you’ll be sure to always have your cleaning supplies when and where you need them!

There’s a secret you all should know about me: I love a tidy home and could literally organize clutter all day long…but I hate to clean. Hate it. Every bit of it. I’ve tried cleaning checklists and schedules. I’ve tried cleaning a little every day and all out once a month…nothing makes it easier or more pleasant for me, and I really haven’t come up with a system that feels manageable and successful.

You know what does work for me though? Hiring it out. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that (me who DIYs almost everything!), and I certainly don’t say it to sound snobby. We take money pretty seriously around here…which also means that we put it toward the things that mean the most to our family, help us out where it counts, and keep us happy. For me, having someone to come clean the house each month makes me a happier Megan and gives me the time to focus on Greg, Henry, projects and the blog.

The cleaning lady we have here in Kansas does something I’ve never experienced, and I absolutely love. Instead of bringing her own cleaning supplies, she stocked us up and keeps everything here (so we can use it all between visits). That alone is pretty brilliant on her part. But wait, there’s more! She also planted a small collection of supplies in each bathroom and the kitchen in order to limit the amount she carries around the house. Typically, I am someone who likes all-of-one thing contained in a single spot. But over the last few months of using her system, I have loved being able to walk into the bathroom right before company is coming and clean it without having to dig out or go get the right supplies. I guess I could make a single caddy that could be carried throughout the house; but man, it’s just so convenient to have a dedicated cleaning basket in each bathroom!

Until recently, all the supplies were just hanging out under the sinks in each bathroom. I (finally) went to go corral everything into baskets when (of course) I had to take a few minutes to make them extra cute! My sister is going to make fun of me when she reads this post. She and her husband are convinced I label everything. I tried to convince her that I don’t, but this post isn’t going to help my case! When I thought about creating dedicated kits for each bathroom, color-coordinating them was my first instinct! As such, I made super cute basket and spray bottle labels that match…and used a different color for each kit.

How to Make Basket Labels from Chipboard

I wanted to make large, sturdy labels for each basket, but also wanted to do it using only things I had on-hand. I had some chipboard leftover from another project and knew it would be a great solution! While chipboard isn’t waterproof, it’s nice and sturdy and will hold its shape over time.

To make labels using chipboard, you will need:

• Chipboard (the thicker the board you choose, the sturdier your labels will be)
• Acrylic paint (in the color of your choice)
• Vinyl (in the colors of your choice)
• Hole puncher
• Brads (optional, for securing the label to baskets)
• Tools: utility knife | pencil | scissors | paint brush | e-cutter

Start by drawing your label shape onto the chipboard with a pencil. I simply traced a planter saucer I had in my office!

Next, cut out the shapes from the chipboard. Chipboard can be pretty tough to cut with a scissors. I found that trimming away most of the chipboard with a utility knife allowed me to then get in with a scissors to cut out the final shape. Once cut out, paint the chipboard with acrylic paint.

I knew I wanted to have a silhouette image on my baskets (hence the black background). After playing around in Cricut Design Space with a few different images, I finally decided on a two-toned sprayer bottle that I then cut using an array of brightly-colored vinyl!

Once cut, I applied the vinyl to the painted chipboard rounds!

You can attach the labels to your baskets in a variety of ways (including Velcro, double-sided tape, etc). My new favorite way is to use brads, which require holes in the label. Chipboard is a bit too tough to punch with a regular hole punch so I used this snazzy little tool from StampinUp! I’ve had it forever and it makes putting in perfect holes a cinch!

All that’s left to do is secure the labels to your basket using the brads (or any other method you prefer!).

Of course I couldn’t just stop at the basket labels, I decided to add labels to the spray bottles for each kit as well! Our all-purpose cleaner is made from concentrate, so we use generic bottles and mix our own whenever we run out. The labels are made with more vinyl using images from Cricut Design Space.

With the cute stuff done, it was time to load up the baskets!

Bathroom Cleaning Kits

We have three bathrooms, so I made a kit for each one!

These kits aren’t big or full, but provide just the things we need to walk in and get the bathroom clean in a jiffy. Here is what’s included in each:

All of our rags had gotten pretty gross, so I used this opportunity to stock up on new ones. I don’t shop at Walmart often, but when I found this really inexpensive kit of four different cloths, I knew they were perfect for these bathroom-specific kits. And the fact that they come labeled…they were made for me! (I can’t find them online, so check your stores!)

I corralled all the supplies into my favorite Y-weave baskets from Target. I was in Target the other day, and they don’t seem to carry this “medium” size anymore…however THESE are a great alternative! Functional, simple and oh-so-cute…don’t you think?!?

Kitchen Cleaning Kit

In addition to having cleaning supplies in the bathrooms, I also like having some in the kitchen for quick and easy clean up after meal time, for regular wipe downs, and for when we’re entertaining! I organized our cleaning supplies a good long time ago, but as often happens…it had gotten a little out of control in recent months. Take a look:

Admittedly, these two containers weren’t working very well for us at all. Not only did we not use some of the items in here, but the stuff we did use wasn’t accessible or easy to maintain. The plastic caddy never seemed to be wide enough to hold most bottles and supplies; and the cardboard box was a pretty bad idea for under the kitchen sink!

I started by cleaning out everything we had under the sink. The cardboard box got tossed, and the plastic caddy was put into our garage sale pile. I then set out to make one more kit!

Here are the things we really need under the sink. A bunch of rags, sponges and brushes to wash a variety of kitchen-related things, our all-purpose cleaner, some quick disinfecting wipes, and our metal polish. Everything else either got tossed or transported to our THESE (where we store our less-used cleaning supplies).

Every now and then, it helps to add a basket inside a basket to corral things even better! A simple plastic shoebox holds our rags and sponges in a way that is a bit easier to maintain!

Everything fits in comfortably; and it is all easy to pull out and to put back!

The problem I wanted to solve under our sink was where to put used rags (other than tossing them in our laundry) and our dead batteries (to save for proper recycling). I dug out two tins I had in our stash and added new labels to them. Admittedly, I’d love a perforated tin/basket for rags, but this will do for now!

They both fit perfectly (along with our dishwasher detergent) in a plastic tray (which is really a basket lid!)…and the whole thing can slide right under our kitchen sink!

Ahhhh…much better, don’t you think?

It’s pretty hard to make the cabinet under a kitchen sink look glamorous with all those pipes and such…but the baskets and sunny yellow labels sure do help! So excited to have our mess contained under here now!