It's officially summer! The sun is blazing and kids are home from school. Seasonal activities and parties mean that most homes have more foot traffic – and more mess. We’re working with Clorox again today to share our summer cleaning essentials to keep a bright home during this busy season.
Opt for Crisp, Brilliant Whites for the Easiest Summer Cleaning
I've professed my love for bright white in every aspect of life numerous times. While everyone else is renovating with copper and stainless farm sinks, I'm sticking with porcelain. My cabinets are painted white, my bedding is white, and during the summer we wear ALL the white clothes! Apparently Memorial Day through Labor Day is the “socially acceptable” time to wear white, but we love the light color year-round for helping shield our family from bright sun rays whether we're in San Diego, Florida or enjoying a Disney vacation.
The thing about white – aside from its awesome sun-deflecting capabilities that make it perfect for the summer season – is that it's really easy to clean. People stress about smudges and dirt and dinginess. I say that the smudges and dirt are present (and usually visible) on any color backdrop. With white stuff, at least you can easily assess the dirtiest areas and attack them head-on with bleach. That's the key to stave away dull-looking clothes and worn-looking home goods and appliances. Bleach, bleach, bleach, bleach, bleach. In its numerous glorious forms!
That's right, it comes in more than its traditional liquid.
Three things from our long-term sponsor Clorox have been totally essential in our house for summer cleaning: Clorox® Bleach Pen Gel, Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™ and Clorox@ Zero Splash™ Bleach Crystals.
Clean Cabinets
We get SO many questions about the white painted cabinets in our kitchen. We're extremely happy with them – so much so that we're using the same paint on our RV cabinets. How we keep them sparkling, even in a space that sees a ton of foot traffic? A bleach pen. Whether you have a pasta splash or a mustard stain, just squeeze a bit of that gel on there and scrub with the integrated scrub tip. It's so easy.
This is one of our summer cleaning essentials that has a home in our purse and our travel bags. It works on dirtied clothes and stain-splattered rooms alike. In short, it's amazing.
Sparkling Sinks are Essential for Summer Cleaning
Our sink gets a TON of use in the summer. Dishes upon dishes upon dishes! Bleach is our go-to for whitening our super-old porcelain sink in between tons of barbecue and cobbler.
Clorox's new bleach crystals make it as easy as pouring a little bit of these lightweight crystals into the sink and adding water. There’s a dosing mark on the cap, and you stir it to dissolve. I let it soak for just a few minutes and – voila! – our white sink is white again! Rinse the sink and it’s good as new. These crystals can be used in place of liquid bleach in the laundry, too. No more lugging that jug around.
The Whitest Linens without any Hassle
Thanks to bleach packs, you can now brighten your shirts, towels, tablecloths and even curtains with a flick of the wrist. Pop a bleach pack in the wash with your whites, and they'll come out as good as new. Summer picnics have never looked so vibrant, and summer cleaning has never been so easy.
What are your top summer cleaning priorities this summer?