Cleaning Supplies

[SheraDreaming]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me what cleaning supplies are currently in the space?
Just in terms of chemicals for various surfaces and what sort of
towels/sponges/wipes that there are.

Is there anything with inadequate supplies for cleaning it? (Or
anything within eyeshot of you that is gross-looking and you/others
don't know how to clean it.)

I'm thinking of coming in to do some cleaning tonight....don't get all
excited though ;).....and picking some things up on the way. Please
enlighten me.

Shera

[Adrian Godwin]

a couple of sorts of squirty cleaner under the sink
a mop
vacuum cleaners
possibly some j-cloths
washing up liquid

[Martin Dittus]

Under the kitchen sink we have:
- lots of Cif in various forms (surface/kitchen, floor)
- lots of hand washing liquid
- carpet pre-spotter
- general purpose detergent
- misc small sponges
- at least one pair of thin rubber gloves; could probably be refilled
- a few thin cleaning towels

Not quite sure what's missing since this already exhausts my knowledge of household cleaning science.

m.

[Alec Wright]

We also have various acids in the metal cupboard next to the PCB etch tanks.

[Monty]

There are new/clean/unused j-cloths and sponges under the sink
although the two toilets each have a sponge that's been used to wipe
down their sink and window cills while the kitchen sink has 3 sponges.
Mop can be found in the toilet by the kitchen. FWIW, we recently ran
out of kitchen paper.

As for chemicals there's:
- bleach for mopping the toilet floors.
- loads of general purpose ceramic bathroom sprays that aren't
suitable for painted or porous surfaces.
- plenty of washing up liquid.
- half a bottle of some Cif squirt cream stuff.
- tiny bit of anti-bacterial general purpose cleaning spray.
- one can of air freshner.

What's possibly needed:
- Thick bleach for cleaning the toilet bowls, although the Cif cream
and ceramic sprays are probably good enough.
- The toilet cisterns are painted and have painted wooden seats so
something suitable for that is probably needed. I normally use the
anti-bacterial spray as I think that was the only thing that didn't
say not to use on paint, enamel, or porous surfaces.
- Something for the tables that wont damage the exposed wood in the
surface scratches? But I suppose washing up liquid can be used for
that.
- Something to clean the leather sofa?

[Clare Greenhalgh]

I think white vinegar is the answer to nearly all of these problems -
it is antibacterial and may slightly bleach, but if you use it in a
water spray and wipe it straight off (possibly after spraying with
water afterwards on the leather) it is great.

It would also be fine on the toilet seats.

Noko

--

[SheraDreaming]

Thanks very much for your responses, guys and gals.

I did pick up a bunch of supplies Monday night and brought them to the
space, but I had to leave earlier than planned so didn't get to the
cleaning part, sadly.

There is a green bin with handles in the corner of the new kitchen
(sorry, I couldn't see where else to put it quickly as I was leaving)
containing the following:

2 rolls of paper towel
2 abrasive kitchen sponges
2 packages of window and fixture wipes
toilet cleaner (biodegradable, cruelty-free etc.)
all-surface antibacterial spray (ditto)
washing up soap

And a few other things I'm forgetting. Purchased mostly at the local
hippie grocery store near the space. If you want to use them, they
are donated so go right ahead.

The tub was scrounged on the way to the space, so could do with a
proper cleaning--I think it was from a hair salon. :/ But once
clean, most of the stuff under the old kitchen sink and various
cleaners from around the space could be stored in the tub for easy
transportation until we get a better system. Yes, the cleaner if and
when there is one will likely have his/her own supplies, but it
certainly doesn't hurt for us to make it easier to take care of
cleanliness ourselves.

I also agree with Noko about the vinegar, the only problem being that
some people have a reaction to the strong smell. But vinegar, lemon
juice and baking soda with some refillable spray bottles and scrub
brushes are the way to go if we want to do this cheaply and
sustainably. We just need to make it easy to clean.

[Sam Kelly]

Speaking as one of the people with a reaction to the strong smell (in my case, it sets off a severe depressive attack) I'm entirely fine with the idea so long as I'm not in the room when it's being used. My experience is that the problem goes away within an hour if the door's closed and the room's ventilated to the outside, and that's comparable to commercial cleaning products.

Thank you very much for doing this!

--
Sam Kelly, http://www.eithin.co.uk/

That's it.  We're not messing around anymore, we're buying a bigger dictionary.  -  Tibor Fischer, The Thought Gang.