Build Some Trusty Buckets and a Trusty You

Lesson Preview

Objectives

• Gather tools needed for future cleaning tasks
• Reduce mess and stress by having the right tools for your job on hand 

Assignment Summary

• Assemble three or more cleaning buckets
• Place cleaning buckets strategically throughout the house (near sinks)
• Post pictures of your buckets on Facebook! (optional)

Recommended Readings

• http://www.adebtfreestressfreelife.com/creating-your-cleaning-bucket/
• http://joyfulhomemaking.com/2015/05/chore-kits-with-free-chore-printable.html
• If you want to try to make some of your own all-natural cleaning supplies, go for it! Let me know how it goes and what recipes you used. I'll include links to any online recipes/sources you find helpful here in the future. 

Lesson

"We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us."

--Attributed to Marshal McLuhan, Media Theorist 

The point of this lesson is start of gathering the right tools for your job so they’re there for you right when you need them. Every professional has professional tools for their job, and you as a career homemaker should be no different. 

To begin assembling our tools, we’re going to build three types of “trusty buckets.” It may take a few weeks for you to complete this lesson, or just an hour or so, depending on what you already have on hand. No rush. Just do it.

In building trusty buckets, we’re also building a trusty bucket user: you. Having the right tools on hand will shape you to be a happier homemaker because when you have your good-quality tools easily accessible, you are more competent at your job, more confident, and less harried. Routine tasks become quick, painless, and even enjoyable. And spectacular disasters become exciting challenges (happy or otherwise) and hilarious stories once the mess has been resolved. You'll shape your tools to be ready for anything, and your tools will shape you to be more in control. You and your tools will be trusty.

The recipes for these trusty buckets include all the items you need to handle most of the dirt and disasters in your home. In following these recipes, I recommend getting the very best versions of each item that you can: poor tools are frustrating, while good tools make the job easier and more fun. 

My trusty buckets from left to right: all-purpose, kitchen, and laundry.

Since I live in a tiny place, I only have one trusty all-purpose bucket, one trusty kitchen bucket, and one trusty laundry bucket. If you can, though, I would recommend building all-purpose buckets to put under each sink (kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room) in the house. Or, just combine the contents of an all-purpose bucket with another bucket if you would rather have just one container with everything. If you’ve got toddlers that like to taste everything, don’t put the trusty buckets down low, of course. Find a top shelf for your trusty bucket’s home.

Recipe for a trusty all-purpose bucket

• 1 trusty container. This could be a bucket, plastic or wire basket, basin, or whatever. Think sturdy, big enough to hold what you need but small enough to tote easily, and won’t rust. That’s what I mean by trusty.
• 1 container of powdered cleanser. I like Comet or Ajax. I especially like Ajax with bleach, but anything along these lines works.
• 1 bottle of glass cleaner. I use glass cleaner (Windex) almost like all-purpose cleaner. If that doesn’t work for you though, include the next item.
• 1 bottle of all-purpose cleaner. Now, this could be anything: Pine-Sol, 7th Generation all natural environmentally friendly something-or-other, or even old shampoo or dish soap that you don’t like for its intended purpose. As the FlyLady says, “soap is soap.” The FlyLady actually seems to prefer old shampoo for some tasks because it’s not harsh on your body and still does the job.
• 1 microfiber cloth. These are more expensive than regular rags, but it’s worth it if you can get them. Why microfiber? Well, if you get a good-quality microfiber cloth, you can clean almost any surface, including glass, with it and it does a good, non-streaky job. Microfiber rags = trusty. But if you don't have a microfiber cloth handy, just put in whatever you have for now.
• 1 container of disposable cleaning wipes OR 1 roll paper towels. I use Clorox or Lysol wipes. You want some sort of disposable mopping/wiping device for seriously gross jobs.
• 1 pair rubber gloves. Don’t get those wimpy white latex gloves for this. They’re not trusty enough. Get either some sturdy yellow gloves, or, if you’re really serious (and I am), go to the chemicals section at Home Depot and get their blue chemical-handling gloves. I’ve had mine for two years now, use them nearly every day, and haven’t had to replace them. They do make you a bit less dexterous, but I’d rather deal with slight clumsiness than have to replace my yellow rubber gloves every few weeks because they got a hole in them.
• 1 old toothbrush
• 1 old plastic card (old library card, gift card, or something) OR 1 plastic knife. The card is better if you can find one.

My serious gloves.

Now, like any recipe, this one can be adjusted to fit your tastes. Maybe you don’t care for gloves. That’s fine. My containers are more like sturdy plastic baskets than buckets, just because that’s what I had. My all-purpose bucket has cleanser, glass cleaner, disposable wipes, a toothbrush, and a library card in it. I keep my rag hanging on a hook in the bathroom or kitchen, or on the edge of the bucket. I keep my gloves in my kitchen bucket. 

Recipe for a trusty kitchen bucket

• 1 trusty container
• 1 sturdy dish brush. The bristles should not be metal, but they should be tough enough to not bend immediately when you when you apply some pressure.
• 1 sturdy bottle brush. Don’t get baby bottle brushes. Try to find a real bottle brush. You may even use a small toilet brush for this if you want to.
• 1 fruit and vegetable brush—this can be a slightly softer brush, but it too should hold up with some gentle pressure.
• 1 old toothbrush—this comes in handy when you’re shining your sink
• Optional: Small dish brushes. I only need to use these every once in a while, but when I need them they are so helpful.
• 1 container to put brushes in standing up. I just use a glass jar. I wash the jar out periodically. You want your brushes standing up and not laying down in your bucket because they will dry better, avoid getting smashed, and be easier to find and grab quickly.
• 1 pair sturdy rubber gloves—I use the chemical-handling gloves, but do what you like.
• 1 scouring pad—I prefer the green Scotch Brite pads to anything else. The plastic or metal scrubbing wads get all tangled and are hard for me to clean. Sponges with scouring pads attached can get pretty gunky too, but aren’t a bad option. I use the green scouring pad, then put it in the dishwasher from time to time, and get a lot of life out of it. Again, though, use whatever empowers you.

The following items can be kept out on your counter, but I prefer to hide them in the kitchen bucket when I can:

• Plugs and strainers for your drains
• 1 bottle dish soap
• 1 bottle hand soap
• Dish sponges or rags

My kitchen brushes. I prefer brushes that don't have wood parts so that
I can put the brushes in the dishwasher on occasion. 

In addition to the kitchen bucket, I recommend having an all-purpose bucket under or near the kitchen sink.

Now, it may seem like a lot to have all these trusty buckets floating around, but when disaster strikes (the baby discovers how to use the contents of her diaper as an artistic medium on the wall—something I apparently did as a toddler), you don’t really want to be running down stairs and hunting in some closet for the remedy. You need to be able to act fast. If you have a trusty bucket on the same floor only a few doors away from the crime scene, you can tackle disaster immediately and calmly, minimizing the extent of both the mess and the stress.

Shining your sinks regularly is easy when all the tools you need are right there by the sink.

And cleaning the sink, mirror, and toilet takes three minutes or less (I’ve timed it) when all the tools are right there ready to go and you clean at least twice a week (more on the tools and routine for this job later).

Now for the final recipe.

Recipe for a trusty laundry bucket

• 1 trusty container
• 1 bottle of stain spray—Shout, OxyClean, your own concoction, whatever.
• 2-3 mesh (lingerie) bags—you can find these at the dollar store or on Amazon for cheap!
• 1 box dryer sheets OR several dryer balls
• Optional: 1 empty jar or box.

If you don’t have an indoor laundry facility, add the following:

• 1 bottle bleach or white vinegar (or both)
• 1 jar for laundry soap (or the whole container of soap if it’s not too gigantic)
• Quarters

My laundry bucket. My son likes to play with my dryer balls, so they are not
pictured here. The soap container is also missing. Better picture to come. 

This trusty bucket lives as close to your dirty-clothes hamper as possible. As you put clothing in the hamper, you can reach into the trusty laundry bucket, grab your stain spray, and instantly spritz spots. You can put delicate or very small items in the mesh bags. Then, on laundry day, you won’t have to search for and treat stains or try to find and match the baby’s tiny socks after they’ve been estranged in the laundry pile. And, if you have to truck everything to a laundromat, you’ve got all your gear in one trusty bucket, ready to go when you are.

The optional empty jar or box listed on the recipe is a place to put the stuff you find in pockets. If you check the pockets as you put the clothes in the hamper, you won’t ever end up with that important paper returning to its basic elements all over your clothes in the wash. Having a place to put stuff when you empty pockets may even help you remember to do the pocket check.

Trusty Bucket Recipe Summaries:

All-purpose bucket	Kitchen bucket	Laundry bucket
1 trusty container 1 bottle all-purpose cleaner 1 bottle glass cleaner 1 container powdered cleanser 1 toothbrush 1 library card/plastic knife 1 container disposable wipes or paper towels. 1 microfiber cloth 1 pair rubber gloves	1 trusty container 1 sturdy dish brush 1 sturdy bottle brush 1 fruit and vegetable brush 1 toothbrush Optional: small bottle brushes 1 container to put brushes in standing up 1 pair sturdy rubber gloves 1 scouring pad Plugs and strainers for your drains 1 bottle dish soap 1 bottle hand soap Dish sponges or rags	1 trusty container 1 bottle of stain spray 2-3 mesh bags Optional: 1 empty jar or box. If you usually do laundry at a laundromat, add the following: 1 bottle bleach or white vinegar (or both) 1 jar for laundry soap (or the whole container of soap if it’s not too gigantic) Quarters

Feel free to add these recipes to your BOPO if you want to have them on hand while you’re building your buckets. Once you’ve got your buckets outfitted, you won’t need the recipes anymore.

How do you use your trusty buckets? Do you have any other super tools you would add to any of the recipes?

Post pictures of your trusty buckets on our Facebook group!