My Favorite Things: Household Favorites

Today I'll continue sharing some of my favorite things and show you some of my favorite household products.

I tend to be pretty loyal when it comes to products.  Once I find something that works, I stick with it! I also try to choose products that are non-toxic and environmentally friendly.  You'll probably notice a theme here...I'm a bit of a clean freak so I like my cleaning products.  I also like to have things organized.  

In no particular order, here are my favorite household products:

I absolutely love this surface cleaner.  I really like all of Mrs. Meyer's products, but they are expensive so I only splurge on this one.  The geranium scent is just heavenly.  It actually makes me want to clean my counters....  

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I'm also a fan of Method cleaning products.  There's nothing I hate more than a layer of dust in my house and this wood polish is wonderful.  It smells delicious and does a nice job of making my furniture nice and shiny without leaving a layer of heavy residue.

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And here we have the Magic Eraser.  I love these things for removing scuff marks and various spots.  I really only use them when a surface cleaner doesn't do the job.  Now that I have toddler I'm discovering all kinds of uses for the Magic Eraser.  Just yesterday I used one to remove crayon from my wood floors.  I'm not entirely sure what is in them, but they are, indeed, magic!

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This is a product that I just recently discovered.  I hate ironing, so I don't do it.  In fact, I make it my purpose to buy clothing items that don't require ironing.  My husband, however, has a few shirts that do need to be ironed.  This wrinkle releaser does the trick!  And it's so easy to use.  All you have to do it spray it on, smooth out the garment and then hang it to dry.  This isn't going to give you any nice creases, but it does make clothes virtually wrinkle free, which is good enough for me.  

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I bought this steam mop a couple of years ago and then I bought one for my mom.  I love this thing for multiple reasons.  First of all, it's so much easier than dragging around a mop and a bucket.  Secondly, it sanitizes floors by using steam so there's no need for toxic chemicals.  The mop pads are also reusable, I just throw them in the laundry when I'm done.  It's quick and easy and gets my floors super clean.  When Liam was crawling, I used this nearly every day.

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As I mentioned above, I like things organized, and drawer organizers are high on my list.  I love to open my drawers and see everything in its spot.  I find that organizers not only help us get organized but they also help us stay organized.  I use them throughout the house, but I think they're particularly useful in kitchen, bathroom and desk drawers.

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I like to label things.  Weird, I know.  Last year I discovered chalk labels, which are both cute and fun to make. I currently use them in our pantry, and I have big plans for more labels in the near future.   

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We live in a house that is over 100 years old....no walk in closets here!  It's also not a very big house, so we are short on storage space.  Our master bedroom doesn't even have a closet.  Baskets to the rescue!  I use baskets in every room.  They are a great way to store small items while also concealing clutter.  I use them in our bedroom to store my cardigans and jeans.  In the living room, I have multiple baskets for our shoes, Liam's toys, puzzles, and books.  I don't like clutter and baskets really help to keep things tidy.  The downside is that baskets can be expensive.  World Market and Hobby Lobby both have an excellent selection and have regular sales on them.  I like to buy sturdy ones that I know will hold up.  I use the large sized ones seen below in our bedroom.

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I've mentioned my love of candles before on this blog.  I really enjoy a yummy smelling candle.  We go through a lot of them as I like to burn them throughout the day when we are at home and almost every evening.  My very favorite candles are from Capri Blue.  I love the Volcano scent and also Aloha Orchid.  They make the entire house smell divine, and it doesn't hurt that they make me feel like I'm in an Anthropologie store!

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One of my New Year's goals was to use fewer paper towels so we started using cloth napkins.  I had no idea how nice it would be to use real napkins at each meal!  It really makes mealtime feel a little extra special.  I also notice that I put a little more effort into setting our table and coordinating things. Plus, it just feels nice to lay a cloth napkin across your lap.  This change has made a noticeable difference in our paper towel consumption, and it feels good to know that we are being less wasteful.  One day, when I have some free time, I plan to sew up more pretty napkins using scraps of fabric that I have.  

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I'm sure there are probably more favorites that I'm missing, but these are definitely my all stars.  In the near future, I would like to try to make my own surface cleaner using this recipe, although I'm not sure I can give up my Mrs. Meyers!  I've also been looking at recipes for making my own, environmentally friendly laundry detergent.  As much as I prefer green products, they can be a little pricey sometimes so making my own would be a good way to save some money.

What about you?  What are your household favorites?

Today, I'm linking up with the feature free for all at Five Days Five Ways!  Please check out all of the fun links!