Moving into a new flat in Bengaluru usually means a first grocery order full of floor cleaner, dish soap and detergent, and then the realisation that there is nothing to use them with. This guide separates the two kinds of purchase: the tools you buy once and keep for years, and the consumables that belong on your weekly reorder list. The tools are what we link to below; the consumables are on the Haper app.
The one-time tools
1. A spin mop with a bucket
The single most useful thing on this list. A spin mop wrings itself with a foot pedal or a push handle, which means you are not bending over a bucket twice a day. Look for a stainless-steel spinner (plastic ones crack within a year), a microfibre head that can go in the washing machine, and at least one spare head in the box. Our cleaning tools kit (paid link) pick starts with this.
2. Microfibre cloths, in two colours
Buy a pack of six or more and split them by colour: one colour for the kitchen, another for the bathroom. Microfibre picks up dust and grease without a chemical, so most day-to-day wiping needs only water. Wash them separately from clothes and skip fabric conditioner, which clogs the fibres.
3. A long-handled broom and a dustpan
A soft-bristle broom for indoor floors and a stiff one for the balcony. The dustpan should have a rubber lip so it sits flat against the floor. Cheap, unglamorous, used daily.
4. Scrub brushes and a sponge holder
A dish brush with a handle, a small grout brush for tile edges, and a sponge holder that lets the sponge dry. A wet sponge sitting in a puddle by the sink is where most kitchen smells start.
5. A dish drying rack
Air-drying is cleaner than a damp cloth, and a rack with a drip tray keeps the counter dry. Choose stainless steel over plastic; it costs a little more and lasts many times longer. Our dish drying rack (paid link) notes cover sizes.
6. Two dustbins with lids
Most Bengaluru apartments now require wet and dry waste to be separated. Two small pedal dustbins (paid link) under the sink make this automatic. Pedal lids keep smells and fruit flies in, and mean you never touch the bin with messy hands.
7. Rubber gloves
Floor cleaner and toilet cleaner are hard on skin. One pair for the kitchen, one for the bathroom, hung to dry after use. Replace them when they crack.
8. A laundry basket and a drying stand
A ventilated laundry basket and foldable drying stand (paid link) is the difference between a tidy corner and a permanent pile on a chair. Flats without a balcony line especially need the stand; get a foldable one that fits a bathroom or a sunny window.
The weekly consumables
These run out and are easiest to keep on a standing reorder. None of them need a special brand; pick what smells acceptable to you and is available at a fair price.
- Floor cleaner (one bottle per fortnight for a two-bedroom flat)
- Dish wash liquid, plus a refill pouch
- Laundry detergent, liquid or powder
- Toilet cleaner and a bathroom surface spray
- Garbage bags in two sizes for the two bins
- Kitchen roll or a stack of cotton dusters
A simple routine
- Daily: dishes washed and racked, kitchen counter wiped, bins emptied if the wet bin is full.
- Twice a week: sweep and mop the floors, wipe the bathroom sink and mirror.
- Weekly: bathroom scrub, laundry, wash the microfibre cloths and mop head.
- Monthly: fridge shelves, kitchen exhaust filter, under the sink.
With the eight tools above and a standing reorder for the consumables, a new flat stays clean with about twenty minutes a day. Back to the home picks.