The best cleaning products to buy because we know jhaadu-poccha-bhartan has taken over your life

Playing ghar-ghar as a three-year-old felt exciting. Using TV remotes as mobiles, cooking imaginary biryani that according to your mother smelled “divine,” and typing away at the makeshift computer aka your dad’s half-open briefcase. But this five-month-long ghar-ghar has been a bitter taste of reality. No one mentioned the endless washing, scrubbing and dusting. Or that conversations with your friends would go from which restaurant makes the best sushi to which cleaning products to invest in.

Because just like you can’t overlook the farce that is adulting, you cannot ignore the dust bunnies that come hopping every three days. Or the hair fall that threatens to turn your wooden deck into a carpeted floor.

But keeping your hygiene standards high is crucial DC (During Corona). So you quietly go about cleaning, while writing a mental love note to your didi, who really deserves to be paid better.

To save you time, energy and having to spend half your monthly salary on Moov, we investigated the best cleaning products available in India. These count as an investment, but you can’t put a price tag on finally being able to enjoy some me-time while a tiny robot sucks up the mud your partner just tracked all over the house.

6 cleaning products and equipment to help make life easier

Vacuum without moving a muscle

Vacuum cleaning is the least rewarding activity. It requires you to spare two hours of the day pushing a device around the house, and you don’t even actually contribute to the cleaning.

When people look at the spotless rug all they say is “This vacuum cleaner was a great investment.” What about the time I’m investing? The time I could’ve spent watching the rain or piling my virtual shopping cart with tights, now that they’re finally being accepted as pants.

The answer to your woes is Ecovacs Deebot 500. It is a robotic vacuum cleaner that you can operate using your phone. It allows you to adjust cleaning settings depending on the level of deep cleaning you want, lets you schedule vacuuming, has sensors that ensure it doesn’t go around knocking your furniture down or chipping off paint, and the best bit is that its quiet cleaning feature allows you to have Zoom meetings with zero disruptions. It’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Home. Amazon.in, ₹12,900

Don’t forget about the pocket-sized carriers

If you’re sanitising your hands every three minutes, then why make your limb’s extension – your mobile phone – feel left out? In all likelihood, your phone has touched more surfaces that your hands have.

The same goes for other knick-knacks you use daily – earphones, chargers, other mobile accessories, and maybe even make-up brushes.

This portable steriliser has eight UV lights that provide 360° sterilisation to your device. It’s compact and wirelessly charges your device while sterilising it. Bigsmall.in, ₹4,499

Disinfect dhania and all its accompaniments

For all those on the verge of giving your groceries to the dry cleaner because no other way seems hygienic enough – please stop.

It might feel like the world is ending, but throwing your tamatars in the laundry with your turtlenecks might not be the best solution, neither is cleaning your fruits and veggies with soap. Experts explain that fruits and vegetables are likely to absorb detergents and soap, which on consumption might lead to nausea, vomiting, and even diarrhoea.

Veggie Clean is a chemical free cleanser made from natural ingredients derived from coconut and corn, which is said to retain the natural antioxidants and vitamins of fruits and vegetables. Amazon.in, ₹159

Step into your homes feeling safe

As much as you try, it’s impossible to keep people from entering your homes. For instance when the AC, your geyser, and the exhaust fan all conk off at the same time.

It’s best to be cautious, and that’s exactly where the next cleaning product comes into the picture – a sanitiser dispensing door mat.

The mat has two parts – the bottom tray that holds the sanitiser and the top half that you wipe your feet on. The top layer is made using the loop and coil technique which traps the dust from your shoes and allows the sanitiser from the tray below to seep through and disinfect the soles of your shoes.

This sanitising sneak attack is ideal for all you space cadets who are too busy day-dreaming to remember to take your shoes off before entering the house. Amazon.in, ₹1,849

Spray the coronavirus anxiety away

The second a parcel arrives or every time you sit down to eat or work or do absolutely anything, the one thought that keeps springing back up is – “Am I cleaning enough?”

If the answer is no, that means getting all the safely tucked paraphernalia out, and following the step-by-step cleaning routine that your Virgo friend was nice enough to share with you. And of course, after each step comes a hand-washing break, which means skin that is drier than the chapatis they serve in hostels.

There is a very simple solution to this madness – a sanitising spray. The Savlon surface disinfectant spray can be used on both hard and soft surfaces and even on fixtures such as door knobs around the house. It also doesn’t leave your house smelling like the inside of a chemist shop. Amazon.in, ₹159

Choose a spinning mop over a sprained back

If you haven’t already had your Moov commercial “Aa meri kamar” moment yet then one of these two things is possible – you live with an angel of a housemate who has decided to take all your poccha shifts and left you indebted for life or you’re not taking your poccha workout seriously, and now the bottom of your bed is home to a colony of spiders.

Either way, you need  to invest in better cleaning products – being in debt or murdered in your sleep by spiders really aren’t ideal long-term plans.

We suggest you invest in this spinning mop, that won’t require you to bend, thanks to the stick, and it will not make you feel like your arms are going to fall off because the spinning motion does all the heavy duty wringing for you. You are very welcome. Amazon.in, ₹1,099