My cleaning cabinet used to have fourteen different products. Glass cleaner, granite cleaner, stainless steel cleaner, bathroom cleaner, kitchen cleaner, floor cleaner, wood polish, multi-surface spray, bleach spray, mildew remover, and four scrubbers. I was cleaning my cleaning supplies more often than my house.

I now own three cleaning products. My house is cleaner than it was with fourteen.

The Three Products

1. White Vinegar (gallon jug, three dollars). Cleans glass, mirrors, countertops, floors, bathroom surfaces. Cuts grease. Kills mildew. Deodorizes. Smell dissipates as it dries. Do not use on natural stone (granite, marble) — it etches the surface.

2. Baking Soda (large box, two dollars). Mild abrasive for scrubbing sinks, tubs, stovetops. Deodorizes carpets and upholstery. Combined with vinegar creates fizzy reaction that cleans drains. A box lasts months.

3. Castile Soap (Dr. Bronner’s, 32 oz, sixteen dollars). Concentrated, biodegradable, works on everything — dishes, hands, floors, laundry, even pet shampoo when diluted. One bottle replaces dish soap, hand soap, all-purpose cleaner. Dilute 1:10 for cleaning. Lasts six months or more.

What Each Cleans

• Kitchen counters: Vinegar spray (fifty percent water)
• Glass: Vinegar spray plus microfiber cloth
• Sinks: Baking soda paste plus scrub, vinegar rinse
• Floors: Quarter cup castile soap in gallon hot water
• Toilets: Baking soda plus vinegar, fizz, scrub
• Stovetop: Baking soda paste for burnt food, vinegar for grease

I still use commercial dishwasher and laundry detergent. But for everything else, three products. My cabinet has space now. I can see what is in it.