My old life as a cleaning lady...

I used to be a housecleaner, but I was cleaning using the products the people had (it was for veterans, paid for by the government.) So I got to try all kinds of products and techniques.

* Vacuum cleaners: The older the better. Electrolux or, best of all, the Filter Queen. These things are like old clunky cars, that are so much better made than the newbies. The Filter Queen's round design made it easy to turn with, and all the attachments are on the head, and it worked well. But I've never tried any of the fancy new-fangled ones out these days. Still, if on a budget, a fixed up Electrolux is a good buy.

* Floor cleaning: I actually believe hands and knees works best. I've used those weird orange mops, the sponge mops, and string mops--but nothing beats a regular rag, a little Hertel, and your hands. Dries fast too. I just tried my microfiber rag, and I'd say it's comparable--because you're getting the flat rag effect, that works so well with hands and knees, and it doesn't use a lot of water, so dries fast.

* Mirrors: Well now that I've tried microfiber I would never use anything else. But I also found that, when cleaning glass, the best clean came from window cleaner and a dry towel or facecloth. Better than paper towels, really.

* Dusting: I used to love the Pledge smell. Pledge was just fun to use. But either way, you need to dust with a cloth and something a bit wet, because feather dusters (or their progeny) don't work very well. For wood, I also used to love that orange infused stuff.

* Sinks/tubs: You have to use a cleanser, like Old Dutch or Comet or Vim. They take out the ring around the tub faster than any other product, bar none. Almost no elbow grease needed. A rag is fine. Lately I've also used one of those plastic body sponges that come with every gift basket on the planet, and it helps lift the dirt quickly.

* Counters/stove/fridge/walls/doorways: For stains, same as above--a cleanser. Otherwise any general cleaner will do, like Mr Clean, or Hertel. For the greasy underside of the stove vent, you need something that cuts grease well. This is why I like Vim spray--you can get it onto the vertical surfaces etc.