The $20 Cleaning Kit I Saw on TikTok and Can’t Stop Thinking About

Professional house cleaner Vanesa Amaro is worth following on TikTok for her energy alone. But once you scroll through her feed, you’ll be equally as enchanted by her super-smart, super-easy cleaning tips. The best thing about her feed? Everything she shares is incredibly accessible — no fancy products or time-consuming techniques required for the same sparkly results in your own space. 

Take, for example, this recent video, where she brings followers with her to Walmart to assemble a $20 cleaning kit. The idea originated with a challenge from a commenter, and I’ll admit, I was dubious. I figured there was no way Amaro could bring home more than a few full-sized products for that amount. But by the end of the video, she’s unloading seven of her favorite products (for just $19.53) and explaining how she uses them. Amazing, right? Obviously, I had to follow Amaro’s footsteps and try all her products. Spoiler alert: They’ll all be on permanent rotation around here.

Here’s what she got and my review of each.

All my friends use the Scour Daddy, so I was thrilled for the opportunity to find out why. (I’ve used regular Scrubby Daddy sponges before, but not these.) Like the Scrub Daddy, these get softer in warm water and more stiff in cold water. I’ve been using them to clean baking dishes — I start with cold water and then warm things up and find that they’re great for getting into corners of pans and scouring. 10/10!

I’ve been using Dawn dish soap forever, but only in recent years did I learn just how many jobs you can use it for. (Amaro says it’s good for literally everything.) I like to use a Dawn-and-water solution to wipe down an oil-splattered backsplash, clean the inside of my microwave, to tame that huge pile of dirty dishes (obviously), and any time I need to cut through grease.

Amaro suggests this stuff for the bathroom, so I headed straight to my toilet. As expected, it was really easy to use: I just sprayed the toilet seat (on top and under) and after letting it sit for a minute, I wiped off all the gross residue with a paper towel. I especially appreciate the convenience of the spray bottle. When you DIY bleach solutions at home, you need to use it right away so the diluted bleach doesn’t lose its effectiveness over time. I can keep this spray bottle on hand and just use what I need, when I need it.

Another one of Amaro’s go-to products is Lysol Multi-Surface Cleaner, which I don’t normally keep on hand. She suggests using it to mop, so that’s what I did. I diluted a bit in warm water and got to work. Not only did it do a great job, but it also smelled amazing. Super clean fresh. Get it?

I’ve always been a Windex kind of cleaner, so I was curious what my experience with Sprayway would be like. To put it to the ultimate test, I sprayed some on the outside of my back door’s windowpane. (Because it was filthy!) I knew right away that I LOVED this stuff. The foamy textures makes wiping away the dirt incredibly easy.

Amaro recommends Favor for polishing furniture, so I used it to spray down my fingerprint-y, dusty walnut coffee table. I’m a little embarrassed to tell you that I haven’t tried a similar product — typically, I just use a microfiber cloth and water to wipe furniture down. From now on, I’ll definitely be whipping out the Favor, which did a much better job wiping away gunk and fingerprints than my usual method. My picky 6-year-old said he loved the fresh, lemon-y smell, which was an unexpected bonus!

I am so late to the BKF train, but I’m so glad to finally be on board. Because I’d cleaned pretty much everything else already, I scanned the back of the can for ideas. I knew right away what I needed to do: Buff out knife marks from my ceramic dishes. You guys, this stuff ERASED every mark from my five-year-old plates. Like, they now look brand new. I should have known to expect a miracle, based on other people’s rave reviews, but this stuff exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to try it on every other surface in my kitchen and bathroom!

What would you buy if you had to make a $20 cleaning kit?