When you’re a professional cleaner, your job depends on good cleaning products and a steady supply of tools of the trade. After all, you can’t run out of trash bags halfway through a job and expect a good review! When you need to buy sponges, scrubbers, and soaps in bulk, the first place you think of is Costco.
While the big box store is certainly a favorite for amateur cleaners, it’s also a must-stop spot for the pros looking to stock up on supplies. “The common saying is quality over quantity, but when you are cleaning hundreds of homes a month you need quality and quantity. There is no better place to get quality household goods in high quantity than Costco,” says Chris Willatt, owner of Alpine Maids.
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Why It’s A Great Place To Shop
Not only is Costco a great place to buy in bulk, but the prices are competitive, too. According to Willat they frequently have better deals than the commercial vendors and when cleaning is your job, price really counts. “I would recommend buying everything you can in bulk at Costco,” says Alessandro Gazzo of Emily’s Maids. “As a professional cleaner, each cent counts because you’re buying gallons of cleaning products e.g. white vinegar, liquid soap, bleach, etc.”
In fact, Costco is so popular among professional cleaners that when Willatt needs a present for his staff, he knows just what to buy. “The #1 employee reward that I find myself giving out are Costco memberships,” he says. “Our employees go crazy for them.”
As anyone who has ever wielded their membership card knows, though, Costco is huge. Knowing whether to pick up a bulk order of paper towels or a giant jug of Windex amid all the many, many options lining the store’s giant shelves can be overwhelming. To help navigate the aisles, we reached out to the pros to find out what they buy with their memberships.
Here’s what professional cleaners buy when they are perusing the aisles of Costco:
Scotch Brite Heavy-Duty Scour Pads
“Nothing comes in handy more than a scouring pad during a deep cleaning,” says Willatt.
Dish Soap
“It’s hard to save money on a good degreaser, but Kirkland Signature Ultra Shine Liquid Dish Soap is excellent for cleaning almost everything,” says Ryan Knoll from Tidy Casa. “Dishes, sure, but also showers, sinks, and countertops. It’s great and super affordable.”
Memphis Maids’ Evans agrees: “Concentrated dish soap is pretty cheap at Costco. You can get a 102 oz Palmolive bottle for $10.99, or the Kirkland soap for $9.49. They’re not as good as Dawn, but they do the job, especially if you’re going to combine them with other cleaners.”
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Baking Soda
“You can find a 13.5 lb baking soda bag for $9.99. That’s a great price but again, it’s a 13.5 lb bag, so keep in mind you might have to split it between family members or use it very frequently,” says Gazzo of Emily’s Maids.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum with Self-Cleaning Brushroll
“[This] is my go-to vacuum,” says Knoll of Tidy Casa. “It’s usually about $400, and Costco sells it for $189.99. Plus, with their warranty, you can get a new one when it breaks. It’s super important when you use it every day.”
Sponges
“Disposable sponges are great for bathrooms,” says Steve Evans of Memphis Maids. “They have both non-scratch and heavy-duty sponges and they’re pretty cheap in my opinion.”
Trash Bags
“Costco sells good quality [Kirkland] trash bags at $0.10 per bag. It’s not just about savings as much as it is value. These are good quality trash bags like the ones you’d buy at the grocery store. Our alternative at that price point is to buy bags at $0.07 per bag, but they are the ultra thin clear liners that you might find in a commercial setting like an office building or lining a hotel bathroom bin. We could use these liners to cut costs, but we’d be leaving our clients frustrated when they go to empty the trash and the cheap bags rip open in their kitchen,” says Willatt. “If you find yourself at Costco, I’d stock up on trash bags.”
O-Cedar EasyWring Spin Mop & Bucket System
“[This] is a super convenient mop,” says Knoll. “It’s lightweight, inexpensive (especially at Costco), and does a great job, especially when other mops might cost $150-$200 to do the same job.”
Laundry Soap
“I like the Ecos soap laundry soap. This is great because many people are sensitive to scents in their laundry because, unlike other cleaners, you are wearing your clothes and having that scent near you all the time,” says Evans of Memphis Maids. “A 2-pack of a 210-load bottle for $39 easily lasts for a very long time even if you have a large family or if you are a professional cleaner and you bring your own cleaning supplies to do laundry.”
The Unscented Company Dish Soap
“Products from The Unscented Company are fantastic if you’re looking for eco-friendly, unscented products,” says Gazzo. “For example, they have a 10-liter dish soap refill for $50 which I think is decently (good-quality, eco-friendly products are always a bit more expensive than more commercial products). Or, a box of 300 laundry tabs for $75 which can easily last for a year and a half. If this is only for personal use, I would recommend splitting the bill and the box with two to three family members.”
