Clean up with the Manly Housekeeper

It's that time of the year when you bust out the duster, move the couches and prepare to deep clean your whole house. Maybe your vacuum has seen better days, or perhaps you've had a hard time figuring out whether that Swiffer is really worth the buy. (Answer: It depends on which one.) But never fear -- the Manly Housekeeper is here.

After finishing graduate school, Mark Evitt took over household duties while his wife went to work as a lawyer. He decided to chronicle his cooking, cleaning and domestic experiences on his blog, the Manly Housekeeper (www.themanlyhousekeeper.com).

Along with cooking, housekeeping and gardening tips, Evitt also frequently puts cleaning products to the test. The self-proclaimed "house husband" revealed what his favorite hard-core products are.

Vacuum: It's probably the most important cleaning tool. With the right one, you can adjust the height, so it sucks up dirt from the deepest carpets as well as hardwood floors. Evitt likes the Hoover WindTunnel T-Series. (He has model UH70120.)

"I think it's only like $100," he said. "I know that the Dyson, for instance, is really popular, but those are four times as expensive."

Evitt also enjoys the WindTunnel's bagless feature.

"I just find it very satisfying to be able to see exactly how much ... gets into the vacuum," he said.

"I like the dry Swiffer," he said. "It's really easy to use, easy to maneuver, and it does a great job of picking up dust."

When it comes to doing the harder job of mopping the floors, he said to avoid the Swiffer WetJet.

"If you're doing wet cleaning, like actual mopping, then there's no replacement for just an old-fashioned mop and bucket," he said.

When it comes to mops, he prefers the rounded-sponge models, like the OXO Good Grips Roller Mop ($30). For the ultimate in pristine floors, he advises using two buckets: one for the soapy, clean water and the other for dirty water.

Duster: Forget feather dusters. Evitt once again praises Swiffer, which has a duster for less than $10.

Cleaners: For hardwood floors, Evitt prefers the old standby Murphy Oil Soap, which is a gentle cleaner. However, many hardwood-floor specialists warn against Murphy Soap because they say you're coating your floor in vegetable oil residue. If you're leery, use Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner ($3.18), which has a four-star rating at Amazon.

For surfaces in the bathroom or kitchen, Evitt thinks nothing beats a bit of diluted bleach.

If you're going to buy a household cleaner, he has two picks. First, there's Clorox Clean-Up ($6), which is great for stains that won't budge.

"It also has some degreasing agents in it," he said. "So especially in the shower, where you have a little more grease build-up, it's worth it to get."