With all the gadgets, chemicals, and doo-dads on television and in the cleaning aisle at the store, cleaning can get overwhelming. However, you can learn how to clean anything with just a few basic tools. We're lucky: Our great-grandmothers didn't have any of this newfangled stuff, and their houses were usually cleaner than our own!

Chemicals - If you keep some of the more basic liquids and chemicals around in your home, you'll be able to clean nearly anything. First one we'll start with is ammonia. Do you want clean clarity? Ammonia is a good choice to use for cleaning solutions. Ammonia is wonderful stuff when you mix it up with water to clean your glass, stainless steel, and tile or linoleum floors.

Another acidic liquid you'll want to keep around is lemon juice, which can help bring the shine back to dull items. To kill mildew and mold, as well as to lift stains from white objects, bleach is an absolute necessity.

But remember, you must always remember that bleach and ammonia must be kept separate! Don't ever mix the two, because the fumes from the result will be deadly! Don't do this at home (or anywhere else for that matter)! Next we take a little trip to your spice cabinet for salt and cream of tartar, both of which are quite useful for cleaning challenges. If you really want to know how to clean anything, those are all the things you need.

Large tools - You'll want to have a good broom along with a dust pan, a dust mop (or a Swiffer), and a vacuum is a good idea too. All three are considered necessities in many households, depending on the types of floors.

A bucket and mop are preferred by many people for their tile and linoleum flooring, as well. Got dusty ceiling fan blades and cobwebs hanging in the corners of your ceiling? You'll want a long-handled duster for these jobs.

Small tools - Rags, sponges, and two microfiber cloths are the staples for your small cleaning tools. Old cloth diapers and men's undershirts can be turned into great rags. But sponges can become breeding grounds for germs, so they should be replaced often. As for microfiber clothes, they come in two varieties.

The first is a nubby, or napped, cloth, used for general household cleaning and dusting. Then there are very smooth cloths, intended for electronic screens and other delicate surfaces. And if you don't want to dry out the skin on your hands or handle nasty things directly when you're learning how to clean anything, you may want to consider rubber gloves as one of your cleaning necessities!

Visit How to Clean to learn How to Clean Wood Floors to How to Clean Cast Iron and anything else in your home.