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Trying to choose a good cleaner can be a hassle because the store shelves are full of so many different cleaning products — and a lot of them basically do the same thing.
Personally, I clean about 200 homes in a year’s time (not including my own home). Suffice it to say… I use a lot of cleaning products!
I have tried a variety of different cleaning products, but I usually stick to the ones that I think are the best.
These household cleaners work the best, in my opinion:
- Clorox Clean-Up works best on kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, bathtubs, bath mats and refrigerators. It gets rid of grease and grime with minimal effort. It kills mold, mildew, bacteria and germs. And to top it all off, it doesn’t have an offensive smell like plain bleach does.
- Scrub Free Soap Scum Remover is best for removing soap scum. It does exactly what is says it will do, and it also has a pleasant smell.
- Bar Keepers Friend is so good on sinks! It works especially well on hard to remove rust spots. A tip from @Star_10_Inc: “One word of caution – Bar Keepers Friend will take the color out of your colored sinks, toilets & tubs, so don’t use it on them.”
- Windex, the old-fashioned kind, (not scented) does a wonderful job on chrome, mirrors and appliances.
- Fantastik With Oxy Power works great with small spots on carpet or upholstery. It also cleans countertops and glass tables without streaking.
- Lysol Tub & Tile works great on bathroom sinks and tubs — especially if you’re looking for a product that smells good and disinfects without a lot of work. You just spray it on and wipe it off. It leaves your bathroom smelling great.
- Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner disinfects and cleans your toilet better than the majority of other toilet cleaners out there. I like how it’s available in different scents and available with bleach.
- Murphy’s Oil Soap is the best on wood trim, baseboards, and cabinets. It also does a great job on hardwood floors and even vinyl floors. Plus, I like how it leaves everything smelling fresh.
- Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work wonders! They can be used to remove fingerprints off of painted walls, scuff marks off floors, crayon marks, etc. I have even found that Magic Erasers will remove soap scum, as well as clean sinks and stove tops. They’re very convenient, because you don’t need any cleaner at all with Magic Erasers.
- Stainless Steel Magic is the absolute best thing that I have found to clean stainless steel. It will cut the time that it normally takes you to clean stainless steel in half — and you know that it’s not the easiest of jobs. With Stainless Steel Magic, your stainless steel will never look better.
- Formby’s Furniture Polish does an excellent job on furniture, and it has a very nice smell. You don’t have to use a lot of this product for it to work. And it doesn’t leave a greasy film or residue like some other furniture polishes do.
I think these are the top cleaning products because they really do what they are supposed to do. Plus, they are readily available at most stores. Based on my experience using all of these cleaning products, I plan on continuing to use them — as long as they are available.
Other Great Cleaning Products
- The “Magic” Behind Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
- Vacuum Cleaners, Air Fresheners & Stain Removers… Oh My!
- Bona Spray Mop vs. Shark Steam Mop
- Another Great Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Monster Steam Mop vs. Bona Spray Mop
- So Many Cleaning Products, So Little Time
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I’m a professional house cleaner. I have been self-employed for the past several years, and I thoroughly enjoy cleaning houses for a living. Yes, it can be very tiring, but I find that it can be very rewarding, too.
Ask any wood floor professional – especially anyone who refinishes wood – and you’ll be told Murphy’s Oil Soap is a terrible product for wood. The oil builds up and becomes a gummy mess, costing the owner twice as much to have floors refinished. Of course, it builds up on all wood but only becomes apparent after years of use or when one needs to refinish or remove the build up.
There is the way a housekeeper checking the cleanliness of the toilet bowl using a blue light. I am not quite sure what it is look like and where can I get it?
Your help is very appreciated
Wondering if you ever consider the sustainability of these products that you use? When they go down the drain is there a environmental effect? Are they created and produced using an energy efficient process, and what is their air quality effect after or while the products are used for the homowner, and the cleaner? I do not know the answer to these questions but they might be worth finding out. I am needing to clean my bathroom, but before I put some cleaning agents in a bucket, I got sidetracked on this issue for myself.
You are 100% correct and I felt the same way about the list. Not only that but all the packaging used. I use Genesis 950 because it is green, it cleans better than ANY of the products on this list, and because I don’t feel the need to have a cabinet full of bottles under my sink. There’s no need for all that waste. And for the toxins used in the production of them!
I agree with your analysis and have found Lysol 4 in 1 wipes are great for bathrooms and kitchens especially for in-between deep cleaning sessions, good old fashioned Ajax or Soft Scrub works on bath tubs and bathroom sinks too. I cleaned homes in college and after I graduated and still do a few homes on the side when I’m not working my day job and find that somehow cleaning or maybe the end result is a form of meditation since there’s nothing nicer than a clean house!
I do extreme cleaning in my business and i have found the best products to use are the following
The works- toilet bowl cleaner(is cheap and eats away lime deposits in toilet
Scubbing bubbles- Its costly but you can get it at a good price from sams/cosco
ODOBAN- this smells wonderful and is an all purpose/disinfectant/odor remover in one
magic erasers- for stains on sinks countertops/walls/baseboards
Pro force oven/grill/fryer cleaner/exclusively available at sams/for ovens and tough grease
totally awesome- degreaser for kitchen cleaning
Where can I find fantec dust shield spray bottle?
That is a wonderfull product that I used to buy at Home Depot.
If ever you please let me know
Thank You
Manon
Using Fantastic products can be extremely dangerous for your liver if it touches your skin. Also,
Bleach does whiten but it is NOT a good disinfectant, unless the production date on the bottle is less than 30 days prior to using it. Please take these into consideration and wear long sleeve with gloves and OMIT THE BLEACH!
So true. The bulk of those cleaners contain highly toxic and unhealthy chemicals.
This is because you must add water to it
One word. Vinegar! I do not use anything else to clean. No toxic chemicals, nothing fancy. Just half good old cheap white vinegar and half water. It does not leave streaks on floors, windows or glass. You can ad some essential oils of your choice for a great smell afterwards. And by the way it kills mold better than bleach. Bleach is not capable of penetrating porous surfaces like vinegar can. Don’t worry, it kills germs also. That is because the “active” cleaning ingredient is Acetic acid. Works awesome for calcium deposits and soap scum build up. I will never submit myself to any of those toxic chemicals again. Try it and I promise you will not be disappointed.
You have not cleaned until you have used Norwex products ! They have antibacterial cloths that use water to clean, as well as natural enzymes that can be used around your house, work, and even hospitals. The company really focuses on decreasing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning, and they totally rock.
Make your job easier and collect extra money by offering to clean baseboards. This tedious job that use to take hours can not be completed in minutes with Baseboard Buddy™
Try Genesis 950. First off, it can knock your number of bottles and supplies down by 9 at least. It can cover more area than most cleaners. it’s an all purpose cleaner so it cleans a lot of different things. Where you have listed one cleaner to do a certain job, the 950 can do pretty much all of those. Second, it is green. Some of the products you have listed contain a very high number of toxins. Finally, 950 just flat out cleans better than those things.
Thanks for these tips! Magic erasers really might be magic. They make my baseboards look spotless every single time.
rubbing alcohol takes sap off cars
What is the best to buy for dusting?
Taylor – Here you go… https://household-tips.thefuntimesguide.com/dust-control-spray/
Hi,
My name is Gabby and I’m with MONEY Magazine! I’d love to email you and chat about something in particular. Where can I get any contact info from you?
Best,
Gabby