Searching for the best cleaning products out there? We can definitely help. Whether for your yearly end-of-summer clean or for restocking your under sink arsenal, here are the top cleaning products as recommended by the Ideal Home team. Plus, a few Mrs Hinch favourites that have been thrown in for good measure. Obviously.
We are talking about everything from cleaning sprays to cleaning pastes and even cleaning tools and sponges – the list goes on. No, we’re not talking about the best vacuum or a reliable mop (we have buying guides for those), but more about cleaning tools that are small in size and cupboard-friendly. Items that you can truly rely on to make this sometimes boring job a tad easier (and quicker).
Don’t miss: Your ultimate 2021 cleaning calendar! One big job to tackle for every month to keep busy
Without further ado, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Grab your notepad or click straight through to buy these cleaning products online. Dig out your marigolds…
The best cleaning products to buy in 2021
1. Stardrops The Pink Stuff
Image credit: Stardrops
It’s official: The Pink Stuff might just be our favourite ever cleaning product there is. Armed with a tub of this stuff, you can make anything shine from your old but gold toaster to your hob and even your BBQ. This cleaning paste is used (and loved) by the majority of us on the Ideal Home team, and a little goes a long way. Just use it along with a damp sponge or cloth to break down stubborn stains and transform your appliances and more. It can even be used on glassware, taps…
“What do I love about The Pink Stuff? Other than the fact it doesn’t smell chemically like other cleaning products, it’s brilliantly versatile and a great all-rounder. If you’re tight on space in your cleaning cupboard, a tub of this paste will go further than you’d expect. Trust us on this one!” – Annie Collyer, Ideal Home’s Shopping Editor
2. Method Antibacterial Spray
Image credit: Method
This stuff from Method not only does a brilliant job at cleaning your surfaces – from the kitchen to bathroom – but it smells amazing, too. We love the Wild Rhubarb scent and spoiler alert: this fragrance actually lingers! Guests will be sure to notice it, especially over a strong bleach smell, and it kills 99.9% of bacteria. It’s even poured inside a bottle that’s made from recyclable bottles, plus it’s cruelty-free and the formula is plant-based.
“The smell this antibacterial spray leaves behind is dreamy. I love to use it to clean the surfaces in my bedroom, living room and hallway to leave them smelling of a fragrance I would 100% have in candle form.” – Annie Collyer, Ideal Home Shopping Editor
3. Marigold Let It Shine Microfibre Cloth
Image credit: Marigold
Where do we start with these cleaning cloths? For starters: they come in a pack of 4, and they are made of extra-thick microfibre. They are all different colours so that you can dedicate one to your kitchen, another to your bathroom, a third to your bedroom and leave the other for anything miscellaneous. You can use them without any cleaning detergent, too – all they need is water to kill bacteria from your home. There’s no wonder they are highly rated.
“It’s amazing that these only need a bit of water on them in order to kill germs – you don’t actually need a disinfectant. I have a rainbow of these on constant rotation for wiping down my kitchen worktops and cupboards, coffee table and WFH desk. It might sound like a basic thing to say but I wouldn’t be without them. The fact you can throw them in the washing machine also makes me feel less guilty about waste.” – Millie Hurst, Ideal Home News Writer
4. Elbow Grease
Image credit: Elbow Grease
Popular and for good reason, Mrs Hinch’s beloved Elbow Grease is the cleaning spray to use on stubborn dirt. She uses this trusty solution to clean her UPVC windows, but it’s also a powerful degreaser. This means you can spray it in your oven for a sparkling result or even on your BBQ. Plus, it’s suitable for use on fabrics so that you can lift stains with ease. The best part? It leaves behind a lovely lemon scent. Just don’t use it on wood!
5. Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets
Image credit: Earth Breeze
Instead of your usual washing tablets or powder, why not switch it up for something a bit more eco-friendly? Bye bye plastic, hello nice smelling clothes. These Earth Breeze laundry sheets dissolve in hot or cold water, and they arrive in a cardboard box. You can even use them to handwash your clothes. Impressive!
“I just started using the Earth Breeze laundry sheets as I’m trying to cut down on our household single use plastic and I’ve been really impressed so far. Clothes come out clean and smelling fresh. You can buy a pack or sign up for subscription.” – Heather Young, Ideal Home Editor in Chief
6. Zoflora Peony Blush
Image credit: Zoflora
You can’t beat a bottle of trusty Zoflora, right? This versatile disinfectant can be used on all types of surfaces, indoors and out, plus it kills bacteria like there’s no tomorrow. And, don’t even get us started on the scent it leaves behind. De-light-ful.
“I have a weird love of cleaning supplies. So I love Zoflora, the peony blush scent is my favourite. It reminds me of one of my favourite Jo Malone candles. I use it for everything from cleaning my floors to the bin. My favourite hack with it, I learnt from my Mum, she told me to put a capful down the kitchen sink or any sinks you don’t use often. It makes your whole house smell amazing. – Becky Knight, Ideal Home News Editor
7. Astonish Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Image credit: Astonish
Get your toilet looking shiny clean in a flash with help from these toilet tabs from Astonish. Aptly named because they do an Astonish(ingly) good job, just take the tablet out of its packaging and throw it in your loo. It’ll foam up and you’ll want to leave it for a few moments to do its magic. Then, come back and give your toilet a brush around and ta-dah! For use along with bleach, obviously, though they’re still pretty great – and handy.
“The Astonish toilet tablets are a bathroom staple in my household. They’re so easy to use and super effective. They also leave your toilet blue and foamy. You can leave yours overnight but I prefer to do this during the day. They’re also great for hard water areas!” – Annie Collyer, Ideal Home Shopping Editor
8. HG Mould Spray
Image credit: HG
Mould spray is a must-have for any damp home. Whether it’s your bathroom, kitchen or bedroom that you have this problem inside, a good spritz of this will kill spores immediately. It’s strong, so you’ll need to open windows and use accordingly, but boy does it work.
“The mould spray I’ve started using after noticing mould on my bathroom walls (painted bathroom on a lower ground floor? Bad idea!). It works within minutes, the mould just completely disappears, and because it’s foam, it doesn’t splash or go everywhere. It is quite strong, so you have to use gloves, but it completely kills mould from tiles, grout, walls.” – Anna Cottrell, Ideal Home Consumer Editor
9. Deft Advanced Window & Glass Cleaner Tuscan Sunlight
Image credit: Deft
Searching for a window and glass cleaner? This one from Lakeland was created to impress. Plus, it even smells nice. It’s eco-friendly and plant-based, too, while it comes housed inside a fully recyclable bottle for guilt-free cleaning. Add this to your cleaning arsenal now, we say.
“I love this stuff. It’s a window cleaner with a really clever bottle design so it gives a continuous mist when you spray it rather than an awkward squirt. I use it on every glass or mirror surface and buff it with a microfibre cloth including my coffee table and it smells incredible again.” – Becky Knight, Ideal Home News Editor
10. Seventh Generation Cleaning Spray All Purpose Cleaner
Image credit: Seventh Generation
If you’re trying to be a little more eco-friendly (who isn’t) then opt for this all-purpose cleaner from Seventh Generation. A whopping 86% of its ingredients are plant-based, yet it’s still powerful enough to cut through grease and grime. Impressive. It’s also free from bleach, colourants, synthetic fragrances, and VOCs so that you feel safe using it around pets and children. It’s even poured inside a bottle that’s made from recycled plastic, and this bottle is 100% recyclable, too.
“I’ve switched from my usual kitchen spray to this as it’s kinder to the environment. I’d say I have to scrub a little bit harder at any dried-on food spills with this cleaner but to me it’s worth it as unlike most kitchen cleaners it doesn’t contain any Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that impact the air quality inside your home, or the water quality when it gets rinsed down the sink. It’s also noticeably more pleasant to use, without the strong chemical smell that can hit you in the back of the throat when you spray and used to make me cough.” – Amy Lockwood, Ideal Home Ecommerce Editor
11. Ecover All Purpose Cleaner Lemongrass & Ginger
Image credit: Ecover
We’re all big fans of Ecover products over at Ideal Home, but there are a few that we really love. This all-purpose cleaner being one, mostly because it smells so good. Use it for mopping your floors, disinfecting your drains or even for general household use. It even has an easy-pouring spout to reduce spillages and to make your life easier.
“I’m a big fan of this one for when I’m mopping my floors. It’s not too harsh so I don’t worry about sensitive skin, it’s great for bathroom tiles too.” – Millie Fender, Ideal Home Ecommerce Editor
12. Astonish Premium Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
Image credit: Astonish
Sofa stain? Carpet spill? Astonish’s Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner will sort this out. This powerful formula can rid your upholstery of pretty much any stain, from coffee to red wine (yes! you read that right). A very handy cleaning product to have under your cupboard just in case, plus it doesn’t even smell bad considering its nature. Use it on curtains, sofas, carpets, bedding, clothes and more.
“I use this upholstery cleaner all of the time, mostly becausee I am mega clumsy and spill everything. It really can rid light fabrics (and dark) from stubborn stains. I’ve used it on red wine on a grey fabric sofa, fake tan on white sheets and on other miscellaneous mishaps. There always has to be a bottle of this stuff under my sink…or else!” – Annie Collyer, Ideal Home Shopping Editor
13. Vikal Limescale Remover Spray
Image credit: Vikal
Live in a hard water area? Hate cleaning the marks off your taps, shower screen and everywhere else that suffers? Us too. We’re here to introduce you to Vikal’s Limescale Remover Spray. It’ll leave your bathroom shining (especially your taps!), plus it aims to prevent the return of limescale. Just spray it on, leave it for five minutes and rinse it off. Easy stuff.
“This stuff smells awful but nothing will get rid of limescale on a shower door or in a kitchen sink quite like it. Living in London the hard water is a constant struggle so this is a bathroom cleaning essential for me.” – Becky Knight, Ideal Home News Editor
14. Marigold Cleaning Me Softly Scourer
Image credit: Marigold
Name a better scourer you’ve used to (gently) scrub your kitchen from top to bottom. We’ll wait. This one from Marigold is brilliant for spoiled pans, almost-ruined pots and for cleaning an oven that’s riddled with burnt-on food. Two come in a pack, too!
“I really like the Marigold Cleaning Me Softly Scourer for washing up oven trays and dishes I’ve used for making mac & cheese or lasagnes. I also use it for scrubbing the hob and it doesn’t leave any scratches. I’ve had mine since March and it still works just fine.” – Millie Hurst, Ideal Home News Writer
15. Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dishwasher Tablets All in 1
Image credit: Seventh Generation
A grand total of 24 dishwasher tablets come included in this box, which by the way, is cardboard. These all-in-1 tables will leave your glasses shining and your environmental impact lower. They are powered by plants and minerals and made with 85% mineral and plant-based ingredients. No need to remove the packaging as this is 100% soluble so that you’re left with little to no waste.
“I also use the Seventh Generation dishwasher tablets which are the best I’ve found. They always dissolve properly and don’t leave granules/liquid in the washer compartment like a lot of well-known brands I’ve previously tried and they leave dishes perfectly clean and without any chemical-smelling residue like a lot of other types. And as EU Ecolabel certified dishwasher tablets are also free from fragrances, colourants and has no chlorine bleach.” – Amy Lockwood, Ideal Home Ecommerce Editor
16. E-cloth General Purpose Cleaning Cloths
Image credit: E-cloth
“Well, the e-cloths, in my opinion are the best options for every type of cleaning – I have one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, and keep one for dusting. They’re by far the most sustainable option (no more plastic bottles or sprays), they’re easy to wash in the washing machine, and the original ones are antibacterial, which is great for making sure the kitchen surfaces are safe after use.” – Anna Cottrell, Ideal Home Consumer Editor
17. Seep Sponge with Loofah Scourer
Image credit: Bower Collective
The trusty Seep Sponge from Bower Collective is 100% plastic-free and also 100% compostable. Use it for cleaning dishes or surfaces around the home, and there’s the advantage that this cleaning sponge is long-lasting. Complete your plastic-free or eco-friendly cleaning collection with these sponges.
“I made the swap from non-biodegradeable plastic sponges and scourers to these. Made from natural materials cellulose wood pulp (for the sponge) and raw loofah fibre (for the top scourer) they can be home composted where they break down into harmless organic waste. Toxin-free and not harmful to humans or ecosystems, they don’t release microplastics into the environment or end up in landfill. They do require a little more elbow grease compared to a plastic sponge and scourer as their texture isn’t as rough, but for me it’s worth it. They also dry really quickly and maintain their white colour for a long time so are much more pleasant to have sitting by the sink.” – Amy Lockwood, Ideal Home Ecommerce Editor
18. Stardrops Vinegar Spray
Image credit: Stardrops
There’s no other stain remover you’ll want to use than this Stardrops spray if you are searching for something natural. This vinegar spray can break down stains and smells with ease, whilst being a powerful antibacterial cleaner. It’s multi-purpose and can be used to clean drains and more, too. It takes a while to get past the smell but it’s worth it in the end.
“Vinegar is having its moment in the cleaning industry, and I am completely behind this trend. Having two pets, I always use vinegar to clean areas in which my dog and rabbit frequent, just because it’s safer for them. It admittedly stinks and as a vinegar hater, it’s powerful. But, we move. I also pour some inside my washing machine when putting on a white wash and it makes my bedding and clothes look brand new.” – Annie Collyer, Ideal Home Shopping Editor
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