Don’t waste your money! These household cleaners are no better than water

If you’re the type of person who has their cupboard filled with different cleaning products to wipe away the mess and germs, then you’re in for a bit of a wake-up call as new research has revealed that many products are simply a waste of money and time.

While they all no doubt promise to leave your bathrooms and kitchens sparkling clean, the truth is many don’t do much more than leave a dirty smear. In fact, the latest Choice testing results have found just using water can prove more effective than some expensive cleaning products.

As part of the test, Choice investigated everything from multi-purpose cleaners that can be used to clean numerous surfaces, to specific floor, glass and kitchen cleaners – and the results were dismal to say the least.

Multi-purpose cleaners

They promise to remove all the dirt and grime that has built up over time, but do multi-purpose cleaners actually work? According to Choice, the short answer is no – well, at least for many of them.

The popular brand Pine O Clean even failed to impress scoring just 40 per cent in the tests. However, it was the 30 Seconds Multi Surface Cleaner that was rated the worst, with 39 per cent – one point less than plain tap water which scored 40 per cent.

Thankfully you do have one option to fall back on though, as the Nifti Hardworking New Look cleaner was praised for its ability to wipe away mess. Choice rated the product highly, scoring it at an impressive 88 per cent.

However, when it comes down to it, cleaning product expert Ashley Iredale says it’s not really worth wasting your money on expensive cleaners.

“Many of these multi-purpose cleaners are not up to standard at all,” she explains. “You’re better off using plain old water to scrub the area clean.”

Floor cleaners

Get ready to put some elbow grease into those dirty floors because, according to the Choice test, not one single floor cleaner was rated highly. All 17 products tested scored less than 50 per cent – with Pine O Clean’s Disinfectant Floor Cleaner receiving the top score of 41 per cent.

Shockingly, this was just 1 point above water which scored 40 per cent. Just like multi-purpose cleaners Iredale says sticking to water may just well be your best bet.

Glass cleaners

If you’re going to spend money on cleaning products, Choice recommends putting it towards a glass cleaner because anything else will leave you with dirty streaked mirrors and windows.

Good old Windex came out on top in the test to remove dirt and deliver a streak-free finish, with its Multi-purpose Surface and Glass Cleaner and its Multi-purpose Surface and Glass Mountain Fresh both scoring 74 per cent.

There were, however, some that rated poorly, including the Ecostore Ultra Sensitive Glass and Surface Cleaner which placed at the bottom with a score of just 33 per cent. This was worse than water which scored 35 per cent.

Also failing to impress the Choice testing team were Aldi’s Power Force Pro Glass Cleaner (35 per cent), the Community Co Clean Freak! Glass and Window Cleaner (35 per cent) and Earth Choice Window and Glass Crystal Clean (36 per cent).

Kitchen cleaners

The kitchen cleaners received varying scores with some rating highly and others quite poorly. The Dettol Healthy Clean Kitchen came in at first place, receiving 84 per cent in testing. While the Pine O Clean Kitchen Expert Antibacterial Kitchen Spray followed with 77 per cent.

However, on the other end of the scale, McLintocks Vanilla Fresh Fridge and Kitchen Wipes scored just 40 per cent. If you have this product in your cupboard it might be time to throw it out, because water also scored 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, all of the other kitchen cleaners tested by Choice came in with scores of 44 per cent or less. This included Strike Kitchen Cleaner Surface Spray (41 per cent), Ecostore Multi-purpose Kitchen Cleaner Orange and Thyme (42 per cent), White King Kitchen Cleaner Citrus Fresh (42 per cent) and Ajax Spray n’ Wipe Kitchen Multi-purpose Baking Soda (44 per cent).