Home-grown secret to multi-purpose cleaning

6 November 2015

Home-grown secret to multi-purpose cleaning

Do multi-purpose cleaners really do the job well?

Consumer NZ put 16 cleaners to the test and found only one to recommend. Surprisingly it found a home-made mixture of baking soda and white vinegar cleaned better than most manufactured cleaners. The home-made option ranked third, beating out 13 other cleaners in the test.

All products were tested on greasy, dirty tiles. Top of the test was De-Solv-it Sticky Spot and Stain Remover, only available at major hardware stores, for an expensive $31 for 750ml. Others more widely available such as Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser, Mr Muscle Glass & Surface Multi Purpose, Simple Green Ready-to-Use All-purpose Cleaner, Nature Clean All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser and Ajax Spray n Wipe Multi-purpose were not even worth considering, Consumer NZ CEO Sue Chetwin said.

Some cleaners were described as specialist spot or stain removers, but people should see through the marketing claims. All of the products can be used as multi-purpose cleaners, Ms Chetwin said.

Consumer’s own not-so-secret recipe of soda and white vinegar cost $4.78. “We used about three teaspoons of white vinegar and one-quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda. We sprinkled the baking soda on to the surface then sprayed with the vinegar. Once the soda foamed, the surface was scrubbed and rinsed off with water,” she said.

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