cleaning products you can't live without

[BiscuitsAreMyDownfall]

What cleaning products do I need?

Im doing the weekly shopping tomorrow and need to top up with plenty of cleaning products. I cant afford any fancy contraptions so its cloths and sprays.

I want something that I can use everyday to wipe down sides, something to clean windows (I have never cleaned a window in my life ) something to do initial cleans of decluttered sides.

What products do you recommend? Supermarket own brands or more expensive?

[florentina1]

Microfibre cloths. Chilliit bang degreaser and cillit bang lime and shine. Plus something for the floors. own brand window spray. Nothing else. Good cloths make life easier.

[BiscuitsAreMyDownfall]

Thanks florentina So as long as they are good quality cloths and some cilit bang then the cheap stuff should be fine.

[WingsClipped]

My must haves are microfibre cloths, we use Method for bathroom, kitchen (the grapefruit one) and floors. Also buy viakal for descaling taps, dettol spray for the toilet and domestos bleach for whitening sink and grout.

[gunadeas]

Use vinegar & newspaper to clean your windows.Its cheap and very good. A bag of soda crystals is great to have for general cleaning.I second the microfibre cloths as well.

[cruikshank]

Any of the Astonish products. Cheap as chips (£1 a bottle from our local household goods shop) and much much better than cillit bang (isn't at about 3 quid a bottle? and shit). It really is wonderful stuff - gets the taps all nice and shiny as well without having to use a different product. I've been using them for years. And Flash liquid that you dilute in a bucket for the floors.

[olbas]

muslin cloths
E cloths
Zoflora by the gallon
Stardrops
leftover lemons
Mr Sheen but not for polishing wood

[Vivacia]

Vinegar, empty spray bottle and microfibre clothes.

Fill the empty spray bottle about 1/5 full of vinegar and 4/5 water. If you have any fragrance oils add a few drops of that too. I use this a kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, polish and general spray and window cleaner.

For the microfibre clothes buy a bulk of them from the car-cleaning section.

[Mominatrix]

Bleach
cover all purpose cleaner
microfiber cloths
a mop
washing up liquid

[waithorse]

Can anyone please tell me what you use Zoflora for please ? Is it a bleach ?

[BiscuitsAreMyDownfall]

Is that just normal everyday vinegar that people might put on their chips?

Do need a new mop. Thanks for the reminder

Thanks for all the advice.

I am going to get some Microfibre cloths for definate. I am liking the vinegar idea. What about lemon juice? Ive heard that can be good?

Have some of that Flash for the floors in anyway. Not too bad at keeping on top of the kitchen and bathroom floors. Washing up liquid is bought and down on the list anyway.

[PigletJohn]

WUL

Cellulose sponges

Green nylon scourers

GP Cleaner

Old cotton vests rags

Limescale-removing WC cleaners such as bleach cistern blocks.

If times are hard you can most certainly do without throw-away cloths and spray cleaners.

Apart possibly from the scent, and dilution, you will be hard pressed to find a difference between Value GP cleaner and Flash, or Aldi WUL and Fairy. Except in your pocket. The most fashionable cleaning brands are generally not good buys.

[CaptainJamesTKirk]

Microfibre cloths
Method multi surface in lavender
Domestos toilet wipes
Domestos bleach
Zoflora disinfectant

[CaptainJamesTKirk]

Oh and bicarb!!!

[threepiecesuite]

Cillit Bang sprays are half price in Asda at the mo. They are very good. I bought the mould and mildew remover one yest and was amazed how easy it was

[Panzee]

Been just using washing up liquid recently. This seems to be going well. Hopefully cheaper too!

[Gatekeeper]

Microfibre cloths
Stardrops for everything floors, windows, work surfaces
Bleach for lav
Scrubber things
Bar of pink carbolic household soap
Soda crystlas for baked on cruddy pans etc

[treaclesoda]

Stardrops. It cleans everything. If you have Stardrops, and maybe some disinfectant for anything that needs a germ killing hit, your house can be clean from top to bottom. It is also cheap as chips and gentle enough that you don't need to wear rubber gloves. And it doesn't smell of much. Can you tell that I love it?

[wowfudge]

Stardrops with ammonia for cleaning windows and glass as it is a brilliant degreaser.

Microfibre cloths are great.

Bleach for the loo.

I've gone off Zoflora after experiencing the smell combined with messy dog accidents. Just utterly revolting. I now prefer Dettol disinfectant or supermarket own brand antiseptic disinfectant.

[treaclesoda]

Zoflora has a worrying statement on the packaging about being harmful to aquatic life.

Does anyone know if there is something specific about Zoflora that makes it particularly harmful? Or do other disinfectants harm the marine environment but the manufacturers aren't as honest about it?

[CaptainJamesTKirk]

I think most cleaning products state that they are harmful to aquatic life don't they?

[wowfudge]

Zoflora contains alcohol so I imagine it is poisonous to aquatic life in its concentrated form. Oxygen is needed to break things like alcohol down and that process deprives aquatic life of the oxygen they need.

[TheFutureMrsB]

Bleach for down the sinks and the toilet
Flash bathroom for ermm bathroom (smells 'clean')
Mop and bucket with flash lemon all purpose cleaner for the floors or bleach if I have run out (less often now as I bought a good steam mop)
Fairy washing up liquid
Dettol spray or flash lemon spray for the kitchen and dining table
Lots of microfiber cloths
Hot water with washing up liquid for the windows, wash over and then buff with a microfibre cloth
Can't think of anything else at the moment.

[Marmaladecat1]

Please could someone explain about the micro fibre cloths?
Thanks, great thread OP

[florentina1]

The idea is that, because of the cloths construction you can use them without detergent. I find that for grease or lime scale you do need chemicals, but a lot less if you use the Microfibre cloth. It is worth using proper ones (not pound shop type). They last for years and the money is paid back by what you save on cleaning products.