"Superstar" products to stick with

[Tia4]

Really I'm trying to save time and know you'll have opinions for me - first off I'm looking for a truly "non streaking, no rinse needed" surface cleaner for bathroom/ kitchen etc

But it also got me thinking about the money spent on products that disappoint despite the marketing hype so I'm interested to know of any "superstars" you've chosen to stick with or keep returning too - perhaps products worth spending extra on too!

Thanks! Looking forward to a few replies before I shop tonight :-)

Ammonia is not ok with pets because it smells like old pee (urea is what they both break down into) so it gives animals the urge to cover it with their own!

Try a DIY superstore for it. I buy it in Italian supermarkets (perfumed version) and use it very sparingly for most non porous de-greasing and shining jobs. It's always on the bottom shelf because it's dirt cheap and they make more profit from branded products.

Warning. Do not mix bleach and ammonia. Toxic fumes.

I think I'll avoid it then, I've a lot of pets.

Thank you misscph1973 ** I will make good use of them. Thanks for the tips and for the vinegar anti streak tip too. They are the type of things my gran used and worked so I grabbed them.....then thought how do I use them.....off to dig them out.

I clean baths and sinks with a mix of bubble bath/shower gel (cheapo). Keeps surfaces undamaged.

Vinegar/water mix for mirrors.

White Harpic for the loo as it doesn't stain like the blue green ones.

Flash/supermarkets own for floors.

Some kind of spray polish. Viakal for really bad limescale.
Microfibre cloths are crucial. Morrison's do 4 for 1.40. Lovely colours. I feel bad messing them up.

What a fantastic thread - thanks for all the tips.

Do you buy special micro fibre cloths for glass/windows?

Limelite is brilliant in our shower cubicle. I also use the scouring sponges for non stick pans in the bathroom, much cheaper than bathroom scourers if you need a bit more 'oomph'.

E-cloth mop.

I have a bad back and this is amazing as you just wet the microfibre pad and off it goes, no wringing out, no bucket and its super light and easy to manoeuvre. Works well on our wooden floors, lino and I use it to swiff over walls and ceilings too :o

PolterGoose, good to hear someone else using Method Lavender on their oak worktops - ours are quite new and I was never sure what to use...still ended up with greasy marks round the hob area though...any ideas?

I have tried both coke and denture cleaner to get the limescale off our loo. Neither have worked. Does anyone have any other magic solution?

Limelite or Viakal for bathrooms. They smell good too. Mr Muscle green window cleaning spray for clear shower/bath screen, if you have a screen instead of a curtain. Love the clean smell, just clean, not bleachy. My cleaner uses these products.

Viakal for lime scale. Steam mops. flash spray with bleach. Addis Superdry Mop, amazing, leaves floor virtually dry. Bicarbonate and vinegar paste for burned pans.

I love a good cleaning thread.

Phoenix I used to watch how clean is your house. When I moved in here I used this tip to get rid of the limescale on our loo. Get the loo brush and pump all the water down the drain til the bowl is empty. Pour a 3 litre bottle of coke down and leave overnight. Flush away and scrub off any tough bits with a pumice stone. Took me an hour but I did it. :o

The lemon verbena and orange flower all purpose cleaner from wilko is great- lasts ages, dead cheap and leaves everything smelling great.

The moist anti-bac floor wipes are fab for cleaning kichen surfaces, doors, floors etc.
the floor ones are best because they are larger and thicker than the ones designed for the job.
I can literally have my kitchen sparking in a minute.

I have problems with arthritis too so have spent a long time looking to less vigorous cleaning methods.

Method do a daily bathroom spray that you spray on after each use of the shower or tub to stop residue build up. It has no chemicals so is safe to use around kiddies without rinsing. I give it a monthly scrub with cif though.

I also use Method on the kitchen surfaces....With a micro fiber cloth. Lovely and shiny and smells great. Stock up when it's on offer as it's pricey. Well worth the extra expense though.

Vileda do a 1-2-3 spray mop. No wringing required. You pour your spray mop liquid in and there's a trigger on the handle. It sprays it direct onto the floor in front of the mop. You then use the mop as normal. It dries quickly.It great on my wood, tile and flag stone floors. I kept my old mop just in case I needed to do a monthly deep clean, but I haven't had to in 6 months. It's handy for small spills too. I use it under the high chair daily. You simply pop the mop head cover in the washing machine once a week.

Can I just remind all that I bought the Stardrops liquid and Stardrops with ammonia from Amazon
Cost £3.99 each
They are both just 89p in Home Bargains

I've been informed by someone in the know, that apparently Parozone is the highest concentrate bleach on the market. Sugar soap is brilliant and if you can get hold of any large sealable plastic bags then a few drops of ammonia will clean the majority of grease off oven trays, grills etc if left in there overnight. You don't need loads as it's the fumes doing the cleaning but make sure their sealable or the smell will make you gag!

Hi there, useful thread and lots of tips! Just wanted to share for anyone looking for chemical-free cleaning... I found this during a trawl the other day. Powerful natural cleaning (it says!)
www.naturalvinegar.co.uk/new

This steam mop. I can't do floors due to my disability, but DH does the kitchen and utility with this. It's much better than a normal mop. Its brilliant for cleaning the oven, cooker hood and bathroom. We had the X5 steam mop before, this beats it hands down.

I like Wilko's liquid soda crystals for cleaning hand prints off the walls and their white vinegar spray for cleaning mirrors and glass furniture.

I used to have a steamer but I much prefer a mop, I've four animals and I think the steamer just used to move the dirt around. You'd have been shocked to see the colour of the water the first time I mopped after a couple of years steaming.

White vinegar cleans practically everything brilliantly. Ozkleen (or however they spell it) bath power is citric acid based and utterly fantastic at cleaning your bathroom: makes it effortless.

I have a steam cleaner (cylinder vac style), it's brilliant for grot spots and heavy grease but crap for floors, the Vileda 123 mop mentioned above is way better and a lot quicker and easier. I use the steam cleaner with it's smallest brush to do the very edges once in a while though.

Great thread, very good tips.
I recommend the round spinning mops (360° mop) that come with their own special buckets. You'll make less of an effort and can leave floor practically dry. Also reaches every where better than regular mops.

Also, one of those small hand-held steam gadgets. I use it every couple of days on the tiles, canisters, rubbish bin,etc. Just steam and then dry with micro cloth. Weekly I spray every thing working from top to bottom, rinse with a cloth and dry with microfiber cloth. I avoid chemical loaded products so use strong vinegar and an alcohol especific for cleaning. Cif to scrub out the stainless steel sink with a scourer although sometimes I make a paste with bicarbonate and a drop or two of Fairy washing up liquid.
The steam appliance is small so heats up very quickly and is also very handy between bathroom cleans. Direct steam around taps, toilet seat hinges and seat, behind toilet, every where really and dry as you go with the ubiquitous microfiber cloth.