Can you clean a house with just soap and water ?

[Nogg]

I wondered what Mumsnet thinks of this?
I have a new build house so everything is new. I lot of the item care instructions said only wash the surfaces ( kitchen bath fittings etc with soap and water only) .
I don’t really like the smell of multiple chemical cleaners etc or febreezing everything.
I used to use bleach and spray cleaners in my last house,
But now I don’t want to damage the surfaces of the house.
I have been using just fairy dish soap and water for all surfaces.
do you think this will keep the house clean smelling?
i want it to smell nice.

Just to say scent wise, while I love essential oils you shouldn't put them into light bulbs as the oil can cause a hot spot in the glass which makes the filament more likely to go I believe.

But popping it on a radiator or similar would be fine.

I don’t think led light bulbs really heat up anymore?

I wouldn't use it on my teak sideboard. But fine for my ikea chest of drawers. Which surfaces are you worried about?

Interesting.

The short answer is yes you can clean just using washing up liquid. Your house will only smell if a) some form of dirt that emits odours left on a surface and/or b) you have smelly items e.g. trainers/animals/food/mould in the premises and/or you never open windows.

Chemicals in cleaning products are very bad for health, especially the health of children.

I’m lax with housework and live in a hard water area so soap/detergent wouldn’t be effective on limescale and scum. I’ve got a good bathroom spray which claims to be eco friendly, glass cleaner spray, and a box of citric acid (dry crystals) similar to vinegar without the strong smell.
My new discovery for cleaning limescale dirt at the bottom of the toilet is hot water in the bowl, add citric acid, leave, then brush (obviously don’t do this if your toilet brush is covered in bleach).
I use bleach occasionally for spot cleaning, like spots of black mould on grouting or stains on the kitchen sink. Next step up is a gel mould remover. But if I was meticulous about daily cleaning I’d probably never need either of those.

Dr bronners magic soap is a good solution- you can clean anything with it safely, including people and pets as well as any clothes and any surface. No chemicals and smells delish- I like the tangerine and the lavender ones. Big bottle lasts forever.

🙄

In answer to your op. Yes any soap (of your choice) and water is plenty sufficient to clean your house. As in leave it germ free and smelling fresh and clean.

Some soaps will be better due to their grease dissolving and streak free properties which is why lots of people recommend dish soap (or 'washing up liquid' for the pedants and/or terminally thick)

Dish soap is the American name for washing up liquid, as is Dawn which seems to be the one they all use.

Aka fairy liquid

For that extra reassurance you can get anti bac fairy, but ds is so good for everything and not harsh.

Water and Fairy liquid ( the platinum one) will be fine if you clean regularly before the dirt gets too ground in.

You don't need antibacterial cleaners - hot, soapy water and a cloth remove most things. The friction from using a cloth is a big part of cleaning. Heat kills many things. For windows the important thing is to dry them off to stop streaks. A linen or microfibre cloth or an old cotton tea towel all work well. I use sugar soap on kitchen units as it cuts through grease very effectively. It takes me ages to get through bottles of cleaning products because you don't really need them. A lot of the time I use things because I like the smell and it makes cleaning a bit more enjoyable. I do like original Stardrops - cheap and effective. I once cleaned a filthy kitchen carpet in a rented house with them and it looked brand new afterwards.

Everything is chemicals though!