Which cleaning products do I actually need?

Cleaning products fall into a small number of categories: detergents for grease, acids for limescale, alkalis for organic soil, disinfectants for bacteria, and abrasives. Understanding which category a job needs is more useful than owning twenty bottles.

What you'll need

• Washing-up liquid
• White vinegar
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Microfibre cloths (optional)
• Disinfectant (optional)

Step by step

1. Use washing-up liquid as your default.It is a detergent and handles grease and general dirt on most surfaces. It is what most all-purpose sprays largely are.
2. Use an acid for limescale and mineral deposits.White vinegar or citric acid. Kettles, taps, shower screens, toilets. Nothing else touches limescale as effectively.
3. Use an alkali for grease and organic soil.Bicarbonate of soda for gentle work, soda crystals for heavy grease and drains. Ovens and burnt pans respond to alkalis rather than detergents.
4. Use disinfectant only where it is needed.Raw meat areas, bathrooms, illness in the house. It kills bacteria but does not clean — surfaces need cleaning first for it to work.
5. Never mix bleach with anything.Bleach and acid, including vinegar and some limescale removers, produces chlorine gas. Bleach and ammonia is equally dangerous. Use one product, rinse, then the other.
6. Buy good microfibre cloths.They clean a great deal with water alone and reduce how much product you need. They are the most cost-effective cleaning purchase there is.
7. Dilute correctly and give products time to work.Most people use too much product and too little time. Leaving a cleaner for the stated minutes does more than scrubbing harder.
8. Be sceptical of surface-specific products.A dedicated cleaner for each surface is largely a marketing structure. A few core products plus knowing which category the job needs covers almost everything.

Tips

• Genuine exceptions where a specific product matters: oven cleaner, limescale remover in very hard water, drain unblocker, and anything for natural stone, which is damaged by acids.
• Do not use vinegar or any acid on natural stone, marble or granite. It etches the surface permanently.
• Store products in original containers, never decanted into drinks bottles. Decanting into unlabelled containers is a common cause of accidental poisoning.

Common mistakes

• Mixing bleach with vinegar or limescale remover — It produces chlorine gas, which is genuinely dangerous in an enclosed bathroom. Never combine cleaning products.
• Using disinfectant on a dirty surface — It cannot reach the bacteria under the soil. Clean first, then disinfect if needed.
• Using acids on natural stone — Vinegar and lemon etch marble, limestone and some granites permanently. Use a pH-neutral cleaner on stone.

Questions people ask