21 of the best cleaning products, tried and tested (2024)

last updated 10 February 2023

Method Antibacterial Spray

This stuff from Method not only does a brilliant job at cleaning your surfaces – from the kitchen to the bathroom – but it smells amazing, too. We love the Wild Rhubarb scent and the Grapefruit one and spoiler alert: this fragrance actually lingers! Guests will be sure to notice it, especially over a strong bleach smell, and it kills 99.9% of bacteria. It's even poured inside a bottle that's made from recyclable bottles, plus it's cruelty-free and the formula is plant-based. You can now buy refills too, or opt for the Method concentrates, which you can dilute yourself at home. Easily one of our favourites.

Stardrops The Pink Stuff

It's official: The Pink Stuff might just be our favourite ever cleaning product there is. Armed with a tub of this stuff, you can make anything shine from your old but gold toaster to your hob and even your BBQ. This cleaning paste is used (and loved) by the majority of us on the Ideal Home team, and a little goes a long way. Just use it along with a damp sponge or cloth to break down stubborn stains and transform your appliances, plus more. It can even be used on glassware, taps...

Marigold Let It Shine Microfibre Cloth

Where do we start with these cleaning cloths? For starters: they come in a pack of 4, and they are made of extra-thick microfibre. They are all different colours so that you can dedicate one to your kitchen, another to your bathroom, a third to your bedroom and leave the other for anything miscellaneous. You can use them without any cleaning detergent, too – all they need is water to kill bacteria from your home. There's no wonder they are highly rated.

Elbow Grease

Popular and for good reason, Mrs Hinch's beloved Elbow Grease is the cleaning spray to use on stubborn dirt. She uses this trusty solution to clean her UPVC windows, but it's also a powerful degreaser. This means you can spray it in your oven for a sparkling result or even on your BBQ. Plus, it's suitable for use on fabrics so that you can lift stains with ease. The best part? It leaves behind a lovely lemon scent. Just don't use it on wood!

Zoflora Peony Blush

You can't beat a bottle of trusty Zoflora, right? This versatile disinfectant can be used on all types of surfaces, indoors and out, plus it kills bacteria like there's no tomorrow. And, don't even get us started on the scent it leaves behind. De-light-ful.

It even reminds our Deputy Editor Becky Knight of her favourite Jo Malone scent, which is high praise if we've ever heard it.

Astonish Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Get your toilet looking shiny clean in a flash with help from these toilet tabs from Astonish. Aptly named because they do an Astonish(ingly) good job, just take the tablet out of its packaging and throw it in your loo. It'll foam up and you'll want to leave it for a few moments to do its magic. Then, come back and give your toilet a brush around and ta-dah! For use along with bleach, obviously, though they're still pretty great – and handy.

HG Mould Spray

Mould spray is a must-have for any damp home. Whether it's your bathroom, kitchen or bedroom that you have this problem inside, a good spritz of this will kill spores immediately. It's strong, so you'll need to open windows and use accordingly, but boy does it work.

Deft Advanced Window & Glass Cleaner Tuscan Sunlight

Searching for a window and glass cleaner? This one from Lakeland was created to impress. Plus, it even smells nice. It's eco-friendly and plant-based, too, while it comes housed inside a fully recyclable bottle for guilt-free cleaning. Add this to your cleaning arsenal now, we say.

Seventh Generation Cleaning Spray All Purpose Cleaner

If you're trying to be a little more eco-friendly (who isn't) then opt for this all-purpose cleaner from Seventh Generation. A whopping 86% of its ingredients are plant-based, yet it's still powerful enough to cut through grease and grime. Impressive. It's also free from bleach, colourants, synthetic fragrances, and VOCs so that you feel safe using it around pets and children. It's even poured inside a bottle that's made from recycled plastic, and this bottle is 100% recyclable, too.

Ecover All Purpose Cleaner Lemongrass & Ginger

We're all big fans of Ecover products over at Ideal Home, but there are a few that we really love. This all-purpose cleaner being one, mostly because it smells so good. Use it for mopping your floors, disinfecting your drains or even for general household use. It even has an easy-pouring spout to reduce spillages and to make your life easier.

Astonish Premium Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner

Sofa stain? Carpet spill? This powerful formula can rid your upholstery of pretty much any stain, from coffee to red wine (yes! you read that right). A very handy cleaning product to have under your cupboard just in case, plus it doesn't even smell bad considering its nature. Use it on curtains, sofas, carpets, bedding, clothes and more.

Viakal Limescale Remover Spray

Live in a hard water area? Hate cleaning the marks off your taps, shower screen and everywhere else that suffers? Us too. We're here to introduce you to Viakal's Limescale Remover Spray. It'll leave your bathroom shining (especially your taps!), plus it aims to prevent the return of limescale. Just spray it on, leave it for five minutes and rinse it off. Easy stuff.

Marigold Cleaning Me Softly Scrubber

Name a better scourer you've used to (gently) scrub your kitchen from top to bottom. We'll wait. This one from Marigold is brilliant for spoiled pans, almost-ruined pots and for cleaning an oven that's riddled with burnt-on food. Two come in a pack, too!

E-Cloth General Purpose Cloth

Want to put a stop to plastic cleaning bottles in general? Invest in some E-cloths. We say invest, but they are hardly expensive. All you need to do is use one, along with water, to activate its bacteria-busting properties. Use these cloths to clean anything from your kitchen sides to your bathroom sink and then throw them straight in your washing machine. They come out of the washer like a dream, plus you can reuse them up to 300 times.

Seep Sponge with Loofah Scourer

The trusty Seep Sponge from Bower Collective is 100% plastic-free and also 100% compostable. Use it for cleaning dishes or surfaces around the home, and there's the advantage that this cleaning sponge is long-lasting. Complete your plastic-free or eco-friendly cleaning collection with these sponges.

Stardrops Vinegar Spray

There's no other stain remover you'll want to use than this Stardrops spray if you are searching for something natural. This vinegar spray can break down stains and smells with ease, whilst being a powerful antibacterial cleaner. It's multi-purpose and can be used to clean drains and more, too. It takes a while to get past the smell but it's worth it in the end.

Puressentiel Purifying Air Spray

There's no doubt in our minds that this is the best air freshener you'll ever use. Just one spray will banish odours and leave behind a lingering fresh scent, that's made up of 41 essential oils. It's mighty powerful and a bottle should last you for a long time. Plus, it's anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It's also suitable for asthma sufferers.

Zoflora Linen Fresh Aerosol Mist

Zoflora have released a disinfectant mist, to make cleaning your home a lot easier – and for killing 99.9% of bacteria with ease. It comes in a range of their signature scents, but fresh linen might just be our favourite. The best part about it? It doesn't drench your upholstery or surfaces when using, thanks to the fact it's a mist as opposed to a spray.

Viakal Bathroom 3-in-1 Bathroom Cleaner Spray

Clean your bathroom and rid your sink, taps and more from limescale with ease, with help from this spray from Viakal. It even kills 99.9% of bathroom bacteria at the same time. It's powerful, so rest assured it doesn't require a lot of elbow grease. You can use it on your tiles, taps and more, for a decent clean and impressive shine.

Fabulosa Multi-Purpose Anti-Bacterial Disinfectant

Similar to Zoflora's disinfectant spray, although this one is vegan and cruelty-free and it doesn't come out as a mist. You can use it to clean pretty much any surface inside your home, and it leaves behind a lovely scent. There are 5 fragrances to choose from, and it's pretty great at banishing odours.

Zoflora Springtime Concentrated Disinfectant

Another of Mrs Hinch's favourites, this disinfectant from Zoflora is a total fan-fave that the brand have relaunched. With a scent that transports you to the bliss of spring, it is of course, one of our favourites for all sorts of household tasks. We're talking pouring it down sinks, toilets and for generally just freshening up your home.