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5 household cleaning products that are outperformed by plain water

5 of the worst cleaning products in Australia - by Laura Barry
  • 14 Nov 2019

No one likes cleaning the house. And scrubbing the bathroom, cleaning the kitchen and dusting your home can take twice as long when you’re using inferior products.

WATCH: Crazy cleaning tips that actually work 

Consumer watchdog Choice recently analysed the effectiveness of several big brand household cleaning products, and it seems that some genuinely aren’t worth the money.

"Scores are comparable across kitchen and multipurpose cleaners, so our takeaway is that they're all essentially the same thing," says CHOICE cleaning product expert Ash Iredale. "You don't need to buy 57 different cleaning products – just use the same one for everything."

The vigorous testing gave multipurpose cleaning products a percentage rating out of 100 to judge their efficiency. To set the benchmark, plain water was given a 40% rating for cleaning.

3 household cleaning products that don’t work at all

In Choice’s tests of 12 multipurpose cleaning products, 3 products scored the same – or worse than – water – so you may as not buy them at all.

  • Orange Power – 40%
  • Pine O Cleen – 40%
  • Pledge – 40%
  • Strike – 40%
  • 30 Seconds Multi Surface Cleaner – 39%
info graphic
CHOICE

Never buy floor cleaners again

  • Of the 17 floor cleaning products tested by choice, none of them were recommended by the cleaning experts. In fact, Ajax Floor Cleaner with Baking Soda scored worse than water.

The best performing cleaning products in Australia

Multipurpose cleaner Nifti Hardworking New Look scored 88% and came out as the clear winner. Windex Multi-Purpose Surface & Glass scored 74% and Dettol Healthy Clean Kitchen scored 84%.

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Laura Barry
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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