So I thought I'd put together a post of the products that I would consider to be essentials in my cleaning cupboard; the kinds of products that I love enough and see the use of enough to re-buy time and time again...
Wilko Red Fruits and Lemon Zest Thick Bleach (45p)
It's bleach. It's 45p. It does the job. I never buy Domestos anymore because although it's a household name in cleaning, I don't think it does a better job than this one for half the price. I don't actually use bleach for that much in the house but I do use it in my toilet. I don't see the point of pine disinfectant - yes it disinfects but I find bleach is a much, much more effective cleaner.
TOP TIP: I see lots of people using boiling water when using bleach. Don't. Use bleach with cold water because boiling water destroys the active ingredient in bleach which makes it ineffective.
Elbow Grease (90p)
This is one that I saw on Instagram and because it was only 90p I thought I'd give it a go. I use it mainly for my hob and my oven door and it is a really good degreaser considering that it's solvent free so you don't feel choked by it like you can do by some degreasing products.
Bar Keepers Friend Stain Remover (£2.50)
I had a stain on my sink for so long and had tried all sorts to get it off and nothing shifted it. This was the only thing that worked and although it did take a couple of applications and some scrubbing I was really pleased with the results. If you've got something stubborn on steel, brass, china, copper, chrome etc. then this is well worth a go.
Dr Beckmann's Carpet Stain Remover (£2.89 - link is for Aldi but it can usually be found for a similar price in places like Home Bargains)
First experience of this was when Kev spilt blackcurrant on the cream carpet - you can imagine my reaction and my next move was straight out to get some of this. It worked an absolute treat and I've since used it on a really annoying stain on my car seat - a few years ago (yes a stain had been there for that long) a manky orange left a really weird white mark on the black material bit of my car seat and nothing brought it up but a quick go with this and it's totally gone now!
Zoflora (£1.00 - link is for lavender as Tropical Twist was limited edition)
I do feel like Zoflora is overused a little bit by the cleaning community but I do see the appeal and I always have a couple of bottles in. I generally use it for a bit of disinfecting kitchen tops and in the bathroom and soaking dishcloths overnight - I do like the smell and I thoroughly enjoy a good limited edition. What I don't enjoy is how many places have increased the price to £1.25 - buy it at £1 where you can!
Viakal Limescale Remover (£2.00)
I live in an area where the water is really, really hard which means that limescale does build up on taps etc. quite quickly but this is amazing at making it easy to wipe away. Leave it for a couple of minutes, rinse off and it leaves everything so shiny! I have the Febreze version which smells really quite nice but it can be pricy in the supermarkets unless you have a coupon from somewhere like Super Savvy Me.
Microfibre Cloths (£1.99, B&M - I can't find the exact link but there's lots in store)
I'm sorry, I'm just going to come out and say that I do not see the point in all the different cloths and sponges. I'm all for having different cloths for different rooms but I honestly can't see why those Minky things are so vital to a cleaning cupboard. I am speaking as someone who has never owned a 'Minky' and maybe it's just me and my stubborn nature but I just refuse to buy into it at the moment. I just have bog standard dish cloths, a scouring sponge and these microfibre clothes for buffing surfaces to make them shine.
There are, of course other things in my cleaning cupboard such as 1001 carpet spray (at £1.99 a pop!) but that literally serves no other purpose than to make your carpet smell nice for a bit but these are just the things that I would suggest that you have in your cupboard if you're just looking for a no nonsense approach to cleaning. At just over £11.00 for the lot I don't think that's bad at all.
What are your favourite cleaning products that you'd consider 'essential'?
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