Best cleaning products: a sourcebook of the best 50 home cleaning essentials

Cutting through grease and dirt in seconds, this Astonish(ing) kitchen cleaner is definitely one of our faves. It leaves a zesty lemon and grapefruit scent behind, as well as a streak-free shine. To use, simply spray on your surfaces and wipe with a damp cloth or sponge. For tough stains and grease, leave for two minutes before wiping. 

Just be aware you can't use this spray on unsealed wood, porous surfaces or unglazed tiles. You should also avoid leaving the product on paintwork, gold plating and lacquered or varnished wood for too long.

Check out more of the best kitchen cleaners in our buying guide. View Deal

Prefer not to use sprays when cleaning your kitchen? Not only does this multi-purpose cleaner work wonders on your taps, hob and any other metals in your kitchen, but works great as a general surface cleaner too. 

It does require a but more effort than using a spray, but the results are well worth it. Use on your sink and draining board for a lovely shine, and your hob and pots and pans to make them look brand new. To use, wet the sponge included, rub it on the block, squeeze the sponge until it foams and you're good to go. Wipe down with a damp cloth, and for extra shine, then wipe again with a dry cloth. Trust us, this is the stuff of cleaning dreams. View Deal

A little bit of this stuff goes a loooong way. Just apply a small amount of this paste to your oven, cooker top, sink or tiles (yes, it doesn't just work wonders on ovens) and rub with a damp sponge or cloth, and then rinse with clean water and a clean cloth.

Tackle your oven with our step-by-step guide to how to clean an oven – we've got some clever ways to clean yours with natural products, too.View Deal

This non-toxic, plant-based daily cleaner works amazingly on sealed wood surfaces, wooden furniture and cabinets. Cleaning away any dust and dirt leaving wooden surfaces with a protective, non greasy,  shine. To use just spray it on a soft cloth, wipe down your tree-based possessions and buff with a clean, dry cloth. 

For a full guide on how to clean and care for wooden worktops check out out step-by-step guide. View Deal

This easy-to-use polish has an ultra-fine abrasive formula that gently polishes out small patches of dullness, fine scratches and even tough stains to leave work surfaces with a lasting shine.

It works best on Corian, granite, marble and steel. Plus it’s free from colour and bleach so it won’t change the colour of your worktops, and (bonus) leaves behind a hint of vanilla.

Find out more about choosing the best type of kitchen worktop in our guide.View Deal

This stuff work wonders on stainless steel taps, sinks and cookware.  It's a non scratch cream cleaner that's still really tough on grease and grime and it easily removes limescale too.

Don't just confine this product to the kitchen though, it's also great in bathrooms on shower heads, taps, tiles and grout. 

For more tips on how to clean stainless steel, check out our guide. View Deal

Not sure we can say anything particularly exciting about a drain unblocker, other than this one does the job with minimal fuss. Just pour three cups of this stuff down your kitchen or bathroom sink and let it work its magic for 30 minutes, then wash it away with clean warm water. Simple and effective. 

If you are having sink troubles, check out our guide to how to unblock a sink. View Deal

What's going on inside this bottle is brilliant but, first let's just mention that it comes in a 100 per cent recycled plastic bottle made from completely biodegradable plant-based ingredients. Yes, Ecover. 

In terms of the actual washing up liquid, it does a great job on tough stains but is mild, so good for those with sensitive skin, plus a little goes a long way. Our favourite scent is the Chamomile & Clementine, but there are a load more delicious aromas: Pomegranate & Fig, Lily & Lotus, Lemon & Aloe and a zero-fragrance alternative.

Check out more of our favourite washing up liquids. View Deal

Our fave dishwasher tablets have been tried and tested by us many a time. We love them because they cut though really tough stains, work amazingly on glasses (clean those lipstick stains right off) and keep your dishwasher clean and shiny. There's no wrapping – literally just pop them in your dishwasher and it's good to go.

If your dishwasher is in need of a more stealthy clean then check out our advice on how to clean a dishwasher. View Deal

We are totally obsessed with Zoflora, and yes we fully blame it on Mrs Hinch, but this Instagram sensation has gained its cult following for a reason. It has a ton of uses, is pet friendly and kills up to 99.9 per cent of germs.

Stick it in a bucket with some hot water to clean your floors, mix it up in a spray bottle to clean your surfaces or splash a bit in your sink to get that sparkling, too.

We love it so much we have a whole article dedicated to the many, many uses of Zoflora. View Deal

We swear this stuff has more of a social media presence than the whole Real Homes team combined. If you haven't seen it plastered all over your Instagram, then let us introduce you to The Pink Stuff (you can thank us later). It's basically just an amazing all round cream cleaner that works on ovens, cookware, sinks, tiles and worktops. View Deal

For quickly cleaning up spillages, wiping down surfaces after cooking and making your kitchen instantly fresher, these Ecover wipes are a cleaning essential. They are biodegradable (but not flushable) and come in three lovely scents – our favourite is pomegranate and lime. 

Another one from Mrs Hinch's Narnia, the M Cloth (or 'Minky' as she affectionately refers to it as) is dual sided, with the scrubbing side ideal for quickly removing burnt on stains and marks and a microfibre side for lifting away grease and grime.  

You can use it for washing up, cleaning kitchen surfaces, and the scrubbing side works pretty well on ovens, too. 

Find the best ways to get rid of germs in your home in our guide.View Deal

Hinchers will be fully aware of how useful having a few spare empty spray bottles can be. Mix up some Zoflora and water (follow the instructions on the packaging for the right quantities) and your got yourself an awesome cleaning product for cleaning kitchens or bathrooms. 

If you prefer to use all natural cleaning products (more on that later), lots of natural cleaning hacks involve you mixing some everyday kitchen item with water and whacking it in a spray bottle. 

Check out these top spring cleaning hacks that don't use cleaning products to see our case in point. View Deal

This bathroom cleaning product can remove limescale, soap scum and tough stains, leaving your surfaces bright and clean. A great product for deep cleaning your bath in particular as it removes watermarks with ease. 

Simply spray on to your surfaces and leave for one or two minutes. Wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge and you're all done! Just as an FYI, this can't be used on marble, enamel baths, limestone and porous surfaces. For these surfaces use Astonish Cream Cleaner. 

Check out more of the best bathroom cleaners, and find out how to clean a bath (to get it done quickly – we realise you probably have already actually worked out how to clean it). View Deal

Literally the easiest shower cleaner out there, just spritz it around your shower (when it's wet) and it just gets on with its job: dissolving watermarks, soap scum and residue. Oh, and it's free from toxic chemicals. 

And, of course, we've got a guide to tell you how to clean a shower fast (and thoroughly).View Deal

A shower squeegee is definitely a bathroom cleaning essential. You can pick up perfectly decent ones from supermarkets and even pound shops, so it just depends if you are bothered about how it looks and how much you're willing to spend. 

Quickly run a squeegee around your shower enclosure or door after a shower to prevent watermarks or a build up of soap scum. Doing this will just mean you will have less scrubbing to do in your next deep clean.View Deal

It may not be all that glamorous, but toilet cleaner is an essential in your bathroom cleaning armour. These Astonish(ing) (wait, did we already make that joke?) toilet cleaning tablets will blast any limescale, rust or calcium in your toilet bowl, no scrubbing necessary. 

Simply remove the tablet from its packet, pop it in your toilet and leave for 20 minutes. Then, quickly brush and flush. For a deeper clean, leave overnight or use two tablets together. 

For more of our favourite toilet cleaning products have a read through our buying guide. View Deal

What we love about this toilet cleaner is how incredibly low maintenance it is. Literally clip this to the side of your toilet bowl and every time you flush, no only will you get a fresh scent, but they clean the toilet too, preventing lime-scale and getting rid of any grime. With the Fragrance Switch you also get a different scent when you flush to when the bowl is dry so you will always notice the clean fragrance. This is basically the ideal product for keeping everything looking fresh between deeper cleans. 

For more tips on how to clean your toilet head over to our guide. View Deal

A highly effective, fast-acting mould spray, Astonish Mould and Mildew Blaster is our pick of the best cleaning product for getting rid of mould. For use on walls, UPVC window frames, glass, plastic shower curtains and much more, a little goes a long way to remove mould stains and most of all, kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria. Just spray it on the affected area, leave for around 10 minutes and wipe clean. Zero scrubbing required.

Have a read through our guide to getting rid of mould and mildew for more tips. View Deal

Cleaning grout is an incredibly satisfying job, especially when you have a product that makes it so easy. This HG Grout Cleaner quickly removes even the most persistent dirt; just spray the product over the area, leaving for a few minutes, then use a hard scrubbing brush (or an old toothbrush for those tricky-to-get-to areas) to remove the dirt. Wipe the surface over with a warm cloth to remove any odd bits of dirt and job done. View Deal

Your in-laws are coming over and you have all of five minutes to clean the bathroom. Which single product do you reach for? That would be Cillit Bang Limescale and Grime cleaner. It gives super results and will work on just about any bathroom surface. It removes soapscum, water marks, limescale, dirt, grime and even rust in no time. Bang! And the dirt is gone (or similar).View Deal

Quick, effective and easy to use, bathroom cleaning wipes are a must. These Dettol wipes work quickly on tougher stains, kill up to 99.9 per of bacteria and don't leave behind any residue. Handy, we think, for giving a dirty sink a quick wipe over.

For more tips on cleaning a bathroom sink, check out our guide.View Deal

In our opinion, this is the best air freshener you can buy for your bathroom, and the best part is that it's made with no synthetic chemicals – just a unique blend of 100 per cent pure and natural essential oils. Just one spray will make a difference and you'll immediately notice the air clearing. As for the scent, it's natural and fresh with notes of tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus. Yes please. 

For more amazing smelling air fresheners, check out our guide to the best air fresheners for every room. More ways to get rid of nasty niffs? Read our guide to getting rid of nasty household smells.View Deal

Inexpensive and super easy to use, this Vileda mop is at the top of our best floor cleaning products list. The ingenious addition of a foot pedal to help you really ring out the mop means that you won't end up with a soaking wet floor once you are done mopping. The triangular shaped, microfibre head is designed to make it easier to reach corners and pick up 20 per cent more dirt than a standard cotton mop head. The head is also machine washable so you can clean it and reuse use it a load of times. 

P.S. We've rounded up a few more of the best mops for cleaning hard floors. View Deal

The SC3 steam cleaner is a lightweight, supremely easy to use piece of kit that's brilliant for making hard floors sparkle and for getting at those hard-to-reach areas that gather gunk. Perfect for family homes, people with pets, those who hate both elbow grease and chemicals, and the fastidiously clean.

Go and have a read of our full review of the Kärcher SC3 for loads more details and find more of the best steam cleaners in our buyer's guide. 

Specially formulated for sealed wooden floors, this Bona Wood Floor Cleaner Spray is great for quick and easy cleaning. It doesn't leave streaks or residue just a soft sheen. 

Just make sure that before cleaning floors, you vacuum or sweep first to remove any loose dirt or grit from the surface.

For more of the best wooden floor cleaners check out our guide; and don't miss our best ways to clean wooden floors for more tips and buys. View Deal

Designed for all types of tiles including ceramic, glass, porcelain and stone, Dr Beckmann Stone & Tile Cleaner adds a protective layer to your tiles to stop them from staining or being subject to wear and tear.

It leaves a soft, natural shine and is also super easy to use; just dilute it with water and use a scrubbing brush to clean your tiles. 

Find more great floor tile cleaners and how to give your stone floors a proper clean in our guides. View Deal

Moving on to the big dogs of cleaning, the vacuums. If you are after a stealthy machine that it going to tackle pet hair then the Animal is the one. This is regarded as the best vacuum for pets and pet hair you can buy. The small head and roller ball technology allow for it to glide easily across all floor types, and it's flexible enough to get into corners and under furniture for a thorough clean. It's also surprisingly lightweight, so great for manoeuvrability. 

Find more of the best vacuums for pets and pet hair; you may want to check out our tips for cleaning up after dogs and cats, too. View Deal

This little guy is a super-smart, speedy robot vacuum that will have your home spotless in no time. It lives up to Dyson’s suction standards and is particularly good at removing pet hair from carpets. It’s a little slimmer than most robot vacuums meaning it can get into tricky areas such as between chair legs and if it gets stuck it can even call for help. Clever. 

It is pretty pricey though, so you want to get a robot vacuum but are after a cheaper model, you'll find loads of options in our round up of the best robot vacuum cleaners. Find more smart home tech on our hub page.View Deal

If you prefer a handheld vacuum, then the Trigger is at the top of our list. Its powerful 15 cyclones are designed to catch even the finest of dust particles, making this a good option for those with allergies. It’s super-quiet, so if you have a sudden urge to clean at a ridiculous hour of the morning, you won’t wake the entire household in the process. For a cordless handheld, it also has surprisingly good battery life of up to 30 minutes so you can clean uninterrupted. 

Check out more of our fave handheld vacuum cleaners. We've also got a guide to getting rid of dust mites if you're an allergy sufferer.View Deal

The Dyson Zorb Powder is a really handy way to clean up stains quickly without the hassle of having to scrub the carpet. It doesn't require water to work, so can simply be sprinkled on the affected area, left for 20 minutes and then vacuumed away.

Find more great carpet cleaning products in our guide. If you are a carpet cleaning novice, make sure you check out our advice on how to clean a carpet in 10 easy steps to ensure you get the best results. View Deal

If your carpet (and by your carpet we clearly mean you) is susceptible to getting red wine spilt on it, it's always a good idea to have something a bit stronger on hand. 

While the HG Extra Strong Stain Spray is particularly potent and should be handled with care, it works wonders on stubborn stains such as coffee, grease, blood or wine, making it our pick of the best carpet cleaning product for removing stains.

Find more ways to get rid of blood stains and remove red wine stains from your carpet with our guides. View Deal

If your carpet is beyond the help of sprays and powders in might be time to invest in a carpet cleaning machine. Our favourite is the Bissell Cleanview Proheat. It includes all the features you’d expect from an industrial model into a neat, lightweight package. The built-in heater, which gives the model its name, is a nifty feature which keeps the water in the tank warm while you do the rounds for more effective and consistent cleaning. Complete with a rotating DirtLifter brush, it gives carpet fibres a thorough clean, making it great for allergy sufferers.

Find more tried and tested carpet cleaning machines in our round up.

This window cleaner cuts through tough grease and grime to leave a streak-free shine, plus it has added vinegar to give window and glass extra shine. For the best result use with a soft dry cloth, something like and e-cloth would do the job. View Deal

Speaking of e-cloths... they are also a glass cleaning essential in our eyes. Use them to clean windows for a crystal clear, streak free finish. Best of all? You can use them with water alone to get a good shine.View Deal

If you have a lot of glazing in your home, maybe a glass extension or a large expanse of glass doors, ramping up your window cleaning kit to include a window vac might be a good shout.

The Kärcher Window Vac is our choice of the best. It's light, easy, no fuss and it's got a decent battery time. Go and read our full review of the Kärcher Window Vac for more details. View Deal

Perfect for getting rid of scuff marks on walls, this genius little product basically works like a rubber. When damp, the microscopic fibres develop a strong, eraser-like quality, cleaning surfaces and tough stains like magic.

Made from melamine foam, the block can be snipped to any size that suits – perfect for getting into those hard-to-reach places. It can also be used on ovens and cookware. View Deal

This works just as well on soft furnishings as it does on carpets. With its powerful oxy formula and built-in brush, Dr Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover effectively removes heavy soil and unsightly spills such as red wine, coffee, fruit juice, grease and other common household stains from upholstery. The cleaning brush gets deep into the stain, whilst the special oxy-powered formula also eliminates any odours.

We know you probably don't want to think about it, but just in case... we have a guide to getting rid of vomit stains, too.

If you need something more heavy duty, this upholstery washer from Maxi Vac is light, compact and surprisingly powerful considering its size. View Deal

Leather needs a fair bit of TLC but this kit has everything you need to clean and care for your leather furniture. It has a gentle cleaning solution, condition and protector, an ink spot remover and a cloth. 

Top tip: When dealing with liquid spills, blot with a dry cloth, do not rub!! Solid or semi-solid spills such as food should be removed then dealt with like a liquid spill. Dry spills should be vacuumed or gently wiped with a clean, dry cloth.View Deal

Looking for new washing machine as part of you major spring clean? This model is packed with special features at a great price. The high energy rating means running costs are low while a twin water supply means you’ll get a super speedy wash in just 60 minutes. It even has what Samsung calls ‘Bubble Soak technology’ to remove stubborn stains, making this a great choice for families. Users also loved the fact that you can wash large loads at low temperatures thanks to the ecobubble™ tech, which activates the detergent to quickly penetrate fabrics, even at as low 15˚C. 

Find more of the best freestanding washing machines in our guide.View Deal

If you are after an integrated washing machine, then our recommendation is the Indesit Ecotime IWME147. With a decent energy rating and high spin speed, it’s a good value model with a variety of specialist programmes such as Silk and Curtains as well as Shoes and an easy iron option. A timer delay allows you to set the wash at a time that suits you while LED programme progress indicators keep you informed of the cycle’s progress. 

We've rounded up more of the best integrated washing machines over in our buying guide; plus we have some great washing machine deals, so go and check them out too. View Deal

In need of a new tumble dryer? This Bosch model earns our top spot. Its heat pump makes it far more economical than a conventional condenser dryer, as attested to by its A++ energy rating, but it may also be economical in terms of saving you time, as its condenser system is self-cleaning, automatically rinsing away fluff for a very clean and efficient machine. It's also got a massive large load capacity of up to 9kg.

Still undecided? Go and check out our pick of the best tumble dryers for more advice. 

Looking for a dehumidifier to combat condensation – and even help dry your washing? The electriQ 12 litre Low Energy Dehumidifier is the best in our (all important) opinion. It is up to 40 per cent cheaper to run than a standard dehumidifier. It has UV sterilisation built in to get rid of pollen, smoke, dust and allergens, and there's also a laundry mode. 

We've picked our top 5 best dehumidifiers so go and have a read through that if you want any more info before you buy. Annnddd, don't miss our guide to the best laundry hacks to find out how to trouble-shoot your washing and ironing.View Deal

Our fave washing detergent for removing stains is by far the Persil Small & Mighty Bio. It's fab at removing everyday stains but also is really good on tougher stains like mud, grass and blood. It's also really good on whites (although if you are after the best washing detergent for white we recommend Ariel Washing Gel Original). 

Don't forget, your washing machine needs cleaning, too, to function well. Use our guide to cleaning a washing machine to find out how. And don't miss our guide to find out how to handwash clothes like a pro.View Deal

From descaling shower heads to cleaning the microwave, vinegar is probably the best cleaning product out there. It's cheap, versatile and environmentally friendly – what's not to love? Oh, the smell? It'll dissipate and it's nothing that the trusty Puressentiel Purifying Air Spray can't handle. Don't miss our guide to cleaning a whole house with vinegar, too.View Deal

Another everyday item that has super cleaning powers. Bicarb is tried and tested and its results do take some beating. This versatile cleaner can be used to clean cooker tops, sinks, and tiles, deodorises carpets and upholstery, and eliminates odours in baths, basins, and sinks. 

You can even use bicarbonate of soda to freshen a mattress – just check out our guide to find out how. Don't miss our guide to cleaning a whole house with bicarbonate of soda, too.View Deal

Sometimes all you need is half a lemon and bit of elbow grease. You can use a lemon to descale your shower head, remove watermarks from your shower enclosure and even clean your oven or a stained chopping board. 

Lemons are also great for deodorising smells, so keep half a lemon in your fridge to keep it smelling fresh.  

A great cleaning hack for your fridge or freezer is to put activated charcoal in to eradicate nasty smells (or mix equal parts warm water and vinegar and spray sparingly across the inside).

Find more great ways to clean a fridge in our guide.View Deal