Common household cleaning products less effective than water: Choice

Common household cleaning products have come up against their biggest rival and failed. This is the one product which cleans better than the rest — and you already have it at home.

Christine Mizzi chooses water, bi-carb and vinegar over commercial cleaning products. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Common household cleaning products have come up against their biggest rival — and failed.

Water has proven more effective than a number of household favourites when it comes to cleaning, consumer group Choice has found.

Big brand names such as Vanish, Harpic and Windex are all in the firing line after they were found to have a lesser score than everyday H2O.

Other home remedies including vinegar, bi-carb soda and dishwashing liquid also proved just as effective.

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“No matter which household chore you’re faced, with there’s a product on the market that will remove money from your pocket but do little else,” Choice spokesperson Nicky Breen said.

“We found that 38 struggled against a home remedy and 14 failed to even outperform water.”

Products from toilet and multipurpose cleaner to carpet and clothing stain remover were tested in the study.

Choice scored a variety of household cleaning products on their effectiveness, giving each a percentage score.

Popular Harpic Fresh Power scored just 40 per cent in the study, 5 per cent less than water, while bi-carb soda and vinegar proved best when it comes to cleaning bathrooms and glass.

Home brand products including Woolworths and Coles rated among the poorest.

The study tested each product against a soiled and dirty white tile and scrubbed between 10 and 40 times to determine their effectiveness.

In many scenarios water and home remedies achieved relatively poor results, highlighting the extent of failing products, many of which came in well below.

The findings are not only concerning for consumers, but are costing Australian’s a fortune, Mrs Breen said.

And while many claim to “remove everyday stains” and add sparkle to your home, the results speak for themselves.

“We reviewed our carpet, bathroom, toilet and glass cleaner tests as well as the notoriously inefficient laundry balls and found that many simply failed to live up to their claims,” Mrs Breen said.

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WORST OFFENDERS

• Toilet cleaners: Water (45%), Harpic Fresh Power (40%)

• Bathroom cleaners: Bi-carb and vinegar (48%), CLR Bathroom & Kitchen Cleaner Deodoriser (47%)

• Carpet stain removers: Water (26%), Vanish Preen Powerpowder (25%)

• Window cleaners: Vinegar and water (64%), Status Glass Cleaner (60%)

— Choice effectiveness scores

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