Cleaning experts unveiled the top six products that aren’t worth your money, including fabric softeners, robotic vacuums, and washers.
You don’t even need commercial dishwasher detergents, multi-surface sprays and washable wipes, according to product testers at Australia’s leading consumer organization CHOICE.
And some products, such as robot vacuums, are listed as “less effective” than other options on the market, while other products “do nothing”.
Cleaning Experts Announce Top Six Products That Are Not Worth Your Money, Including Fabric Softener, Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, and Washer
Experts said they can’t recommend a brand of floor cleaner as none of them work well enough.
While some other products, such as fabric softener, may actually make the situation worse, experts claim that when fabric softeners are used, clothes tend to leave the washing machine dirtier.
The first item on the band’s hit list could save many homes each year.
Multifunctional sprays
According to CHOICE, there is no need to have a different surface spray for each room because they all do the same job.
“Our recent testing of many of these sprays shows that there is virtually no difference between all-purpose cleaners and kitchen sprays, meaning they will all do the same job no matter what room you are in,” they wrote. †
The cleaning product you choose is important, but it can be used anywhere when you choose an effective product, they explained.
floor cleaners
The group’s lab experts tested 15 of the best-selling floor cleaners and concluded that the winners were hot water and elbow grease.
They found that no floor cleaner was good enough to recommend. They claimed that some of them even passed water.
Commercial dishwasher cleaners
According to experts, a bowl of vinegar in the hot cleaning cycle is effective enough to keep the family dishwasher clean.
While commercial cleaners work very well, they are often overkill and should only be used when decades of dirt need to be removed.
It is best to consult your owner’s manual before using vinegar, as some companies have specific instructions and vinegar can affect delicate internal mechanisms over time.
You don’t need a different surface spray for each room – just one multi-purpose spray is all it takes
washable wipes
Although sold as washable, CHOICE states that these wipes should not be washed as they do not break down like toilet paper and cause clogging.
And while they are undoubtedly useful for cleaning up spills or polishing surfaces, they should be thrown away.
robot vacuum cleaner
CHOICE has been testing these self-cleaning machines for years and acknowledges that they have improved in quality over the years.
However, they are still not a good choice for those with carpets, as they lack the suction power of many barrel vacuum cleaners.
“Some performed very well on hard floors, while in our tests some robot vacuums performed very poorly at cleaning carpets.”
They also often get ‘stuck’ on ledges, carpets and behind furniture legs, making them even more ineffective.
softeners
Experts say fabric softeners leave your clothes dirtier than when they’re in the washing machine.
And at $9 per bottle, they hit the consumer in their trouser pocket.
They leave a layer of silicone and petrochemical compounds on clothing, which in turn contaminates the skin and contaminates waterways.
They also reduce the fabric’s ability to absorb water, so they should never be used on towels or diapers.
“Worse still, they reduce the flame retardant’s effect on clothing, so they ban children’s pajamas altogether, even though they all have cute baby pictures on their bottles,” the experts said.
Vinegar can be used as a fabric softener instead, but check your washing machine’s manual first.
Source: Daily Mail
