"Not all cleaners are created equal," that's what one cleaner commercial boasts.
Consumer Reports has cut through the hype by conducting tough tests on 19 all-purpose cleaners, including big names like Clorox, Lysol, and Pine-Sol.
Testers slather tiles with stubborn stains like grape juice, mustard, ketchup, and grease. They also spray a soap scum residue on bathroom tiles. Then the cleaners are applied as directed.
"Most say you just spray them on and wipe. Others are a little bit more labor intensive. You have to apply them and then rinse them off," said
The tiles are then placed into a scrubbing machine. It gives each tile the same number of swipes with a paper towel.
Some cleaners worked better than others, but one cleaner used on the tile left more of the grape juice behind.
Testers also left the cleaners on a variety of surfaces overnight to mimic an unnoticed spill; some marred metal finishes, which could be a problem with your kitchen or bathroom faucets.
"We found in our tests that with convenience came a little less cleaning power. None of the sprays excelled at cleaning all the stains," said Celia Lehrman.
After scrubbing more than 500 tiles, only one cleaner did well enough to be recommended - Pine-Sol Original. It's not as easy to use as a spray, but it beat all the other cleaners by a wide margin.
If you'd still rather use a spray, Consumer Reports says your best option is Seventh Generation Natural All Purpose.
