How to Choose the Right Cleaning Products for Your Home

Walk down any supermarket cleaning aisle and you will find dozens of products promising to do broadly the same thing. In practice, professional cleaners carry surprisingly few — because what matters is not the brand on the bottle but the chemistry inside it, and whether it suits the surface you are about to use it on.

Start with pH — it explains almost everything

Nearly every cleaning product falls somewhere on the pH scale, and that position tells you what it will remove and what it will damage.

• Acidic (pH 1–6): limescale removers, descalers, toilet cleaners. Excellent on mineral deposits, rust and hard water marks. Will etch marble, limestone, travertine and some grouts.
• Neutral (pH 7): general-purpose and floor cleaners. Safe on almost everything, which is why professionals reach for these first.
• Alkaline (pH 8–14): degreasers, oven cleaners, bleach. Excellent on fats, oils, proteins and organic soil. Can strip finishes from wood, dull aluminium and discolour some fabrics.

The practical rule: grease and organic mess need alkaline products; limescale and mineral marks need acidic products; everything else needs neutral.

Match the product to the surface, not the room

People buy by room — 'kitchen cleaner', 'bathroom cleaner' — but surfaces do not respect room boundaries. A marble worktop in a kitchen has the same vulnerabilities as a marble bathroom vanity.

• Natural stone (marble, limestone, granite, travertine): pH-neutral only. Acids will permanently dull the surface.
• Sealed hardwood and engineered wood: barely damp microfibre and a neutral wood floor cleaner. Never saturate the floor.
• Stainless steel: neutral cleaner, then buff dry with the grain. Abrasives leave permanent scratching.
• Induction hobs and glass ceramic: dedicated cream cleaner and a scraper — never a scouring pad.
• Laminate and composite worktops: neutral cleaner. Bleach will lighten the finish over time.
• Enamel baths and ceramic tiles: tolerate most products, including acidic descalers.

Never mix these

This is a genuine safety point rather than a cleaning tip. Bleach mixed with any acidic product — including limescale remover and some toilet cleaners — releases chlorine gas. Bleach mixed with ammonia-based products, including many glass cleaners, releases chloramine vapours. Both are genuinely dangerous in an enclosed bathroom.

Use one product, rinse thoroughly, ventilate, and only then use another. Never combine products in the hope of a stronger result.

Read the label properly

Two things on the label matter more than the marketing claims. First, the dilution ratio — most concentrates are significantly over-applied, which wastes product and leaves a residue that attracts dirt faster. Second, the dwell time: most products need several minutes of contact to work. Spraying and immediately wiping is why people conclude a product 'does not work'.

Eco-friendly options that genuinely perform

Plant-based and biodegradable products have improved considerably, and we use eco-friendly, non-toxic solutions as standard across our services — they are a better choice in homes with children, pets or anyone with respiratory sensitivities.

Simple pantry solutions have their place too: white vinegar diluted with water handles limescale on glass and taps, and bicarbonate of soda works as a gentle abrasive for sinks. Just remember vinegar is acidic — keep it well away from stone.

Fewer products, better technique

A neutral general-purpose cleaner, a degreaser, a descaler, a glass cleaner and a stack of colour-coded microfibre cloths will handle almost any home. Most of the difference between an average clean and an excellent one comes from technique, dwell time and clean cloths — not from buying another bottle.