The Cleaning Institute
Finding a reliable all-purpose cleaner is important because most people have a variety of fixtures that have to be cleaned, and nobody wants to spend extra time and money buying cleaners for the bathroom, kitchen, and so on. Between the excess time and expenditure, it just make so much more sense to have one rock solid, highly dependable all-purpose cleaner which you can rely on whenever you need it. Whether you are cleaning up after a more serious incident or just doing some light cleaning around the house, we have you covered.
After doing some research, we have decided that, based on a number of categories, Method Purpose Cleaner French Lavender did the best job, and we’ll explain why in more detail below. Our Honorable Mention pick goes to Mrs. Meyers Multi Surface Concentrate, and for those who are specifically looking for a green pick that is environment and pet friendly, Better Life All Purpose Unscented would be our recommendation to you.
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Testing Categories
For the purposes of making things as simple as possible in terms of crafting these reviews, we decided to break our review down into three major testing categories: power, application and odor.
Power: In terms of power, our main concerns here were whether the product was concentrated or not and how much of it you needed to use at once to clean whatever surface you were working on. If it was not concentrated or required a significant amount of the bottle to be used for simply one sitting, then we rated the product more lowly in that category.
Application: Application, for our purposes here, refers to how easy the product is to apply during one sitting, as understanding how to point a spray bottle at something and then spray cleaning solution on it is pretty straightforward. If there was any type of issue with the actual spray bottle itself while we were using the product, we took the time to make note of that and factor that into our final evaluation of the product.
Odor: Finally, we figured that it was important to take note of how pungent the product was. Cleaning solutions often need to be made up of strong chemical components to actually be able to do their jobs effectively, but at the same time, that does not mean they need to have a displeasing smell. If the product had an overpowering odor of any kind, we made note of that and used it as part of our evaluation for the all-purpose cleaner in question.
Top Pick
Method with
French Lavender
Scent
With an appropriately portioned out 28 ounces of cleaner in each bottle, the formula for this product is naturally derived & places a strong emphasis on using non-toxic chemicals to get the job done.
Most notable upside: There are seemingly a million reasons to love Method’s All Purpose Cleaner with French Lavender scent. For one thing, it is easy to find, as most major retailers carry this product and you will be able to find it with relative ease. In addition, it is affordable when compared to many other cleaning products in the same category, and if you have a lot of cleaning to do in a short amount of time, you won’t gag or choke on the smell. Method’s All Purpose Cleaner with French Lavender Scent really does live up to its name in full, as the French Lavender scent is pleasant without being totally overpowering or offensive to your olfactory senses. In addition, the product is naturally derived, so its safe for pets to be around, cruelty free, meaning it was not tested on animals in any way, shape, or form, and even the bottle is made from recyclable materials. We also tested it out on a variety of materials, from wood to stainless steel appliances, and it really can clean a whole plethora of different surfaces, thus living up to its name as an all-purpose cleaner. It should be noted, however, that it is not formulated for cloth surfaces, so keep this in mind when you are preparing to use this product.
Biggest downsides: Quite honestly, there is not a lot to say as far as cons go for this particular product, which is why it won our Top Pick for all purpose cleaners. The one and only potential drawback, depending on how much you clean on a regular basis, is that this particular product does not come in a concentrated variety, so you should keep that in mind before beginning any type of cleaning with it.
Honorable Mention
Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface
Mrs. Meyers is a multi-surface concentrate cleaner with lemon verbena scent that also happens to be biodegradable and aromatherapeutic, making it a highly effective household cleaner.
Most notable upside: Mrs. Meyers is also an excellent choice, as its lemon verdana smell is not only pleasant, but actually qualifies as a type of aromatherapy, which means it’s good for you. It can be safely used on any home surface that is not porous in any fashion. It is especially effective when used on bathroom fixtures, counters and floors, although only a small amount of it is necessary if it is being used on hardwood or laminate floors, as they do not do well with moisture. It should also be noted that this product should not be used as a substitute for any type of wet vac machine cleaning solution.
Biggest downsides: The one and only major issue that seems to be present with Mrs. Meyers is in relation to its application, which is why it received our Honorable Mention listing. The dilution instructions that are on the bottle were a little complicated for some people to follow along with, so some guess and check experimentation may be required to find a cleaner to water ratio that works for you. It is also, unfortunately, not safe around pets and kids.
Green Pick
Better Life All Purpose
Better Life All Purpose Natural Cleaner is a multi-surface cleaner that works on many surfaces, including carpets, which is uncommon for this type of cleaner, and is both pet and child safe.
Most notable upside: Better Life has been noted not only for its overall effectiveness as a cleaning product, but also for its lack of scent and versatility when it comes to the number of surfaces upon which it can be used. It also is safe for pets and children to be around, which is an added bonus for any person who happens to have either one or both in their home.
Biggest downsides: The product can sometimes form hard to clean suds, though this does not seem to be consistent from bottle to bottle, so we recommend not shaking it very much just to be sure. Because we were unable to determine if this was related to how the product was shipped or the chemical makeup itself, it ended up being our Green Pick instead of being placed in another category.