Is there anything better than cranking your favourite music and cleaning the house within an inch of its bricks and mortar? You know what they say ‘clean your space, clear your mind’. So here are ALL the best products to have in your cleaning arsenal to get down and dirty – AND come back up sparkling clean!
From epic soaking bucket systems to dirt busting, planet-friendly cleaning solutions and all of the handy as heck, game-changer tools in between, we’ve listed them below for you to check out for yourself.
But first, we have some epic cleaning tips for you!
But cleaning is THE PITS…
Hear us out. True, not many people LOVE to clean, but you can make it less of a chore with the right approach and some very handy know-how!
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Don’t put cleaning off until it’s an overwhelming mountain of things to do on a weekend! Break up those pesky cleaning chores into 30-minute intervals each day makes it a realistic goal for a daily routine. For example on Mondays do the bathrooms, Tuesdays; floors, Wednesday; kitchen and so on. Cleaning a little each day (beyond the dishes) also frees up the weekend for FUN STUFF! Woop!
STAIN REMOVAL: Dealing with and treating stains is a regular occurrence for most families. For families with newborns and their poo-explosions to berry munching toddlers and sweaty, greasy tradies and grubby fingerprints on white pants – we have an extensive household stain removal guide!
FRESH AS A DAISY HOME FRAGRANCE: Sometimes it’s tricky to fling open the doors and windows to let fresh air flow through to rid your home of lingering odours. Here are over 20 clever ways to add fragrance to your home. From a drop of essential oil on a toilet roll to bars of soap in the linen cupboard, we have all the ideas!
SHARE THE LOAD: It’s time to delegate! Honestly, even CHILDREN can do some of the household chores. Give them some responsibility and the satisfaction of doing a cleaning chore or two and enjoy a smug wine or coffee while you watch them do it. Here’s a list of chores for kids of every age!
Understanding types of household cleaners…
Not sure what cleaner you need for the job? Here are five categories of cleaners:
DEGREASER: You’ll need a degreaser for greasy jobs that need to cut through grime and baked-on grease. Cleaning ovens, stovetops, baking trays, BBQ plates all the REALLY dirty gear, typically found in the kitchen.
ABRASIVE: Perfect for hard surfaces, you can scrub things (bath rings, pots, pans, stainless steel benches and floors) clean with an abrasive cleaner or abrasive sponge. Do be warned though, abrasives often leave scratch marks so always test it first!
DETERGENT: The most used allrounder, detergents work by breaking up dirt or soil, making it easy to wash away either in the sink, dishwasher or washing machine. Keep a bottle handy in the laundry for adding to oil stains on your clothes before throwing it in the washing machine.
ACIDS: The most powerful of all cleaners, acids should be handled with care. Often used at home for its descaling properties on the lime build-up and rust, they can be VERY corrosive and poisonous. Please, always read instructions and follow the product label when using!
ANTI-BACTERIAL: If it’s bacteria you want to bust, you should look for an anti-bacterial cleaner, to help eliminate bad bacteria that can cause illness. Anti-bacterial surface sprays in the kitchen can help keep surfaces and appliances hygienic and germ-free!
11 best cleaning products to clean your home in 2022
Zero Co Starter Box
RRP: $159
WHERE TO BUY: Zero Co
BEST FOR: People who want excellent value for money and an easy eco-friendly cleaning delivery cycle. Use it, send back your empties and get sent refills!
The cleanest parcel you’ll receive all year, the epic Zero Co Starter Box will set you up with all 10 plastic-busting cleaning products (about a 2-3 month supply for the average four-person household). You’ll get everything you need (bottles plus refills!) for cleaning your kitchen, laundry and bathroom, including things like Handwash, Multi-Purpose Spray, Dishwasher Tablets, Toilet Cleaner and the MOST beautiful scented Air Freshener. You’ll be impressed by the Laundry Liquid and Stain Remover – they work wonders and are rated an impressive 4.9 out of 5 stars by Zero Co customers. We can confirm they smell fabulous and do a brilliant job, we explored the Starter Kit ourselves!
Zero Co’s products are single-use plastic-free, made from plant-based formulas right here in Australia and are proven to work as well as all of the big-name supermarket brands, if not better! Try Zero Co with confidence, their products come with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
MUM CENTRAL READER OFFER: SAVE $15 OFF your first box of Zero Co using the code GREENMUM-15 at the checkout. Minimum spend $100. One use per customer. Offer expires Dec 1st 2022.
Biozet Attack Laundry Detergents
RRP: $22
WHERE TO BUY: Woolworths
BEST FOR: Those wanting brilliant results from their washing detergents!
If you’re constantly disappointed with your clothes, towels or linen never really being properly clean, you must give Biozet Attack a try! A superstar in the laundry, Biozet Attack laundry detergents offer an exceptional clean first time, every time. With advanced and innovative formulations, this range offers a solution to ANY washing challenge!
Biozet Attack PLUS Softener is a one-step clean that softens and freshens, reducing wrinkles while it cleans, removes stains AND leaves laundry with a beautiful light fragrance. Biozet Attack PLUS Eliminator is perfect for taking on damp and musty odours (hello gym bag!), eliminating 99.9% of odour-causing bacteria while visibly brightening garments. For super tough stains, try Biozet Attack PLUS Stain Power – a fast-actioning liquid detergent that attacks stubborn stains – including oil and grease stains!
Cove Cleaning Starter Kit
RRP: $69.95
WHERE TO BUY: Cove, Coles, Woolworths and selected IGA stores
BEST FOR: Those wanting a non-plastic bottle, plant-based cleaning option.
A refill and reuse cleaning system is the name of the cleaning game from Cove! The Cove Starter Kit is the ultimate way to clean your home and minimise your environmental footprint, all while looking super cute.
The Cove system uses aluminium refillable bottles (keep forever!) meaning 80% less plastic refills. Cove cleaning products are free of harsh chemicals being brilliantly powerful plant-based formulas with 100% natural fragrances. Who doesn’t love the smell of Mother Nature? The Cove Starter Kit is a brilliant option to kick off a cleaning spree, it contains Laundry Liquid, All Purpose Surface Spray, Glass & Window Spray and Bathroom & Shower Spray. So cool – AND CLEAN!
MUM CENTRAL READER OFFER: SAVE 20% OFF Starter Kits. Use the code MUMCENTRAL20. Offer valid until 28th Feb 2022.
Euky Bear Baby Nursery Cleaner
RRP: $5.50
WHERE TO BUY: Chemist Warehouse
BEST FOR: Families with babies and toddlers
Your baby may smell of baby powder and newborn fuzz but quite often the nursery does not. This naturally derived Baby Nursery Cleaner is specially formulated for use around babies and powered with 100% Australian Eucalyptus oil and is an absolute powerhouse at keeping germs at bay, removing grease and annoying sticky residue from surfaces and objects.
A multipurpose cleaner, you can safely clean all surfaces from the change-table to the highchair and all the toys in between. All while banishing any lingering nappy explosion smells or spit-up aromas – hurrah! Euky Bear Baby Nursery Cleaner leaves your beautiful nursery (and home) germ-free and smelling fresh!
Kärcher WV 6 Plus Window Vac
RRP: $199
WHERE TO BUY: Kärcher and Bunnings
BEST FOR: Cleaning ALL the glass – windows, pools, benches and more!
The windows are literally the eyes to your home and making that glass crystal clear and sparkling clean has never been easier, thanks to the Kärcher WV 6 Plus Window Vac! This nifty tool makes cleaning windows a cinch with its flexible lip and superior suction which leaves no streaks or dirty residue on window glass.
Not just for windows, the Kärcher WV 6 Plus Window Vac can also be used on shower screens, pool fences, mirrors and even benchtop spills. AMAZING and so easy to use, you simply spray, wipe and vac, that’s all there is to it. PLUS there’s a handy LED battery display to let you know how much charge is left in your vac, so you should never get caught out mid-window clean. If you have high windows, never fear, an extension pole is available to purchase separately for out of reach jobs.
McLintocks Vanilla Fresh Spray
RRP: $4.75
WHERE TO BUY: Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Independents
BEST FOR: People who want a sweet-smelling, anti-bacterial, all-purpose surface spray
Cleaning doesn’t have to smell clinical – it can smell warm, homely and of sweet vanilla instead! Australian family owned and made, McLintocks Vanilla Fresh is a food-safe, all-natural and non-toxic, antibacterial spray perfect for cleaning the kitchen benches, fridge wipeouts and general household use. It’s a bacteria-fighting ninja and kills 99.9% of bacteria!
A beautiful-smelling cleaning spray, Vanilla Fresh can be confidently sprayed around your food preparation areas (even your fruit bowl!) with no harm to your food or your family. You’ll LOVE the beautiful, long-lasting (but not at all overpowering) vanilla scent too – anyone would think you’re burning a candle, not cleaning!
Pleasant State Full House Kit
RRP: $67.50
WHERE TO BUY: Pleasant State
BEST FOR: People wanting zero-waste cleaning products, infused with essential oils.
A female-founded start-up, Pleasant State will blow your mind with Australia’s very first healthy concentrated cleaning bars that dissolve to make super effective, essential oil-scented multi-purpose, bathroom and glass cleaning products. You JUST ADD WATER. Think Berocca, but for cleaning.
Rated an impressive 4.9 stars from hundreds of customer reviews, the Full House kit is the ultimate ‘see ya’ to single-use plastic and toxic cleaning products in your home – it’s a zero-waste house cleaning party in a box!
Featuring the entire Pleasant State range of bars, drop-protected glass and silicone bottles as well as cleaning towels, this kit is the best way to get the full experience and continue your journey towards a cleaner, greener home. This bundle is valued at $119.10 so you SAVE money as well as the planet by bundling up. Pleasant State is keeping homes healthy and safe with Australian-made, super-effective, non-toxic and vegan products. PLUS there’s even FREE postage and a 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked!. Sweet!
MUM CENTRAL READER OFFER: SAVE $10 OFF your first order when you use the code MUMCENTRAL.
Strucket 19L
RRP: $59.95
WHERE TO BUY: Strucket
BEST FOR: People who soak or wash everything from nappies to nectarines.
More than a bucket, Strucket 19L is an absolute game-changer in your cleaning game! But wait, what IS Strucket? Strucket is an interlocking strainer and bucket which is ever so convenient for soaking nappies, bibs, clothes and so versatile you can even wash your fresh fruit and vegetables in it (that said, the new 4.5L Strucket Mini is perfect for fresh produce)!
Proudly Australian-designed, owned and made, Strucket is a no-touch straining system, meaning you absolutely don’t have to put your hands in any murky, dirty water (phew!). Simply fill the Laundry Hand Washing Strainer Bucket with water, add your items, and lift the strainer away from the bucket. There’s even a handy built-in draining plug to make emptying easy. You’d be crazy not to have a Strucket in your cleaning products arsenal!
MUM CENTRAL READER OFFER: FREE SHIPPING for orders over $100 (Australia only).
ecyo Dissolvable Concentrated Cleaning Pods
RRP: $11.95
WHERE TO BUY: ecyo
BEST FOR: People looking for zero waste yet super-efficient cleaning products!
ecyo has nailed dissolvable pods, creating super concentrated pods for cleaning your bathroom, hard floors and more. Reusing your spray bottle over and over again, you just need to add water to a pod and BAM, it’s ready! Each purpose pod has a different scent, including orange, eucalyptus and even sweet almond. Cleaning never smelled so good.
Sold in small packs of three (that’s three whole cleaning spray bottle’s worth!), ecyo Dissolvable Concentrated Cleaning Pods make for a maximum product with very little storage footprint and zero waste. The pod casings themselves are completely dissolvable and their packaging is made using recycled cardboard which can be recycled again or composted. Magic!
Koala Eco Natural Multi-Purpose Kitchen Cleaner in Lemon Myrtle & Mandarin
RRP: $12.95
WHERE TO BUY: Koala Eco
BEST FOR: People who want a clean kitchen and a clean conscience!
The perfect multi-purpose kitchen cleaner to put some pep into your cleaning and uplift your mood at the same time, it HAS to be the beautifully scented, Koala Eco’s Natural Multi-Purpose Kitchen Cleaner in Lemon Myrtle & Mandarin.
Locally made and no new plastic created, these cleaners are 100% recycled and recyclable. Available in 500ml bottles and 1L refills, Koala Eco’s Natural Multi-Purpose Kitchen Cleaner in Lemon Myrtle & Mandarin is safe, powerful and plant-based, made with Australian essential oils and never tested on animals. The biodegradable and eco-friendly plant-based formula effortlessly cleans, removes bacteria and deodorises, without the need for synthetic ingredients or toxic chemicals, naturally killing 99.9% of germs.
Plus when you buy Koala Eco, you’re giving back to the planet. Every purchase triggers a donation to 1% for the Planet, and Koala Eco are proud supporters of WWF Australia and The Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary. Sweet!
MUM CENTRAL READER OFFER:Â SAVE 20% OFF your order when you subscribe to the Koala Eco newsletter.
Kärcher Ultra Clean Carpet and Couch Cleaner
RRP: $579
WHERE TO BUY: Kärcher and Bunnings
BEST FOR: The ultimate vacuum for families with kids and pets
Kids, pets, family life, in general, can leave their mark on couches and carpets more often than we like so it’s AWESOME to have an upholstery cleaner on hand for that inevitable wine or cordial spill on your favourite rug. Forget scrubbing, the Kärcher Ultra Clean Carpet and Couch Cleaner makes light work of cleaning marks from fabric – you don’t have to sweat it one bit, as you can see in our review!
It’s NOT just fabrics this cleaner is fab for, it moonlights as a wet and dry vacuum cleaner AND it can do HARD surfaces too. Your natural stone, tiles, lino and synthetic flooring can come up a complete treat with a streak-free finish. It’s the ULTIMATE vacuum for families!
So there you have it folks, our lineup of best cleaning products for 2022. All that’s left to do is select your music playlist, push up your sleeves and start getting your clean on!
