The UK's Best Cleaning Products - And Where to Buy Them
By Fiona Goble
If like me you tend to shop for your cleaning products in one of the main UK supermarkets, have you ever wondered which ones offer the best value? Of course it depends on exactly what you need. It also depends if you want to go for well-known brands or if you're happy using the store's own-brand products. In this article I compare a basic shopping trolley load of branded cleaning products in the big four supermarkets: Asda, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose. Then I find out what I can save if I opt for store-branded goods and discuss whether it's worth it.
What's in my trolley?
My trolley-load of popular cleaning and laundry products is based on products that come out well in consumer reports and tests whenever possible. In one or two cases, the supermarkets didn't stock all the products so I chose the most similar item I could.
These were the items on my basic list:
o Fairy Liquid Original washing-up liquid (650 ml)
o Ajax scouring powder (500g)
o Cif cream cleaner (500 ml)
o Domestos bleach (750 ml)
o Harpic toilet cleaner (750 ml)
o Comfort concentrated fabric conditioner (750 ml)
o Persil biological washing powder (950 g)
o Persil non-biological washing powder (950 g)
o Finish Powerball Max-in-1 dishwasher tablets (14 tablets)
o Scotch-Brite heavy duty scouring pad
o Vileda dish cloth (pack of 2)
o Windolene window cleaning spray
o Pledge Classic beeswax polish (250 ml)
o Dettol anti-bacterial spray 750 ml)
o Parazone flushable wipes (pack of 40)
What did it cost?
These 15 products would cost me exactly the same - £27.87 - whether I shopped at Sainsbury or Tesco. In Asda they would be £28.51 and in Waitrose £29.79 - so not a whole lot of difference (July 2009).
Should I buy own brands?
If I switched to supermarket own-brands (though not the budget ranges) I could make a saving of over £12 in both Sainsbury and Tesco, over £7 in Asda and nearly £6 in Waitrose. And I could save even more if I switched to the budget ranges. But is it worth it? Will they work just as well?
Needless to say, that depends. But here are my feelings.
The big brands of washing powder like Persil (in my trolley) and Ariel consistently come out as the leaders of the gang in consumer tests - and I wouldn't change them. My son plays a lot of sports (the sort where he seems to spend a lot of time throwing himself down on muddy surfaces) and my other half is a gardener - so my laundry system faces quite a lot of challenges.
The same is true for Fairy Liquid Original. Most washing up liquids do the job but Fairy Liquid works better which means that you use less so it ends up being better value than some of the cheaper brands - even if you have to shell out a few more pennies to buy it in the first place.
But sometimes I think cheaper alternatives are worth it.
Tesco Value dishwasher tablets (this supermarket's most basic range) come out really well in consumer tests and cost less than 6p per tablet - compared to 15p per tablet for its standard store-branded dishwasher tablets. Asda 5-in-1 Multisurface cleaner is another store-branded cleaning product that does pretty well in tests.
And for products such as bleach, toilet cleaners and fabric conditioners - I tend to go for something cheap, so long as the smell is all right. If you think the containers look a little naff in your bathroom or kitchen, you can always put them into something more attractive or just don't put them on display.
What about discount stores and supermarkets?
Cleaning products from Lidl, Aldi and Netto usually come out well in consumer reports and tests. They're very keenly priced and are well worth trying if you have one of these stores near you. I haven't included them in my list because not everyone is within striking distance of one of these stores.
Discount shops like Poundland and Wilkinsons also often have some great offers on cleaning products. My advice is that if you're passing, pop in and see what's on offer. If there are items you use at a good price, buy some. Do the same if there are items you'd like to try. But don't be seduced by price alone. A cupboard full of cleaning products you don't really need isn't much of a bargain.
Fiona Katherine Goble
Website: [http://www.getacleanhome.com]
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