Cleaning products that are a waste of money: according to experts | Homes & Gardens

Save your money and your home with these 13 cleaning swaps

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With such a myriad of cleaning products available, from sprays to sanitizers to gadgets and gloves, it can be extremely difficult to navigate the landscape and know what's actually worth spending money on.

While a line-up of products is needed to clean a house and keep it that way, many are unnecessary, redundant, and often simply don't even work,

So, I spoke to professional cleaners for their cleaning tips on where you shouldn't waste your money, and what's worth the spend instead.

Building your arsenal of ultimate cleaning supplies usually takes a bit of trial and error, but the professionals can make it a bit easier both on your home and your wallet. Here's what they typically avoid, and recommend you do, too.

We're all guilty of being tempted to purchase cleaning gadgets that promise to make our lives easier, but when it comes to essential cleaning tools everyone needs, these are usually best avoided.

Carolina Kazimierski, co-owner and president of Sophia's Cleaning Service says, 'I see a lot of different cleaning gadgets that are highly specialized to certain areas of your home, and I just haven't found them to be very necessary in the scheme of things.' While there are kitchen gadgets that pay for themselves, a lot of the gadgets you see online will end up sitting unused, taking up space and adding to your kitchen decluttering checklist.

Forrest Webber, founder of Bear Brothers Cleaning adds, 'Spoiler alert: they rarely work well, and will live rent-free in your junk drawer for eternity.'

Instead, Webber recommends making use of what you already have at home, such as an old toothbrush sitting at the back of your bathroom cabinet. 'That's your new all-purpose scrubber,' he says. 'It gets into grout, tight spots, and corners like a pro. It's cheap, effective, and unlike some gadgets, it won't break if you drop it.'

It might sound useful (and somewhat satisfying), but cleaning slime to remove dust from your home office desk and keyboard will simply become one of the items cluttering your desk leaving you needing to know how to declutter a home office, and it may hinder your productivity, too.

Jade Piper, operations manager for BetterCleans says, 'These gooey products usually advertised to clean keyboards, are fun to squish around and seem cool in theory, but instead of picking up dirt, half the time they just leave a sticky residue behind that you then have to clean up. I'll stick to the basics instead, the mighty Q-tip or the OXO Good Grips Electronics Cleaning Brush available at Amazon.'

Should you buy a robot vacuum? While they do a great job of cleaning in general, Karina Toner, operations manager at Spekless, doesn't recommend using them in homes with heavy messes.

She says, 'While robot vacuums are useful in light mess situations, they can struggle in homes with heavy pet hair, crumbs, or uneven floors. Instead, buy a quality cordless stick vacuum or an upright model with strong suction and attachments, which are much more effective for homes with higher traffic.'

If you're unsure how to go about choosing a new vacuum cleaner, our round-up of the best vacuums is a great place to start, and we recommend the Dyson Gen5detect Cordless Vacuum Cleaner available at Amazon as our top pick.

Disposable cleaning clothes and wipes may seem convenient, but they're incredibly unsustainable, particularly if you want to know how to clean your home without harming the planet.

Instead, cleaning expert Forrest Webber recommends, 'Obtain[ing] a microfiber cloth for yourself. They are reusable and don't wind up in the trash after only one swipe. If you wash them, they are good as new. And, what a concept, you don't have to keep purchasing them!'

Therefore, this is one of the best sustainable household swaps you can make, and it's easy to learn how to wash a microfiber cloth to keep them soft and absorbent.

Cleaning expert Karina Toner also explains how the same applies for cleaning wipes, as 'they're expensive and generate a lot of waste, especially if used frequently,' so she also recommends using microfiber clothes, along with an all-purpose spray cleaner, or homemade cleaning spray.

Best seller

These microfiber cleaning cloths are both absorbent and lint-free, with reinforced edges to protect against unraveling, meaning they can be washed and reused time and time again.

All prices correct at the time of publication.

Supposedly useful to sanitize, and to clean a house fast, cleaning expert Jade Piper advises against using UV light cleaning wands.

She explains, 'They sound fancy and high-tech, but I simply don't believe they can clean by simply hovering over surfaces,' she says. 'If they do work, they are slow as you need to hover several times just to kill the germs.'

Instead, Piper recommends using Lysol Disinfectant Spray available at Amazon, which kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses easily and effectively. 'It's faster and reliable,' she adds.

Cleaning expert Forrest Webber shares, 'I've seen those tiny robots that appear to be on a daring mission to take over and clean your windows. However, they are slow, unable to maneuver around obstacles, and spend more time getting lost than cleaning.'

Alternatively, Webber recommends sticking to a squeegee, such as the HIWARE All-Purpose Squeegee available at Amazon, along with a glass cleaner. We recommend the Windex Glass and Window Cleaner Spray Bottle available at Amazon, or try making the best homemade window cleaner, which is both eco-friendly and affordable.

While sometimes a specific cleaning product might be necessary, most of the time, an all-purpose cleaner is able to get the job done anywhere around the house.

'In general, I wish people would stop wasting money on these complex, hyper-specific cleaning products for everyday cleaning when you can use simple, all-purpose alternatives,' says professional cleaner Alessandro Gazzo of Emily's Maids. 'I have very few specialized cleaners that I would recommend (mostly for natural stones or hardwood floors), and, instead, look for multi-purpose cleaners, especially cleaning concentrates because you can choose how diluted you want them to be.'

This means you can use the same product in a 1:10 ratio for floors, and a 1:2 ratio for toilets, for example, which is a great way to change up your cleaning routine for the better.

Amazon's choice

This multi-surface cleaner concentrate can be used to clean floors, tiles and countertops, with a garden-inspired, honeysuckle scent. It's also cruelty-free, and Leaping Bunny certified.

If you're wondering how to remove pet hair from fabric, cleaning expert Jade Piper advises against using pet hair gloves.

She shares, 'Sure, they might grab a little hair, but nowhere near as much as you'd hope,' she says. 'If you're serious about getting rid of that fur, you're better of with a vacuum attachment or a classic lint roller,' such as the PetLovers Extra Sticky Lint Roller available at Amazon. 'They're way more effective, and you won't end up with hair sticking to the gloves or to you,' she adds.

You can also opt to invest in one of the best vacuums for pet hair, and learn how to vacuum pet hair the right way. We recommend the Dyson V15 Detect Plus Cordless Vacuum available at Amazon as our top pick for pesky pet hair.

When knowing how to clean a home with cats, it can be difficult to reduce odors from litter trays, which need regular cleaning and changing. However, cleaning expert Jade Piper warns against so-called self-cleaning litter trays.

Piper says, 'They sound like a dream come true. I have a cat and I also wanted one before but after reading reviews, these tend to jam up, miss spots, or just don’t clean thoroughly, which means you’ll end up having to deal with the mess anyway.

'Over time, you also have to clean the walls of the machine. My tip is to keep the money and just buy the litter scoop. Clean up on the daily and spray with Arm & Hammer Litter Deodorizer to freshen, available at Amazon.'

We recommend the Vibrant Life Basic Litter Scoop available at Walmart, which is basic yet affordable and efficient.

Taylor Riley, founder of Impact Cleaning Professionals and Boom Facility Service Advisors begins, 'When my wife and I bought a floor steamer, we expected it to keep our floors sanitized and offer a superior clean. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Instead of delivering the deep clean we hoped for, it ended up stored in our closet, collecting dust.'

In particular, while steam can loosen dirt effectively, the mop head may become dirty very quickly, and therefore won't effectively remove everything, while leftover moisture from steam cleaning can damage grout over time and even encourage mold growth if not dried out afterwards.

'Steamers might not fully extract dirt from grout, meaning some of the grime can settle back in,' adds Riley. 'In hindsight, it was a poor investment.'

Instead, Riley switched to the Tineco Floor ONE S5 Smart Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner and Mop for Hard Floors available at Amazon, which vacuums and mops in one go, eliminating the need for pre-sweeping or vacuuming.

'The Tineco works much like professional floor scrubbers by applying a cleaning solution, scrubbing the surface, and then extracting the dirty water,' explains Riley. 'It leaves our floors far cleaner than any traditional mop and bucket or steamer ever could.'

There are things you can effectively clean with a steamer, such as cleaning a mattress and using a steam cleaner to get rid of fleas. They are also practical for all-around sanitizing without chemicals. It's just about knowing where, and where not, to use one.

While air fresheners are one of the hidden tricks people with nice-smelling homes use, it's important not to use them to mask odors – in kitchens and bathrooms in particular.

'For the record, I'm not saying this doesn't work,' says cleaning expert Jade Piper. 'For me, it's just a band-aid solution if you don't trace where the odd smell comes from, so deal with that first.'

Once cleaned, you can use the baking soda hack for closets, and sprinkle baking soda, such as the ARM & HAMMER Pure Baking Soda available at Walmart to absorb odors naturally, and crack a window for some fresh air.

'If you want your space to smell nice, try using essential oils in a diffuser instead,' adds Piper. Our guide to the best essential oil diffusers conveniently rounds up our top picks.

There are many things you can clean with vinegar around the home, but, according to cleaning expert Webber, scented cleaning vinegar is unnecessary.

He says, 'It's cleaning vinegar, but make it "luxury". They slap a scent on it, mark up the price, and suddenly, you're paying triple for lavender-scented vinegar. I promise you, regular vinegar gets the job done just as well, without the fancy label.'

Therefore, Webber recommends simply using plain white vinegar, such as the bestselling Great Value Distilled White Vinegar available at Walmart, which is diluted to a 5% acidity for efficient cleaning. You can add essential oils if you want to scent it, or simply squeeze lemon into your vinegar, too, to clean with lemon juice and leave a fresh scent.

Simply mix your vinegar and lemon juice in a spray bottle, such as the Equate 8 oz Plastic Spraybottle available at Walmart. 'You get the same effect for way less money,' says Webber. 'It's DIY, but in the best, most budget-friendly way.'

We're all always looking for expert tips for washing dishes, to get the job done faster, but dish scrubbers with soap dispensers is one of the things cleaning expert Jade Piper wishes you wouldn't waste your money on.

She says, 'The soap usually leaks out all over the place so you end up wasting it, or the scrubber head falls apart faster. I still like mixing my solutions in a spray bottle and using a regular sponge to scrub,' such as the Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge available at Walmart, or Scotch-Brite Gentle Clean Delicate Scrub Sponges available at Amazon for a gentler clean.

'This way, I have control of what I need and there's no constant hassle of refilling a gadget that doesn't really deliver,' adds Piper.

Once you know which products not to waste your money on, and what's worth buying instead, it's important to know how to organize cleaning supplies.

Start by decluttering your products, use a caddy, repurpose spaces for added storage solutions, and add a cleaning schedule.

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Ottilie is new to Homes & Gardens, having recently finished a Master's in Magazine Journalism at City, University of London. She produces content for the Solved section on the website, focusing on clever tips and tricks to keep your home beautiful, organized and clean. She also has an undergraduate degree in English Literature and History of Art from the University of Edinburgh, where she developed a love for inspiring interiors and architecture.

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