Which Cleaning Materials work well?, An objective opinion Options

[bianca]

Hi....
When we got here, I spent money on cleaning products that worked OK, Great, and Not at all.
After some experimentation, I settled down to "my products" on the grocery list, with still the occasional experimentation list each month.
My biggest factor was cost, secondly whether it actually works!
But of course - after spending money that I literally had to pour down the drain I once again came to the realisation that a couple of cents more is worth it if the product is substantially better.

Anyway - I'm rambling. The other day I looked on the Consumer Reports website - and here's what they've had to say on some common cleaning materials. Apparently the best working cleaners contain enzymes (sounds familiar from SA?) but its NOT listed on the ingredients list in layman's terms, so I'll trust their lab results! The products are not reflective of their(CR's) ranking order - this is merely a listing of what I wrote down on my "to buy" list for the next grocery shop. Hopefully I can save somebody else some money!!!!

Dishwasher:
Cascade 2 in 1 action packs OR Electrasol Dual Action Tabs OR Costco's Kirkland powder # 49453

Dishwashing liquid
Ivory Ultra, 2nd best Palmolive Original. (i was still buying Sunlight - good girl!!!! )

Laundry
Tide Cold water, Tide with bleach, Tide HE (depending on your machine, I have to buy an HE product)
2nd but cheap = Costco's Kirkland Ultra HE.

and totally unrelated but interesting (to me personally anyway!)
Tissues
Puff with lotion
Kleenex 3ply with lotion = 2nd

Good general cleaning product that works (burnt on pans, etc)
Dawn Power Dissolver

Hope that helps somebody!!!

[kcmorgan]

Thank -you for your insight. I've been in Canada since 2001 and I'm still looking for good cleaning products. I must agree with most of your choices, I've been a bit dissapointed with the Dawn product range, but I'll give it another try, especially for the burnt pots/pans.

[shaun]

An even cheaper method for cleaning those burnt pots (especially after the melktert bake) is to use a table spoon or two of bicarb or baking soda brought to the boil in a little bit of water.
I think bicarb is the active ingredient for Power Disolve at a fraction of the price.

Oh and Lysol rules!!
Most of the Kirkland ( Costco ) products are good. Especially the bulk food produce and cleaning products.
Watch out for the Canadian Jik (Jabex) this stuff will burn a hole through plate steel if you leave it long enough.
Swiffer still has a nice cleaning fluid, but their pads have changed and don't soak up the fluid anymore, but rather smear it around.

[Merv]

If you want to clean pots, tea-pots, coffee pots etc to like new again. Put a couple of teaspoons of dishwasher detergent in the pot, fill with boiling water and leave for about an hour, then rinse out. You will be amazed at the difference. This also works with burnt on food etc. (Just don't breathe in the fumes )

A really good "home made" cleaning product for windows; mix some vinegar with water, put it in a spray bottle and spray onto windows. Clean off with some crumpled up newspaper (or roller towel), cleans windows better than any of the store bought stuff, with no harmful chemicals (is vinegar a harmful chemical ? ) If you do use newspaper, be careful not to let the ink smear onto vinyl window frames, it does tend to stain.

[dieulefit]

Merv, thanks for that tip about cleaning windows - I have 15 French doors with glass panels opening to the outside and a huge job to keep clean! My new house on the farm has enormous mirrors in all the bathrooms and above one of the fireplaces as well as build-in-shelves - all glass and mirror!! I have to stand on a ladder to clean them - I do not seem to get them clean enough - does anybody have a way of keeping mirrors clean? I feel like ripping the mirrors off the walls in the bathrooms and replace them with smaller ones, they are driving me nuts and I am a bit of a Martha - I do like things to be tidy!! Who of you are using microfibre cloths and are they working? Thanks!

[Merv]

Gee and here I thought a boerenooi would know about that
Didn't recognise the name at first till I had a look at your profile, why the name change? Or have I got the wrong Engela?

[dieulefit]

Hi Merv! Same old, same old....... me!! No, it was a time for change and so I took on the name of our farm, although we are still working on the design and perhaps the soil will be frozen and we will have to wait for Spring before it comes up! Dieulefit is the place where my husband's family comes from in France.... it is SO beautiful and so is this place, French home et al!! Boerenooi of te not, I do NOT have the magic for mirrors, friend, but I DO know how to 'bak beskuit'!

[Ria]

Ek gebruik "rubbing alcohol" wat ek met water verdun in 'n spreibottel vir die spieëls of enige glasoppervlak. Gedurende die afgelope winter het ons 'n "learning centre" geopen en toe ek die vensters buite wou was het die water natuurlik dadelik gevries - ons bly in Fort McMurray! Nooit daaraan gedink nie. My man sien toe net daarna iemand besig met een van die ander besighede se vensters en gaan vra toe maar (nie dat hy van plan was om dit skoon te maak nie!) en hulle gebruik skoon asyn wat mens maar met papierhanddoek afvee. Dit werk baie goed.
Hoop dit help.

[dieulefit]

Aaah, maar natuurlik! Baie dankie - dit gaan beslis help en ek het al vergeet daarvan! Ek het my vorige huis se vensters laat skoonmaak, maar 'n vriendin het ook 'n huis met sulke baie vensters soos wat ek nou het PLUS ek het al hierdie geweldige groot spieels - sy het my vertel wat dit haar gekos het om haar vensters te laat skoonmaak en vir daardie wa-vrag vol geld doen ek dit liewers self! Sjoe, dis sommer gawe raad en ek gaan dit nog hierdie naweek toepas! Ek moet net eending se, ek was wraggies nie vensters in die winter nie....... sowaar - ek het dit een jaar gedoen en die hele buurt het vir my gelag! Nou wag ek soos almal vir Spring Cleaning.

[Smith007]

Translate
"suur assyn" and skoon asyn
please

This post has been edited by Smith007: Feb 14 2006, 11:19 AM

[bjw]

Ammonia is great for those tough cleaning jobs on pots on pans. Pour ammonia into the dish, seal the dish in a bag overnight and the following morning they will wipe off easily.

[Monique]

"Scunci steam cleaner" is ook 'n handige dingetjie om speelgoed skoon te maak sonder chemicals, dit haal kryt & verf van die muur & vloer ook af.

[debbieD]

I also use the Costco products, but generally for the dishwasher, I use Cascade. For washing pots, we bought a battery operated scrubber (I think they are available at Home Depot), and it cleans really well, without having to resort to chemicals (although, the batteries aren't environmentally friendly, but we use rechargeable ones). We also have a mini steam cleaner - works great. I still stick to the Sunlight dish cleaning liquid.

I remember how strange everything looked when I first went shopping in Canada. I have found that the cleaning products here tend to work better than the SA ones - for instance, stain remover. I was able to use it on a stain I tried to get rid of in SA, and it worked.

[Cathy K]

Translate
"suur asyn" and skoon asyn
please

"Skoon asyn" and "suur asyn" is the same thing: ordinary vinegar that we buy at the shops. "Skoon asyn" means undiluted vinegar.

Cathy K

[kcmorgan]

I was wondering whether anyone has any good tips regarding soap build-up and which products will work best to easily remove it?...(besides elbow grease-as well)