Let’s face it; bathrooms can be the most tricky and most dirty room to clean, but they don’t have to be with the right products. For example, there are several tried and tested cleaning products that are loved by commercial cleaning companies all over the world. In case you were not already aware phs Direct are the UK leader of commercial cleaning supplies and you can find plenty of commercial-grade cleaning products by taking a look at some of the resources on their website.
Ultimately, there is no denying that the cleaning products and tools you use can make a huge difference. For instance, floors are easily cleaned with a steam cleaner for tile floors and bleach is loved for the bathroom. However, the real question is… Pure Baking Soda? Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser? 20 Mule Team Borax? Or some other green cleaning product? Which products are best?
Sarah van Schagen of Grist.org decided to help us out and put eight green bathroom-cleaning products to the test. I picked a random three to share. Check out the full article to see all eight.
16 oz. powder, $1.15
Eco-claims: Safe, effective cleaning and deodorizing
Ingredients: Sodium bicarbonate (an antacid)
Cleaning instructions: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge or cloth for cleaning of all countertops, appliances, metal cabinets, and tile. For the latter, you may wish to contact a Charlottesville tile cleaner to make sure this is the most suitable form of cleaning tiles.
Smell: No scent. At all.
Elbow grease required: elbow injury imminent
Resulting sparkle: a glint
Buy one little box of this stuff and you’re set for litterbox odor control, tooth whitening, laundry, household cleaning, minor skin irritations, fridge freshening, and upset stomachs — not to mention baking, of course! It was a little messy sprinkling the powder onto the damp sponge, and I had to reapply it a number of times, but the baking soda’s grit did get some of the grime out. This one required a lot of elbow grease though — for not as much return as some of the other products.
14 oz. powder, $1.29
Eco-claims: No chlorine, perfume, or dye; contains no phosphorus; biodegradable
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate
Cleaning instructions: Wet surface. Sprinkle on Bon Ami. Rub with wet sponge or cloth.
Smell: Slight flour-y scent, though hardly noticeable
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: ooh! shiny
The holes at the top of this cylindrical container are grouped in the center, which made for messy pouring onto the sponge — meaning I had to clean twice (once on the tile, and once on the floor where I spilled). The upside, though, is that this stuff has barely a scent and barely an ingredient — so by default, there’s no ooky stuff inside. It required some elbow grease, but did a pretty good job cleaning off the muck.
4 lbs. 12 oz. powder, $4.49
Eco-claims: Does not contain phosphates or chlorine; safe for septic tanks
Ingredients: sodium tetraborate decahydrate (a chemical compound and mineral)
Cleaning instructions: Sprinkle on damp sponge or cloth and wipe.
Smell: Almost none — a very slight soapy scent
Elbow grease required: a little scrub’ll do ya
Resulting sparkle: blinding bling
Sign me up to be on Team Borax … aside from the messiness of it being a powder and the big, heavy box, this product was amazing! I tested it because you readers recommended it, and I have to say — y’all know what you’re talking about. Using Borax, I was able to get the shower twice as clean in half the time — almost no effort for a sparkling clean. I’m a convert! Next up: washing those soiled t-shirts in this stuff.