It\'s all about having the right kit
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Group of cleaning products as tested by GHI
To find it, our expert team tested a total of 84 products and gadgets. The GHI has never looked so sparkling!
Sink and worktop wonder
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
What\'s your favourite sink and worktop cleaner?
Winner of the reader-nominated Household Hero category in the Good Housekeeping Good Buy Awards 2007, Cif Cream Lemon, £1.29, effectively tackled dried-on pasta sauce, oil, tea, coffee, curry and red wine, as well as burnt-on bacon fat, gravy and milk.
86/100
Great on grill pans
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Antony Worrall Thompson\'s Fresh and Green Kitchen and Hob Degreaser bottle
Antony Worrall Thompson\'s Fresh and Green Kitchen and Hob Degreaser, £1.99 (01244 280751; www.freshandgreenuk.com), does a great job on worktops and sinks, removing burnt-on grime from hobs, oven doors and even devilish grill pans.
83/100
Excellent all-rounder
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Flash All Purpose bottle
The challenge for a do-it-all product is tough, but Flash All Purpose, £1.49, produced impressive results overall, especially on kitchen surfaces, sinks and appliances. It\'s also effective on tiles, but for a particularly nasty task you\'ll need Cif instead.
82/100
All-round hand protector
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Pair of pink Champion Water Stop rubber gloves
Latex gloves with flock cotton linings may seem much of a muchness, but the best ones protect hands from heat as well as water. The Champion Water Stop Gloves, £1.99 a pair (015394 88100; www.lakeland.co.uk), have cuffs to stop water getting inside.
84/100
Scum-busting spray
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Marks & Spencer bathroom cleanser spray bottle
Bathroom cleaners need to tackle soap scum, dried-on toothpaste, ceramic, and acrylic and enamel baths, as well as water-marked shower screens and limescale around taps. Try M&S 100% Natural bathroom cleanser, £1.99, and Flash Bathroom, £1.49.
88/100
Fast de-blocker
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Buster kitchen drain clear bottle
Fastest to clear a U-bend blocked with solid lard and tea leaves was Buster Kitchen Drain Clear, £3.29 (0870 603 0420; www.plugholesneedlovetoo.com). As a preventive measure, pour a cup of soda crystals down the drain once a month and flush with hot water.
95/100
Oil and mud-buster
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Cif floor cleaner bottle
Cif Floor Cleaner, £1.69, is the solution when a damp microfibre mop won\'t hack it - such as on oil and mud. It also copes with dried-on blackcurrant juice, tea, jam and curry sauce. Cleaning is excellent and all but smear-free.
92/100
Chemical-free shine
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Packet of e-cloths
Copes easily with smeary mirrors and muddy, greasy windows, indoors and out... all without nasty chemicals. The E-cloth cleaning system, £8.99 for a two-cloth kitchen/bathroom pack (01892 893131; www.e-cloth.com), gives excellent, streak-free results.
88/100
No water, no chemicals
GHI tried & tested,consumer advice,homecare tips,Good Housekeeping
Smart string mop
Even without chemicals or water, microfibre mops do a good job on wood laminate and a fair one on tiles. But even the best - the Smart String Mop, £9.99 (015394 88100; www.lakeland.co.uk) - struggles to clean up mud and oil, so you\'d need Cif for these.
86/100