DETROIT – It’s time to tidy up your home with spring cleaning on a budget, from paper towels to multi-purpose cleaners and tried and true hacks, but with so many cleaners on store shelves, how do you know which ones are worth buying? Consumer Reports put them to the test.
When every penny counts, there’s nothing more annoying than spending money and time on a cleaning product that doesn’t get the job done. That’s why Consumer Reports expert product testers make messes in CR labs and sometimes, in their own homes, to help you find the best products for your money.
Let’s start with a must-have: paper towels. As you probably know, there can be a big difference in brands. CR’s tests show Bounty Select-A-Size Sheets are tops for their impressive scrubbing strength. Bounty might be one of the more expensive brands, but the towels absorb so well that you can wring them out and reuse them. So, you might actually be saving money in the long run.
Multi-purpose cleaners are the way to go if you’re on a tight budget. CR says Mr. Clean’s Clean Freak spray, at $5 a bottle, is a favorite. It effortlessly cleans most surfaces and features a power nozzle that lets you control the amount of spray.
Another winner, Walmart’s Great Value Multi-Purpose Cleaner for $3. It tackles most jobs, but shines brightest when cleaning glass.
Another $3 deal is Sprayway’s Glass Cleaner. It also tackles chrome, tile, and porcelain, in addition to cleaning mirrors and other glass, and dries in a flash.
If you mean business this spring and need a new vacuum, a CR Best Buy is the bagless Shark Navigator NV360, available at Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Home Depot for under $130.
For those tough, greasy kitchen spots, a little baking soda and water can go a long way. Buy a sponge that can handle it. Scrub Daddy Sponge Daddy requires a little elbow grease, but it was great at removing the remnants of grape juice from the bottom of a glass.
Finally, perk up your coffee machine for spring. For most models, you can run a mixture of white vinegar and water through the machine, but check your manual. Run a brew cycle halfway, let it sit for up to an hour, then finish the cycle, and rinse with two to three cycles of fresh water.
Don’t forget to change the air filters. Though you can simply wipe down most prefilters, the main HEPA filter should be replaced about every six to 12 months, or as your manual advises.
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