Experts at Australian consumer organisation CHOICE have examined five top cleaning products and uncovered those which live up to the hype.
The watchdog tested two top name appliances and three cleaning solutions including a budget-friendly bi-carbonate soda and white vinegar mix.
The results reveal a Dyson stick vacuum cleaner is worth the investment while others didn’t perform as well as expected.
1. A Dyson vacuum cleaner
CHOICE said it considered Dyson’s stick vacuum cleaners (pictured left and right) worth the investment, noting former and current models performed well in tests
Over the past few years, Dyson vacuum cleaners have earned a name as a top performing product.
Sales figures back this up too, with data showing the brand consistently sell the most amount of vacuum cleaners in Australia.
CHOICE experts said they’d tested Dyson’s barrel and upright vacuums and found these appliances often received good scores overall for performance.
However, it said the appliances weren’t recommended as they often scored low in carpet cleaning tests when compared to other brands.
The consumer organisation’s recent report said it rated Dyson’s stick vacuum cleaners and considered these worth the investment. It added current and former models had both performed well in a number of tests.
2. iRobot Roomba
CHOICE tested a number of Roomba models and found while these performed well on hard floors, they didn’t clean carpet as well
The iRobot Roomba comes with mixed reviews from CHOICE who said it wasn’t convinced the $1,499 appliance lives up to the hype.
The organisation tested a number of Roomba models (637, 980, 690, 890, 670 and E5) and found while these performed well on hard floors, they didn’t clean carpet as well.
The report said performance problems weren’t limited to the Roomba as the majority of robot vacuums its tested performed just as poorly or even worse.
CHOICE noted there had been improvements made to these appliances, saying it had recently a tested model which earned a score of 71 per cent for its ability to lift dirt.
3. Bicarbonate soda and white vinegar
If you’re a cleaning fanatic, no doubt you’ve tried a natural solution of bicarbonate soda (pictured left) and white vinegar (pictured right)
If you’re a cleaning fanatic, no doubt you’ve tried a natural solution of bicarbonate soda and white vinegar.
While both are inexpensive, bicarb soda costs $2.60 and white vinegar is priced from $3.35, they’re not as effective as the hype might have you believe.
CHOICE revealed it recently put a mix of the two to the test to create a solution to clean the bathroom – a formulation that earned a 48 per cent score overall.
A similar solution was used to clean windows and was awarded a performance score of 64 per cent.
‘Overall, we don’t find bicarb and vinegar are equal to most cleaners on the market. It’s fine if you want to use it, just be prepared to use a lot of elbow grease.’
CHOICE said a mixture of vinegar, dishwashing liquid and water earned an overall score of 80 per cent for its ability to clean carpet.
4. Koh cleaning solution
Koh was developed by chemists at the University of New South Wales and is made using a combination of pure water and potassium mineral salts
Koh Universal Surface Cleaner, priced at $29, is a multi-purpose cleaning product which has been formulated without toxic or harsh chemicals.
The Australian product, developed by chemists at the University of New South Wales, is made using a combination of pure water and potassium mineral salts.
While CHOICE hadn’t tested Koh’s solution, it said it canvased its social media pages to ask how well the surface cleaner performed.
‘I tried Koh for the first time last week. I used it to clean my (embarrassingly filthy) oven, and it’s come up better than ever before,’ said a commenter on Facebook.
5. Enjo
Enjo claims its micorfibre products and solutions are ‘more effective than ‘chemical-based toxic cleaners’ and water’
Enjo claims its micorfibre products and solutions are ‘more effective than ‘chemical-based toxic cleaners’ and water.
CHOICE said it last trialled the Enjo Bathroom Glove alongside a number of other leading brands in 2005.
‘We found that microfibre mitts and cold water did seem to remove dirt (and therefore bacteria) as effectively as chemical cleaners.’
By way of offering an up-to-date recommendation, CHOICE again turned to its community to ask how its members rated the products.
‘We’ve been using Enjo mops for years on our floors and they’re fantastic. They’re initially expensive to buy but never seem to wear out. I don’t know how the company survives!’ One person wrote.
Those who left feedback about the brand said while they found performance lived up to the hype, they were unhappy with the price.
‘I have some Enjo products, which are good – but I also have some torn up old pyjamas which often seem to work just as well as a $55 cloth ‘glove’ from Enjo.
‘A little water and elbow grease work on most things.’