Walking down the aisle of office cleaning supplies at your local store can be a bit overwhelming. There is a new product out almost every week, and they all claim to be the best. Most people have experienced buyers remorse after getting the product back to the office, using it on that stubborn coffee stain, only to find that after you wipe the cleaner away, the stain remains. So which products work? Well, that really depends on what you are planning on using it for.
Disinfectant sprays:
Disinfectant sprays are exactly what they say. They are used to kill germs. A disinfectant will prove to be useless in getting rid of a stain. If someone in the office or home are sick, however, this is what you want. This also goes for disinfectant wipes.
Green Works cleaners:
These smell great and work well on most surfaces if you are just trying to do a general cleaning. You can clean a bathroom mirror, a toilet, and the inside of your sink all at once. However, once again, you wouldn’t want to attempt to remove stains with the green works cleaners. In my experience, they didn’t hold up to hard to remove stains.
Vinegar, water, and alcohol solution:
This is a great and inexpensive disinfectant cleaner. You can even make this yourself. As far as cost, this is the most friendly cleaner on your pocket book. However, once again, it is simply a cleanser. It will not remove stains.
Cleansers that contain an abrasive:
These will work for removing stains rather well, however, they can scratch many surfaces. These are best saved for toilet bowls and bathtubs.
Cleansers with bleach:
These have been the best in my experience in removing stains from your counter tops. Whether you are trying to remove coffee or grape juice bleach works the best. You can do this in either a cleanser that contains bleach, or you can use a solution you mix yourself. If you mix it yourself, it tends to go much further. You only need about 1/4 cup bleach to 2 cups water. The drawback to using a bleach cleanser is that it is rather harsh on your hands and can leave bleach stains on your clothing. Even the store bought cleansers with bleach are harmful to your clothing. To remedy this issue, use either disposable or reusable cleaning gloves and either wear clothing that you aren’t afraid of ruining or wear protective clothing such as a rubber apron.
As always, please keep all floor cleaning supplies stored properly and use according to the directions.
