All-purpose cleaners

Find Ratings

What's behind our all-purpose cleaners Ratings?

Experts at our National Testing and Research Center tested 19 models in all-purpose cleaners to see which ones perform best.

We look for:

Overall score
This is based mainly on cutting performance, handling, and ease of use. The displayed score is out of a total of 100 points.
Soap scum
This Score indicates how much soap scum the product removed in testing.
Did not streak
This is the score for the products streaking on a mirrored surface. A high score indicates that the product did not streak in testing.
Soils removal
This Score indicates how well the product removed the four soils in our testing. The four soils were Mustard, Ketchup, Concentrated Grape Juice and Crisco shortening.

Connect

Forums

Discuss products and safety with subscribers and fans.

Follow Consumer Reports

Recommended all-purpose cleaners

Recommended all-purpose cleaners are standout choices with high scores. They include CR Best Buys, which offer exceptional value. When narrowing your choices, weigh features, price, and attributes that matter to you.

Recommended all-purpose cleaners

All-purpose cleaners buying guide

To find the all-purpose cleaners that is right for you, read our expert advice on which features to consider and how to find the best value.

Get started

All-purpose cleaners Ratings

Find out which All-purpose cleaners scored the best on our tests. Our tests are based not only on government and industry standards but also on standards our specialists think should apply, which re-create the experience you will have with the product.

Latest all-purpose cleaners ratings

With elbow grease and repeated application, most all-purpose cleaners will eventually remove soils. For bathrooms (especially toilets), use a product that contains bleach and is meant for bathroom surfaces.

Ratings & recommended all-purpose cleaners

All-purpose cleaners (19)

Can one product really clean all the hard surfaces in your home without streaking or damaging them? We tested liquid and spray cleaners, including some that make green claims, on a variety of soils and soap scum to see which ones could remove the most with the least effort.

All-purpose cleaners buying guide

Can one household cleaner vanquish tough kitchen stains such as grease and grape juice, soap scum and other bathroom scourges, and stubborn mineral deposits left by hard water? To find out, we applied those and other common stains to tiles, sprayed or wiped on several all-purpose cleaners, and inserted the tiles into our scrubbing apparatus, which gave each tile the same number of swipes with a paper towel. We also conducted a staining test, in which we let the all-purpose cleaners sit overnight on common kitchen and bathroom surfaces, as they might after an unnoticed spill.