Best Concentrated Cleaners

If the mark of a great concentrated cleaner is one you don’t want to stop using, Zep Pro-Tabs All-Purpose Cleaner exceeded expectations. Long after my evaluation was complete, I continued pulling it out to tackle my greasy stovetop, sticky counters, and bathroom surfaces. 

Ease of use: Zep comes in tablet form, with four tablets in total. You’ll need a separate set of reusable bottles to dilute the cleaner. Fill a bottle with 32 ounces of warm water, add one tablet, attach the trigger, wait five minutes, and shake the bottle. It would be helpful to have labels on hand that you can attach to your bottle so that your cleaner is easily identifiable. 

Multitasking: According to Zep, it can clean countertops, tile, porcelain, fiberglass, and painted surfaces. Don’t use it on natural stone surfaces, carpet, or automotive paint.

Effectiveness: This is an all-around great cleaner for kitchen and bathroom surfaces, the stovetop, my microwave exterior, and everything else I got carried away cleaning that was outside of our evaluation parameters. I wouldn’t rely on Zep for mirrors—it removed red lipstick from mine but left it slightly streaky. Very few of the cleaners on this list were great at mirrors and stainless steel, but Zep was better than most on my stainless steel dishwasher, leaving a subtle streak that I was able to remove with a dry microfiber cloth. Choose another product for floors—Zep’s spray bottle format won’t cut it.

Scent: The “clean breeze” scent is subtle—fresh, pleasant, but unintrusive. 

Affordability: You can make 128 ounces of cleaner (four cleaning bottles) for about $10.

You know those Saturday mornings when you wake up and realize everything in your house has to be cleaned—from floor to ceiling? Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Multi-Surface Concentrate is the spring cleaning dynamo that can create enough cleaning fluid for nearly every surface (though the manufacturer notes it’s suitable for stainless steel, I’d recommend investing in a separate cleaner for that job). 

Ease of use: This is not the multipurpose concentrated cleaner you’re going to rely on for quick, everyday tasks like cleaning kitchen counters—its dilution process requires too much water for that to be realistic. You’ll need a bucket that’s large enough to hold one gallon of warm water and add ¼ cup of the concentrated cleaner. For tough stains, use the cleaner straight (but never on unsealed hardwood floors and unsealed natural stone) and allow it to sit for a few minutes, then wipe up. 

Multitasking: You can use it throughout your home on sealed surfaces like floors, counters, cupboards, and walls. But keep in mind that unless you transfer the large gallon of cleaner into smaller bottles right away, you’re not likely to keep running back and forth to one bucket with a sponge so that you can clean multiple surfaces. This is why we recommend it mostly for floors. 

Effectiveness: This was an effortless floor cleaner and I loved how my kitchen smelled after using it. It got my kitchen counters and bathroom sink gleaming and was one of the best for mirrors, removing lipstick stains with three wipes and not leaving a single streak behind. I like it less on stainless steel, where it did leave streaks. 

Scent: This cleaner has a mild, fresh, and clean scent—a blend of oils, including lemon peel. (The manufacturer notes the product does include allergens). 

Affordability: You can make 16 gallons of cleaner (concentrated cleaner plus water) for around $10.

Blueland is a cleaning subscription service that sends you everything you need in one small package and simplifies the dilution process so that it’s effortless. I received two plastic-free cleaning tablets, one reusable, plastic “forever” bottle pre-labeled “Blueland Multi-Surface,” and one extra spray nozzle. Multi-surface cleaning tablet refills are available for $4.50 for two tablets. 

Ease of use: Blueland is like the concierge cleaning service I never knew I needed. Its forever bottle features a marker to show you how much warm water to add (24 ounces). Drop one of the tablets into the bottle, let it dissolve, and apply the nozzle. Easy as pie.

Multitasking: Similar to Zep, this isn’t the cleaner you’ll use to do your floors because it is diluted in a spray bottle and not in a bucket (though I effectively spot-treated my sealed floor and it worked well). It’s safe on counters, sealed wood, and sealed stone. 

Effectiveness: Blueland worked beautifully on my counters, and bathroom sink, and for spot-cleaning my floor. It took about 12 wipes to remove a red lipstick stain and left the glass streaky, so I would recommend using a separate cleaner for glass. Ditto for stainless steel: The soapy residue it left behind on my dishwasher required re-cleaning with our winner, Zep. This is a great cleaner and the one on our list that’s most conscious of plastic waste, but respecting its limitations is important. 

Scent: A pleasant, mild fresh lemon scent that was more subdued and natural smelling than Mrs. Meyer’s cleaner. 

Affordability: 48 ounces (2 bottles) of cleaner cost around $12.80, but remember: First-time subscribers also get a refillable bottle and extra nozzle.

Growing up, my Italian-born father would urge me to use white vinegar to clean everything. He’d be happy to know Aunt Fannie’s shares his philosophy with its vinegar and essential oils-based cleaner that, despite its name, cleans far more than just floors. Note that you should not use vinegar to clean some areas of your home.

Ease of use: You’ll need a large bucket. Add ½ cup of the concentrated cleaner to 2 gallons of water and you’re off to the races. Similar to Mrs. Meyers, this isn’t a cleaner that you’re likely to use for a lot of surfaces unless you commit to transferring it from a large bucket to separate spray bottles before you start cleaning. Otherwise, it isn’t the easiest to use for a wide range of areas. 

Multitasking: In addition to cleaning floors, you can use this on tile, linoleum, sealed stone, concrete, bathrooms, and more.

Effectiveness: This one excelled at cleaning my linoleum floor and did a decent job on my sinks and counters, though I recommend having a dry microfiber cloth on hand to polish surfaces (the cleaner is a bit lighter in consistency and can feel watery). It’s okay on stainless steel, but not great (a few streaks were left behind). It was very bad at cleaning my mirror—it took 15 or so wipes to remove red lipstick and then left it streaky. The running theme with most of these cleaners, though, is to get a separate glass cleaner, so we’re not holding that against Aunt Fannie’s. The company also sells a separate glass and window cleaner and stainless steel cleaner, neither of which we evaluated. 

Scent: A clean, subtle blend of white vinegar and mint. Very refreshing. 

Affordability: You can make 16 gallons of cleaner for around $14, which means this pick is $0.13 more expensive per fluid ounce than Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Multi-Surface Concentrate (which is the same size). However, Aunt Fannie’s is A-rated by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and boasts more eco-friendly ingredients and features.

Fabuloso is a classic cleaner with a distinctive purple shade and lavender scent that’s a mainstay in many Latino homes. We were mixed about its effectiveness, but can’t deny its affordability and multi-tasking prowess.

Ease of use: You can either dilute ⅛ cup of cleaner in 1 gallon of water or pour some concentrated cleaner on a sponge to clean surfaces. I recommend the former, as the latter method left a soapy residue on some of my surfaces. According to Fabuloso, unless you see visible residue, no rinsing is required. Like Mrs. Meyers and Aunt Fannie’s, Fabuloso is not the easiest product to dilute because it requires more water than the others and will need to be transferred to separate spray bottles if you plan on using it to clean a variety of surfaces. 

Multitasking: From sinks, toilets, and tubs to sealed wood surfaces, appliances, mirrors, and even furniture, there are few, if any, home surfaces that Fabuloso doesn’t say it can’t tackle, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe on all surfaces. CR explored some of the ways you should never use Fabuloso.

Effectiveness: Fabuloso was one of the best floor cleaners I used—dirt immediately lifted up. It also removed all of the residue and dirt from my counters and bathroom surfaces, but it took extra elbow grease to get rid of red lipstick from my mirror and it was one of the worst performers on stainless steel, leaving it completely streaky and in need of a re-cleaning. As I previously mentioned, we’re not holding that against any of these cleaners since a separate stainless steel cleaning product seems like the best idea.

Scent: Fabuloso’s lavender scent is not subtle, so if you decide it’s for you make sure you are looking for a cleaning product with a powerful scent that lingers for hours (maybe days). 

Affordability: You can make 56 gallons of cleaner for less than $5, which means each cleaning session costs less than one penny. This is the most budget-friendly cleaner on our list. 

* CR reached out to Fabuloso to ask if the cleaner offers eco-friendly features, but did not hear back by publication date.

Ease of use: I regret only ordering the concentrate and not the starter kit, because I missed having Branch Basic’s signature spray bottles, which would have made the dilution process much easier, so don’t make the same mistake I did: Order the starter kit. I set off winging it with my own spray bottles and, since the actual concentrated cleaner bottle provided little dilution guidance, found solace in the Branch Basics’ instructions page with bottle dilution ratios and helpful illustrations. Once you have all the materials and instructions needed, it’s easy to create a few different bottles for all-purpose cleaning, bathrooms, and even laundry, but the process was more complicated than other products we rated higher.

Multitasking: The company claims it can be used as an all-purpose cleaner, in bathrooms, on glass, in laundry, and even on produce. 

Effectiveness: It wowed me when it came to cleaning my stainless steel dishwasher—there was not a streak to be found. It did well on every other surface, as well, particularly counters and sinks. The first time I used it, it left a little streakiness on my mirror. I created a second bottle with a little less cleanser in the water (per the instructions for glass cleaner), and it left fewer streaks (though it still wasn’t streak-free). According to the company, the only surface you shouldn’t clean is a hardwood floor with a natural oil or wax finish. It also warns that you should test a small hidden area of fabric, carpet, upholstery, and wood surfaces before cleaning with the concentrate.

Scent: This cleanser is fragrance-free—truly—with not a hint of scent. It’s absolutely worth considering if you can’t tolerate fragrance. 

Affordability: According to the manufacturer, one 33.8 fluid ounce bottle can be used to make: three all-purpose bottles, three bathroom bottles, three streak-free bottles, three foaming bottles, and one laundry bottle—a total of 13 bottles for about $55. Note that our reporter checked the number of ounces/bottle ratio and found it wasn’t enough to make 13 bottles. This is the second most expensive cleaner we evaluated (after Method, below), but it’s also the second pick on our list to have received an A-rating from the EWG. 

*Made Safe is an independent organization that certifies safer and more sustainable products and is a partner of Consumer Reports.

Ease of use: The dilution process was simple and I appreciated how one dilution measurement works for several surfaces. I added ⅛ cup of cleaner to 1 gallon of water. You can also use this cleaner full strength to clean soap scum and greasy soil, according to the manufacturer, but you should rinse the surface thoroughly with water.

Multitasking: You can use this to clean floors, appliance exteriors, washable walls, countertops, toilet bowl exteriors, bathtubs, showers, and door knobs. Only use this on hard, non-porous surfaces.

Effectiveness: This was a winner on my floors and effectively removed dirt without leaving residue behind. It handled countertops and sinks with no sweat and removed oily residue from my stainless steel dishwasher without streaking. I cared for it less when cleaning my mirror—it left it streaky. 

Scent: This cleaner lost a few “points” for me because it has an old-fashioned citrus scent that smells slightly medicinal and reminds me of a hospital. 

Affordability: One 28-fluid-ounce bottle can be used to make 28 gallons of cleaner for around $4.

Ease of use: The dilution directions were not included with the cleaner, so I had to dig a bit on Method’s website to find them here. Open one of the four miniature bottles in the pack, pour it into a spray bottle, add 14 ounces of water, and replace the nozzle. Method also sells reusable aluminum spray bottles. The cleaner comes with four labels that you can stick on your spray bottles. 

Multitasking: This can clean non-porous counters, tile, stone, wood, and glass. 

Effectiveness: It took a bit of elbow grease to remove toothpaste from my sink and lipstick from my mirror (and it also left my mirror streaky, despite claiming it works on glass). It was good on my counters and better than most others on stainless steel, but left a little yellow streakiness when I spot-cleaned my floor that I needed to polish away with a little water and another microfiber cloth. 

Scent: A light, sweet, citrus scent. 

Affordability: Each of the four 1-fluid-ounce concentrated cleaners can be used to make one 14-ounce spray bottle, for a total of four bottles for about $18. At $4.50 per fluid ounce, this was the most expensive cleaner we evaluated.

Like Lysol and Mrs. Meyers, there are few surfaces that Mr. Clean can’t tackle. It cleaned all surfaces in my home well (except for the mirror and stainless steel), and after Fabuloso, it is the second most affordable cleaner on this list, capable of making 41 gallons of cleaner for about $6. But I couldn’t get past its scent, which smelled old-fashioned and medicinal. There are far too many more modern cleaners on the market that boast eco-friendly features, ingredients, and equal or better cleaning powers. By comparison, Mr. Clean feels like a relic from the past that hasn’t kept up.

I’m a big fan of Simple Green and chose its all-purpose cleaner as our runner-up best multipurpose cleaner. This cleaner is great, but it didn’t make our top picks because it is designed for industrial use and isn’t the best choice for simple home cleaning. Unless you have heavy-duty dirt and degreasing tasks in your home or business, I recommend skipping this concentrated cleaner and opting for their Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. This one requires mixing 30 parts of water with one part cleaner for simple light cleaning—you can imagine how annoying it is to add 30 cups of water to a bucket just to clean your bathroom and kitchen. It has a natural woodsy scent (“sassafras”) and cleaned every surface in my home except for glass and stainless steel extremely well. But unless you plan to use it on tough-to-clean areas like garages and heavily soiled floors, conserve space in your cabinet and use their all-purpose cleaner (which is fantastic and easy to dilute) instead.