Top 10 Best Cleaning Products for Your House Share

Let’s face it. Living in a house share as a student or grad often isn’t the tidiest or cleanest of places. Not only that, the cleaning aisle in the supermarket can be a little overwhelming. It feels like there’s a cleaning product for every room and item in the house. But that doesn’t have to be the case. We’ve scoured the web to find you the Top 10 cleaning products – 5 are everyday household items that cost as little as £1. 

#1 Zoflora 

We are totally obsessed with it, and so is Mrs Hinch. This gorgeous smelling pot of antibacterial is a must-have in your cleaning cupboard. It is the perfect multi-use concentrate that has been endorsed (a lot!) by Mrs Hinch. It kills 99.9 percent of germs and did we mention it smells delicious? 

The uses for Zoflora are endless, which is why we love it so much. Stick it in a bucket with some hot water to clean your floors, mix it up in a spray bottle to clean your surfaces or splash some in your washing up bowl to disinfect your dish cloths. 

It’s available in all major supermarkets, Wilkinson and Poundland and can be ordered on Amazon for as little as £1. 

#2 The Pink Stuff 

Another bargain purchase that you can use on multiple areas of the house. Also championed as a top product by Mrs Hinch, The Pink Stuff is ideal for cleaning everything that needs a bit of a scrub. The cream has a mild grit to it that cleans and polishes everything from bathroom tiles, the kitchen hob and old silverware. 

It’s tough on stains, but not on your wallet. Available at Wilkinson, Aldi, Tesco, Sainsburys and DIY stores from £1. And Amazon obviously (what isn’t?). 

#3 Ace For Whites 

If you wear fake tan (or know someone who does), then you’ll know the weekly battle that exists between them and their bedsheets. Well, no more. Ace for Whites is a super-power stain remover that beats Vanish if you ask us, or Mrs Hinch – “It’s very cheap and works every time.”

Ace can be bought online from Wilko.com or Amazon, and in all the supermarkets.

#4 The Minky Cloth 

Although it might be tempting to buy the cheapest cloths from the supermarket, don’t. Poor quality cloths make cleaning more of a chore and end up disintegrating or causing damage. The Mink antibacterial cloth is double sided and perfect for scrubbing tough stains in the kitchen or bathroom. Clean them in a bowl of warm water and Zoflora and they could last you months. 

For three cloths, it’s £6.79 on Amazon, £2.50 each direct from the Minky website. 

#5 The E-Cloth Mop 

Say goodbye to the traditional method of mopping that we all dread and avoid, and say hello to the E-Cloth Mop. The Holy Grail. With this mop you don’t need any hard floor cleaners to dilute, it works with just water. The head is washable so you can just pop it in the washing machine and you’re sorted. 

It’s also really cheap at only £15 from Amazon. 

#6 Magic Eraser 

A common annoyance in rentals and house shares is previous tenants ‘wear and tear’ on the walls and doors. Often, the landlord or letting agent doesn’t paint before you move in. So, instead of chasing your landlord or letting agent, just use a Magic Eraser. 

Bike scruffs, dried on fridge stains, marks on painted walls – the magic eraser pulls all these marks off without damaging the surface. It’s recommended by Good Housekeeping and it’s also recommended by us. Say hello to your fresh new home. 

#7 White Vinegar 

Confused? Don’t be. There are tonnes of household items that are natural disinfectant and cleaners and white vinegar is one of them. Yes, it should be white colourless vinegar, rather than the stuff you drench on your chips. 

For your windows and mirrors, mix up 50:50 vinegar and water and wipe them down with a micro-fibre cloth for a high shine. 

It’s also a natural de-scaler. For a hassle free and cheap way to remove limescale in your kettle, fill the kettle with half distilled white vinegar and half water and leave overnight. In the morning, empty and rinse before boiling the kettle and then rinse once more. If you’re in a house share, remember to let your housemates know you’ve done it by leaving it unplugged and with a note!

#8 Bicarbonate of Soda 

Another cheap and effective cleaning solution. It has a natural abrasive nature and deodorising components . You can use it to deodorise mattresses, carpets, sofas and even pet beds. Just sprinkle it on the surface and leave for up to an hour before hoovering it up. Don’t forget your trainers too. 

You can clean microwaves, utensils or even stainless steel sinks by mixing it up into a little paste with water and scrubbing. You can even scrub up sterling silver tableware or jewellery. 

Got housemates who love to leave smelly food in the fridge? Fill a ramekin with bicarb and leave it to absorb all the smelly odours. 

#9 Fabric Conditioner 

Fabric conditioner, or softener, has more use than just making your clothes smell fresh. One hack is to mix a little fabric conditioner with water in a spray bottle to spritz over your bed sheets, soft furnishings and even in your wardrobe. 

Mrs Hinch uses fabric conditioner mixed with water to keep her doors clean. She also mixes it with washing detergent and some warm water to clean her rugs if they’re too big or heavy to go in the washing machine. Genius. 

#10 Lemon 

You may have been told once to squeeze lemon in your hair for a natural journey to blonder hair. That’s because lemon is a natural bleaching agent. Whilst we really don’t recommend squeezing it over your split ends, we do recommend using it for tough stains in the house. 

Rub half a lemon or a juice soaked cloth over tough stains (even tomato or turmeric based ones) on chopping boards or surfaces. Leave it overnight and then wash as normal in the sink or dishwasher. 

You can pick a lemon up from Aldi for as little as 12p. 

Need help on what to clean in your house share? Read our house share cleaning tips and downloadable rota 

We’ve also detailed our top 10 cleaning tips  for ‘cleanfluencer’ Mrs Hinch.