Each month we’re making #JustOneSwap to a more eco-friendly cleaning product, and testing to find the best planet-friendly option.
This month we’re looking for the best kitchen cleaner. Does swapping to a greener product mean more time spent scrubbing?
Our kitchen cleaner test
We’re putting our kitchen cleaner candidates through their paces, to see how they perform after a big cooking session. Can they tackle oil, grease and baked-on food on the hob and kitchen worktops?
We’re scoring our kitchen cleaners, against 4 factors:
- How effectively it cleans
- Does it smell nice?
- How planet-friendly is the packaging?
- How fast does it work?
The supermarket favourite: Flash Kitchen Spray
Loads of us will have this in our kitchen cleaning cupboard, and it certainly does the job. This spray is great on greasy kitchen surfaces, and it works fast.
I found the smell a little over-powering and chemical. Flash also dropped marks for its single use plastic bottle.
Cost per 100ml: £0.31
Overall score: 14/20
Widely available eco-brand: Method Kitchen Spray
Method kitchen spray is easy to find in most supermarkets as well as online. The clementine fragrance is lovely, although it is artificial.
This kitchen cleaner scored well for effectiveness and speed, and picked up extra points for a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic. Some Method products are refillable, although their kitchen cleaner is not part of the refill range. (Note to Method – why not?)
Cost per 100ml: £0.42
Overall score: 16/20
The Royal choice: Delphis Eco kitchen cleaner & degreaser
This is one of my favourite de-greasers. It performs great after a big cook-up, works quickly and leaves behind a great shine on my surfaces.
This one is fragrance-free which means no un-necessary artificial chemicals. I sometimes add a couple of drops of essential oil to give my kitchen a pleasant smell.
Delphis score top marks on packaging. Their bottles are made with 100% recycled plastic and they are moving towards recycled spray triggers too. More importantly, the bottle is refillable with their concentrated refill, available online. No wonder Delphis carries the Royal Warrant for providing kitchen cleaning products to the King’s household.
Cost per 100ml: £0.64. Refill cost per 100ml: £0.24
Overall score: 18/20
The letterbox option: Splosh kitchen cleaner
Splosh make it easy to buy eco-friendly cleaning products, with online ordering, super-concentrated refill pouches and letterbox-friendly packaging. The kitchen cleaner works fast on greasy surfaces like the hob, worktop or cooker hood after a big cooking session. However, it takes a few minutes to get to work on more baked-on residues, and needs a bit of elbow grease to help it along. The clementine and lemon smell is pleasant and not over-powering.
Splosh score well on their packaging. The bottle and spray is strong and designed to be refilled many times from the super-concentrated refill pouches. Even the pouches can be returned to Splosh to be recycled. While the initial purchase price is at the higher end, the refills are good value for money.
Cost per 100ml: £0.69 Refill cost per 100ml: £0.26
Overall score: 17/20
The One-Bottle option: Natrie All Purpose Spray
Natrie keeps it simple, with one bottle to clean every surface in your home. It’s free from 26 known allergens, and hormone safe, so it’s perfect for households with allergies.
Natrie offer a fragrance-free option, but I loved their bergamot and lime scented spray to clean my kitchen. It worked great on greasy surfaces, and after a little soaking, it was effective on stubborn stains too.
Natrie scores top marks for packaging. In your starter pack, you can choose between a glass or a recycled plastic bottle. The product itself is super-concentrated, and makes 4 full bottles of cleaning spray when mixed with water.
Cost per 100ml: £0.41
Overall score: 17/20
The homemade option: Nancie Birtwhistle’s All Purpose Spray
This simple spray takes minutes to make and works a treat on kitchen grease. The main ingredient is white vinegar, with surgical spirit added to help it evaporate quickly, and essential oils for fragrance. I found this kitchen cleaner left a lovely shine on my hob and kitchen cupboards. Stubborn stains needed a few minutes to soak.
I used a glass bottle to store my homemade spray solution, which I’ll be able to reuse again and again. So with no plastic at all, this spray scored top marks for packaging. Find the recipe in Nancy Birtwhistle’s book, Clean and Green.
Cost per 100ml: £0.41 (without surgical spirit and essential oils, to cost would be £0.22)
Overall score: 19/20
Final Thoughts
Choosing a more planet-friendly kitchen cleaner doesn’t mean more scrubbing, or a bigger bill at the checkout. Whether you’re up for making your own kitchen cleaner, or prefer the convenience of a refill, I hope my test will spur you on to make Just One Swap this month.
