The Best All-Purpose Cleaners of 2026, Tested and Reviewed

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Versatile and effective, all-purpose cleaners save money by performing multiple cleaning functions. The best ones are environmentally safe and sustainable, removing grime and germs from countertops, walls, windows, floors, bathroom surfaces, and upholstery without posing any health risks.

With so many options available, finding the right product can be tricky. To take the guesswork out of picking the best all-purpose cleaner, we researched 20 popular options and tested the top 10. Our favorite was the Mr. Clean Clean Freak for its ease of use, efficacy on a variety of messes and surfaces, and overall value. In this guide, we look at all the features to consider when choosing one of the best all-purpose cleaners and offer a list of options that quickly dissolve grime and work on myriad surfaces.

1. BEST OVERALL: Mr. Clean Clean Freak Multi-Purpose Cleaner
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2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner
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3. BEST FOOD-SAFE: Puracy Everyday Surface Cleaner Concentrate
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4. BEST DEGREASER: Krud Kutter Original Cleaner & Degreaser
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5. BEST DISINFECTANT WIPES: Seventh Generation Lemongrass Citrus Wipes
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6. BEST DISINFECTING SPRAY: Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach
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7. BEST SCENTED CLEANER: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner
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8. BEST STAIN REMOVER: Puracy Natural Laundry Stain Remover
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9. BEST FOR PET MESSES: Rocco & Roxie Pro Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator
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Before You Buy All-Purpose Cleaner

Soap and water are an effective combination for many everyday messes, but for a deeper or more convenient clean, an all-purpose cleaner is a good choice. When looking for an all-purpose cleaner, shoppers will want to consider a product’s purpose, form, ingredients, and ease of use. Whether the product is environmentally sustainable and safe should also be a chief concern.

Commercial and industrial settings typically need strong disinfectants that contain harsh chemicals proven to kill germs. But households with young children and pets benefit more from all-purpose cleaners made with natural, chemical-free ingredients that don’t pose health risks. Many of these sustainable, all-purpose cleaners display the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice certification on their labels.

Regarding sustainable options, aside from product packaging, we also encourage shoppers to consider the effect an all-purpose cleaner has on the environment after its empty bottle or container, for example, is placed in the trash.

All-Purpose Cleaners Comparison

Our Top Picks

Our top picks have passed rigorous hands-on cleaning tests. These products are among the best all-purpose cleaners available for multiple cleaning tasks around the home.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes 5/5; Bathroom Messes 4.5/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 4.5/5 

This spray from Mr. Clean is a safe and effective multisurface cleaner. Available in a spray bottle that’s equipped with Mr. Clean’s manual Power Nozzle, this product creates an easy-to-disperse large-coverage mist that coats surfaces from any angle. Users can pull the trigger to activate short or medium sprays or pump it for a continuous spritzing.

Mr. Clean Clean Freak is recommended for bathrooms, kitchens, stainless steel appliances, and (thanks to the Power Nozzle) other large hard surfaces. We first used it to cut through grease on kitchen surfaces, and it did a fantastic job. Aside from freshening up the kitchen, it broke down light soap scum in the bathroom, making it easy for us to wipe our showers clean.

This spray is available in a lavender, lemon, or Original Gain scent, though the lavender-scented one is the only option that has EPA Safer Choice certification. Rinsing is required on surfaces that come in direct contact with food. (Wiping clean with a damp/dry cloth or paper towel is appropriate for nonfood contact surfaces.)

This product isn’t available as a concentrate. Refill bottles are available to cut down on waste.

What our tester says: “The Mr. Clean Clean Freak’s powerful cleaning ability and the fresh scent made it the cleaner we reached for repeatedly.”—Katie Barton, Product Reviews tester and writer

Get the Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner (various sizes) at Amazon, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply Co., Ace Hardware, The Home Depot, or Target.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes 5/5; Bathroom Messes 4/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 4.5/5 

The Simple Green all-purpose cleaner is suitable for both hard and soft surfaces, including counters, floors, appliances, carpets, and fabrics. This concentrate, which comes in a spray bottle, can be used at full strength for really tough cleaning jobs or diluted to create a general-purpose or light-duty cleaner. Though it isn’t safe to use on certain materials such as suede, leather, opals, or pearls, it’s suitable for most surfaces.

Beyond just cleaning, this versatile product can also degrease surfaces and remove stains. We used it to tackle dried-on cooking oil on several surfaces, including a wall with semi-gloss paint, a wood table, a glass induction stovetop, and a laminate countertop. It cut through grease quickly, allowing us to wipe it off every surface with a paper towel. This cleaner performed just as well on food splatters, leaving our kitchen counters clean and streak-free.

Simple Green was also able to cut through soap scum. We sprayed it undiluted on a dirty shower surround and let it sit for a minute. When we wiped the shower, all the light soap scum came off with minimal scrubbing. Though powerful, this cleaner is a safe choice for most households: it’s biodegradable, septic-safe, and is EPA Safer Choice certified.

It’s available in sassafras, lemon, and lavender scents that leave a pleasant smell after cleaning.

Get the Simple Green all-purpose cleaner (various sizes) at Amazon or The Home Depot.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Kitchen Messes 4.5/5; Bathroom Messes 3/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 5/5 

Puracy’s plant-based formula is safe for use around kids and pets. It’s biodegradable, vegan, hypoallergenic, nontoxic, and never tested on animals. It’s intended to work on most solid surfaces in a home, including kitchen countertops, appliances, showers, toilets, floors, toys, smartphones, and tablets.

To get a feel for its versatility, we tried this cleaner on numerous surfaces. It cleaned countertops (even greasy ones), kitchen cabinets, and a dirty dining table without issue. We were most impressed, however, by this product’s ability to clean stainless steel and glass. We sprayed it on our stainless steel appliances, wiped it in the direction of the grain, and buffed it with a soft towel. It left our appliances looking pristine, cleaning better than most specialty stainless steel cleaners we’ve tried. It also worked well on glass, including a toothpaste-splattered mirror.

Unfortunately, Puracy Everyday cleaner didn’t fare quite as well in the bathroom. It was suitable for light cleanup but wasn’t able to remove soap scum from our shower. Since it’s not a disinfectant, we didn’t use it on our toilets. Overall, the pleasant scent and versatile cleaning power make Puracy a great eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner. However, you may need something stronger to tackle tough bathroom messes.

Get the Puracy Everyday all-purpose cleaner at Amazon or Puracy.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes 5/5; Bathroom Messes 4/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 3.5/5 

It can be hard to clean grease and oil off surfaces, but Krud Kutter’s all-purpose cleaner does the job without a long list of harsh solvent ingredients. It wiped away dried-on cooking oil from our test surfaces, leaving them clean and streak-free. It’s also suitable for tough soils, including grime, wax, adhesives, and stains.

We used it to clean the kitchen and were impressed with its ability to cut through cooking messes and stuck-on food. It also fared well in the bathroom, leaving our chrome faucets and shower heads sparkling clean. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to tackle the heavy soap scum in our shower, but it did remove light layers.

This product is safe for use indoors and outdoors on most hard surfaces, carpets, fabrics, and even concrete and metal. It can be used at full strength to remove grime, buildup, and grease or diluted to use as an everyday general-purpose cleaner. It’s also suitable as a laundry presoak when diluted at an all-purpose strength. The lightly scented water-based formula is EPA Safer Choice certified, using gentler biodegradable ingredients to get rid of crud.

Get the Krud Kutter all-purpose cleaner (various sizes) at Amazon, Lowe’s, or The Home Depot.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes 4/5; Bathroom Messes 4/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 3.5/5 

These wipes from Seventh Generation are one of the few products on the market that offer natural disinfecting. Instead of a harsh active ingredient such as bleach, its active disinfecting ingredient is thymol, a component of essential oil extracted from thyme. Thymol is one of the only natural disinfectant cleaner ingredients present in EPA-registered disinfectants. This product itself is EPA registered as a disinfectant, which means the EPA validates its disinfectant claims. These wipes kill 99.9 percent of the germs identified on the product label, which include influenza A, H1N1, and salmonella enterica.

We appreciated how convenient it was to reach for one of these wipes when we needed to clean something in a pinch or disinfect germy areas, like the toilet. Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes don’t require rinsing and are safe for food preparation surfaces, which made them handy for wiping down our cutting boards and kitchen counters.

The biggest drawback was the scent. Since the active ingredient comes from thyme, these wipes smell similar to store-bought Italian seasoning, and our home (and hands) carried this smell after use.

Get the Seventh Generation all-purpose cleaner (various sizes) at Amazon or Target.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Kitchen Messes 4.5/5; Bathroom Messes 5/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 5/5 

While we like to use gentle, nontoxic cleaners as much as possible, some jobs call for something stronger, like Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner with bleach. This multisurface spray is safe for numerous hard, nonporous surfaces such as glazed porcelain and ceramic tile, Corian, plastic laminate, fiberglass, and enamel. It disinfects in as little as 30 seconds, killing viruses such as SARS-COV-2, influenza A-2, Escherichia coli, and rhinovirus. It can also remove allergens like pet dander and dust mite particles when sprayed on a hard surface and left to sit for at least 3 minutes.

The Clorox spray came in handy when it was time to clean our bathroom. The other cleaners we tried cleared light soap scum, but none wiped away the heavier spots. To test this product, we sprayed it on our shower and bathtub, and within 30 seconds, the surround was brightening and the soap scum started to fade away. We let the bleach work for a few minutes, scrubbed the stubborn areas, and rinsed to reveal an immaculate tub. We also used the spray to disinfect our toilet, laminate countertops, and sink.

Clorox Clean-Up wasn’t our favorite product for the kitchen, primarily due to the harsh chemical smell. It also required rinsing after use, adding another step to our cleaning routine. It did a good job of breaking down food stains and disinfecting, but it wouldn’t be our top choice as a daily cleaner.

Get the Clorox all-purpose cleaner at The Home Depot or Target.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes 4.5/5; Bathroom Messes 4/5; Dirt 5/5; Value 5/5

This sprayable cleaner from Mrs. Meyer’s blasts household dirt and leaves a home smelling fresh with the scent of the lemon verbena herb. Use this cleaner to remove dirt and grime from a variety of nonporous surfaces, such as porcelain tile, laminate, synthetic stone, and bathroom fixtures. The plant-derived cleaning ingredients make Mrs. Meyer’s cleaner a viable choice for users who are wary of the overdependence of chemical cleaning agents.

Thanks to its great smell and cleaning power, it was one of our favorite products for daily kitchen cleanup. It left our laminate countertops streak-free, wiping away regular dirt, grease, and light food splatters. Since Mrs. Meyer’s is safe for all nonporous surfaces, we added some to our mop bucket and cleaned our hardwood floors with it as well.

Mrs. Meyer’s is made with plant-based ingredients such as essential oils and birch bark extract. It does not contain parabens, artificial colors, glycol solvents, or formaldehyde. This mostly natural cleaner leaves behind no chemicals or residue and is not tested on animals. While it doesn’t disinfect or tackle tough stains quite like chemical cleaners, it’s a top pick for kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms.

Get the Mrs. Meyer’s all-purpose cleaner (various scents) at Amazon, The Home Depot, or Target.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes N/A; Bathroom Messes N/A; Dirt 5/5; Value 5/5 

Most laundry stain removers contain chemical solvents that break down set-in stains. Puracy, on the other hand, utilizes a natural formula with six plant-based enzymes. It works on all water-safe fabrics, removing fresh and years-old stains. The free and clear formula is cruelty-free, American made, and biodegradable.

We performed multiple tests to see how well Puracy could remove various substances. We started with a well-worn white cheerleading uniform littered with makeup, sweat, and red juice. Since the stains were more than 24 hours old, we followed the instructions, spraying each spot and allowing the garment to rest for 8 hours. After 8 hours, we threw the uniform in the washing machine with free and clear detergent and ran an extra rinse cycle. When it came out, there were no longer any sweat stains or odors, the makeup stain was gone, and the red juice spot was lighter.

We then tested this spray on fresh stains, wiping a large amount of pasta sauce and vegetable oil on a cotton and polyester blend t-shirt. After 30 minutes, we sprayed the stains, allowed the shirt to sit for 15 minutes, and then laundered our garment. Puracy completely removed the pasta stain but only lightened the area affected by vegetable oil. Overall, Puracy performed well, but tough stains may need repeat applications.

Get the Puracy stain remover at Amazon, Walmart, or Puracy.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Kitchen Messes N/A; Bathroom Messes N/A; Dirt 5/5; Value 5/5 

Pet owners who reach for multiple cleaners to treat pet stains on carpets, upholstery, and hard floors will appreciate the versatility of Rocco & Roxie stain and odor Eliminator. This powerful cleaner eliminates stains and odors at the source thanks to its bio-enzymatic formula that feeds on organic matter. It’s safe for just about any surface, including laundry, most hard floors, carpets, pet beds, litter boxes, and more.

We tested Rocco & Roxie in a home with three indoor dogs, one of whom is still a puppy and in the midst of potty training. We used this spray on three soft surfaces: a pet bed, a couch, and an area rug. (We also cleaned the ceramic tile under the area rug with this spray.) We followed the directions on the bottle to treat the couch and area rug for deep odors and set-in stains.

First, we applied a generous amount of spray to the urine spots, allowing the cleaner to sit for 1 hour, and then placed a towel and heavy object on the stains to wick away the moisture. We rechecked the treated areas the next day once they were dry, and to our surprise, the stains and odors were completely gone. We treated the pet bed for only 60 minutes, and again, it removed the odors and stains.

Get the Rocco & Roxie stain and odor remover at Amazon or Target.

Or, DIY Your Own All-Purpose Cleaner 

There are plenty of benefits to making a DIY all-purpose cleaner. Compared with store-bought cleaners, DIY cleaners can be cheaper, have a shorter and often safer ingredients list, and are more customizable to household needs. Our recommended DIY homemade all-purpose cleaner recipe uses only three ingredients:

• 2 cups white distilled vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 10 to 12 drops of essential oils (lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus)

Mix the ingredients in a suitable spray bottle. The active ingredient in this cleaner is white distilled vinegar, a food-safe acid that can cut through dirt and grime; remove hard-water deposits, soap scum, and rust stains; and kill some pathogens. Water dilutes the vinegar, making it safer and more pleasant to use. An essential oil of choice makes the all-purpose cleaner smell a little more pleasant. Even though vinegar has a strong odor, the smell dissipates quickly once the vinegar evaporates.

This natural all-purpose cleaner is great for everyday cleaning jobs. It will clean surfaces and also sanitize them to some degree, but it’s best to reach for an EPA-registered sanitizer or disinfectant cleaner to kill germs.

Jump to Our Top Picks

How We Tested the Best All-Purpose Cleaners

Before selecting which all-purpose cleaners to test, we researched more than 20 popular options, looking at ingredients, customer ratings, and prices. We chose 10 cleaners that can meet a variety of needs. Eight of these products work on hard, nonporous surfaces, and two treat stains on laundry and upholstery.

To test cleaners intended to wipe away dirt and grime from hard surfaces, we used each product in our home for 2 weeks. We also performed tough-mess tests by smearing pasta sauce and oil on our countertops, stovetop, dining table, and wall. We let the substances dry and then used each cleaner to see which could best cut through grease and grime. We also evaluated versatility by using each cleaner on bathroom soap scum.

We applied our stain remover spray on a dirty white sports uniform with makeup stains and a shirt splattered with tomato sauce and oil. Finally, we tested our upholstery cleaner on a rug and sofa in a pet-filled household to assess its ability to remove lingering odors and stains.

Our Testing Scores

What to Consider When Choosing an All-Purpose Cleaner

The best all-purpose cleaners simplify cleaning routines, delivering effective, multisurface cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing power. To find the best one, shoppers will want to start by reading the product labels to make sure their final choice is safe and sustainable. They’ll also want to think about where the all-purpose cleaner will be used, as there are some things you can’t clean with an all-purpose cleaner.

Purpose

All-purpose cleaners sanitize and disinfect multiple areas and items in a home, from floors and countertops to stainless steel, glass, and trash bins. How harsh the ingredients are typically depends on what the product is meant to clean. Disinfecting outdoor trash cans, for example, requires stronger ingredients than a kitchen’s food-contact surfaces.

Some all-purpose cleaners are designed for quick stain removal. Others target larger areas that call for a concentrated liquid cleaner to help mop up dirt or grime. No all-purpose cleaner is optimal for every cleaning task, though, as ingredients, forms, and applications vary.

Ingredients

All-purpose cleaners typically contain natural or chemical ingredients that aim to loosen dirt, remove stains, dissolve grease and oil, and kill bacteria.

Chemical-based products typically have acids and other ingredients (such as chlorine bleach) that may be effective but are also extremely toxic if ingested. All-natural cleaning products—commonly labeled “green” or “eco-friendly”—are generally safer but can be just as harmful if they’re misused.

Most states don’t have laws requiring manufacturers to reveal all ingredients on their products’ labels. Shoppers will want to research products ahead of buying, looking for EPA certification, for example, rather than blindly trust any brand.

Form

All-purpose cleaners are commonly sold as:

• prediluted liquids packaged in spray bottles
• concentrated liquids that must be diluted for use
• powders, gels, wipes, and aerosol sprays

Sprays are convenient and effective for daily use. A user simply sprays it on and wipes it off. Disposable wipes treated with antibacterial cleaner also offer a quick, convenient way to zero in on smaller surface areas that need disinfecting.

Concentrated all-purpose cleaners usually require diluting, scrubbing, and rinsing for optimal results, removing stains, dirt, grease, and grime. These all-purpose cleaners work most effectively with a little elbow grease.

Application

Multiple and varied uses are what make all-purpose cleaners champions on cleaning day. They remove dirt, grease, and grime in kitchens, bathrooms, playrooms, and other household rooms. Although most all-purpose cleaners are multisurface disinfectants, they usually work best on laminate, tile, glass, and plastic.

Spraying a disinfecting cleaner directly on an area, such as a kitchen or bathroom countertop, is the most effective way to disinfect surfaces. Using wipes on the specific area that needs cleaning works, too.

All-purpose cleaners containing bleach work well to kill mold and mildew and remove the stains they cause. Cleaners with disinfecting properties may be especially useful in showers and bathrooms. For the toughest cleaning jobs, a strong, concentrated, all-purpose cleaner might be the best choice.

Ease of Use

Because users can apply all-purpose cleaners to multiple surfaces and messes, they are easy to use, eliminating the necessity of carrying numerous cleaners around the house. All-purpose cleaners deliver tip-top cleaning results with minimal effort. Concentrated cleaners require dilution in a bucket of water and application with a mop, sponge, or cloth but generally cost less than more convenient options. Wipes and sprays offer the greatest ease of use.

Disposable wipes are handy in the kitchen, bathroom, car, and around the house to accomplish quick and easy cleaning tasks. As a bonus, some wipes offer antibacterial properties for extra peace of mind.

Additionally, prediluted all-purpose cleaners in spray bottles are easy to use. Diluting and rinsing are unnecessary with most spray cleaners. A user simply sprays the product and wipes it off with a lint-free cloth or paper towel.

FAQs 

This guide addresses many of the issues and concerns most shoppers have when they’re looking for the best all-purpose cleaners to use at home. Safety and sustainability are key, and many often wonder how to use these products properly. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding all-purpose cleaners.

Q. What is the difference between an all-purpose cleaner and a multipurpose cleaner?

All-purpose cleaners can be used on a wide variety of surfaces, such as glass, stainless steel, and floors, for example. Multipurpose cleaners only work on specific surfaces listed on the package. There are also specialized cleaners available, such as the best glass cleaners.

Q. How do you use an all-purpose cleaner?

For concentrated all-purpose cleaners, follow manufacturers’ directions for diluting and rinsing. For spray varieties, spritz and wipe with a lint-free cloth or paper towel.

Q. How do you clean carpet and upholstery using an all-purpose cleaner?

Start by removing any loose dirt from the carpet or upholstery fabric. Then follow the directions on the all-purpose cleaner’s product label.

Q. What is the best natural all-purpose cleaner?

Simple Green all-purpose cleaner and Seventh Generation wipes are among the best options. These products provide safe and effective cleaning without harsh chemicals.

Meet the Tester

Katie Barton has over 10 years of experience in product writing, has tested dozens of cleaning products, and has authored hundreds of articles for major media outlets. Her cleaning and organizing advice has been featured on GOBankingRates, Realtor.com, Yahoo!, Cabin Life, and more. She takes an unbiased approach to product testing, using each product multiple times or for several days/weeks to determine efficacy. Her goal is to help readers decide which products are worth their hard-earned money and which fall flat.

Additional research provided by Carol Benton and Jasmine Harding.

The post The Best All-Purpose Cleaners of 2026, Tested and Reviewed appeared first on Bob Vila.

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