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18 Cleaning Products Professional House Cleaners Always Buy

We asked the experts which cleaning must-haves they swear by to make every room in your home sparkle.

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.

via amazon.com (3)

Cleaning your house can be overwhelming—especially if your closet is overrun with cleaning products and equipment you don’t actually use. It gets even worse if, amid the stuff you do have, you don’t have the things you truly need. The problem is that it’s hard to figure out exactly what that is. Not only do you want to find products that cut down your cleaning time as much as possible, but you want the best sanitizers and disinfectants to kill the bacteria and germs lurking in your home.

To cut through the confusion, we talked to the people who know a thing or two about how to clean safely, thoroughly, and efficiently: professional house cleaners. We interviewed nine experts to put together this list of cleaning products they always use for their customers and themselves, and they’re about to become your new favorites. Before you start stocking up, however, we recommend investing a little time paring down your current stock of cleaning supplies. Also, keep in mind that you should never mix these cleaning products together.

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via amazon.com

A lightweight vacuum cleaner

Kenmore Canister Vacuum

Experts recommend vacuuming your floors at least once per week—twice if you have kids or pets or live in a dusty region (including most cities). As cleaning experts ourselves, we know the right vacuum cleaner should be light, easily maneuverable and contain a HEPA filter. So it’s no surprise that Vanessa Leroy, crew leader for the Brighton Housekeeping Associates of Michigan, recommends the Kenmore Canister Vacuum, which checks all three of those boxes.

“It’s more powerful than a standard upright vacuum and perfect for picking up all types of nasty debris to leave your carpets and hard floors clean once again,” she says. “It [also] comes with several attachments to assist in hard-to-clean places like corners, stairs, and couches.” Plus, that HEPA system is triple-filtering, making it super effective, especially if you have pets or worry about allergens in your home.

Why pros love it:

  • Light and maneuverable
  • Retractable cord
  • Top-rated HEPA filter

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Amazon Basics Microfiber Cloths via amazon.com

The top reusable cloths

Amazon Basics Microfiber Cloths

There’s a lot of things you shouldn’t be cleaning with paper towels, which are wasteful and also can damage certain items. Microfiber cloths, like this set from Amazon, can be reused, are gentle and deliver even better cleaning results.

“They are usually knitted and very soft, making them generally safe for use on relatively soft surfaces such as paint or wood,” explains Jennifer Gregory, general brand manager at Molly Maid. That being said, you’ll want to watch that your cloth doesn’t latch onto a small piece of grit, because that could leave a scratch on whatever you’re dusting. Another bonus: Since microfiber cloths are made with polyester instead of cotton, they don’t leave lint behind.

Why pros love it:

  • Helps avoid scratches on hard surfaces
  • Reusable and cost-effective
  • Leaves a truly clean finish

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O-Cedar EasyWring Spin Mop & Bucket via amazon.com

A mop that makes things easy

O-Cedar EasyWring Spin Mop & Bucket

According to the experts, you should be mopping your floors at least once a week, but hardwood floors should be cleaned twice per week—not just to keep them clean but also to prevent grit from causing scratches. But what kind of mop should you be using? While Swiffer mops are convenient, they’re not right for all surfaces. This all-purpose mop from O-Cedar, which comes with a built-in bucket and wringer, is a better option. “It’s made with microfibers, so I can use it on hardwood floors,” points out Vanessa Grimes, the owner of MaidGift in Greensboro, North Carolina. “It does not hold a lot of water, and it’s easy on my back.”

Why pros love it:

  • It’s a two-in-one product
  • Microfiber works well on hardwood floors
  • The mop head doesn’t hold a lot of water, so it doesn’t get too heavy

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Fabuloso All-Purpose Cleaner via amazon.com

A versatile floor cleaner

Fabuloso All-Purpose Cleaner

Generally speaking, you’ll want to choose a floor cleaner specifically designed for the floor you’ll be using it on. However, according to a spokesperson for MaidPro, Fabuloso is safe and effective for virtually all floors. And yes, that includes wood floors, provided the wood is fully sealed, which is the case for most wood floors inside a home. We love the way it smells and the fact that doesn’t leave a streaky residue. Plus, it’s rated “climate friendly” by Amazon! On the other hand, never use these 13 cleaning products on your hardwood floors.

Why pros love it:

  • Powerful cleaning performance
  • Safe for most surfaces
  • You don’t need a rinsing step when cleaning floors

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Method Glass + Surface Cleaner via target.com

The best streak-free glass cleaner

Method Glass + Surface Cleaner

We swear by Method Natural Glass Cleaner, and so does Merin Jay of Top Window Cleaners in the U.K. Not only does it eliminate grime and the dreaded streaks—it’s also eco-friendly. “This cleaning product is made of almost 100 percent green ingredients, which makes it safe for pets, children, and basically the whole family,” she sats. “Also, the bottle is made of biodegradable plastic, which makes it an environmentally friendly way to clean the windows and save nature.” And while it’s perfect for glass, this ammonia-free cleaner also does a great job on a variety of household surfaces, including tile and granite. Here are more green cleaning products professional house cleaners trust most.

Why pros love it:

  • Almost 100 percent green
  • Non-toxic
  • Biodegradable bottle

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via amazon.com

A long-handled duster

OXO Good Grips Microfiber Duster

Microfiber cloths may be great for dusting, but when it comes to reaching things like crown moldings, high shelves, the tops of door frames and cabinets, and the upper parts of window treatments, we like using a long-handled tool to hget the job done. This microfiber duster from OXO extends to 53 inches, and the part that actually does the cleaning is made from microfiber, which, as we’ve already noted, is the gold standard for cleaning surfaces. Use a spritz of water on the microfiber surface, which is all you really need for most dusting jobs, according to Molly Maid.

Why pros love it:

  • Long enough but not too long to be awkward
  • Microfiber dusting head

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Clorox toilet bowl cleaner via target.com

The toughest toilet cleaner

Clorox with Bleach

How much do you despise cleaning your toilets? If you’re like most people, you probably don’t mind it nearly as much as hand-washing dishes, but it’s still not among your favorite household chores. To make it easier, start with the right toilet bowl cleaner. While vinegar is perfectly fine for cleaning toilets, according to Molly Maid, you may prefer using a commercial product that contains not only detergent but also bleach as a disinfectant. You can’t go wrong with Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner, says Melissa Homer, Chief Cleaning Officer of MaidPro in Boston. It’s an effective cleaner, the bleach gives it disinfecting power, and it’s a thick formula that clings to the bowl so that you can step away and let it do the work for you.

Why pros love it:

  • Cleans and disinfects
  • Pleasant scent
  • The formula does most of the work

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via amazon.com

The right toilet brush

Simplehuman Toilet Brush

Think that all toilet brushes are basically the same? Think again. The right one can make cleaning the toilet easier, safer and more effective, according to Abe Navas, general manager of Emily’s Maids, a house cleaning service in Dallas. When choosing between brushes, look for two primary things: a scrubbing head that can get into all the nooks and crannies of your toilet, and a longer handle (at least 10 inches) with a good grip. This Simplehuman toilet brush is long enough to keep the germs far away from your face and features a crescent-shaped brush head that easily reaches hard-to-clean areas around the rim. In addition to soft inner bristles, it has stiff outer bristles for scrubbing tough stains. Finally, it comes with its own caddy, so you can bring it from bathroom to bathroom, thus eliminating the need to have one in each bathroom. While we’re on the subject, here’s how you can clean your entire bathroom in five minutes or less.

Why pros love it:

  • Long handle
  • Soft, flexible scrubbing head
  • Comes with its own caddy

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CLR Pro Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover via amazon.com

A hard water stain solution

CLR Pro Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover

When we’ve got hard water stains to tackle, we like turning to acid-based cleaners like CLR Pro, which helps dissolve mineral deposits caused by water coming into contact with bathroom surfaces. CLR stands for calcium, lime, and rust, which are the three big stain-causers in most bathrooms, particularly those with hard water. CLR Pro is a favorite of professionals, and it’s safe for use not only in your toilet bowl but also on countertops, bathtub surfaces, shower tile, sinks, and stainless steel. If you’re concerned about the chemicals, you can rest easy in the knowledge that CLR Pro is certified as safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Why pros love it:

  • Safe, effective stain removal
  • Acid-based for removal of mineral deposits

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Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bleach Cleaner via target.com

A shower cleaner that does the work for you

Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bleach Cleaner

For professional-quality shower cleaning, we like using a thick, bleach-enhanced, bubbling solution like Scrubbing Bubbles Foam Bleach Cleaner. It’s what the cleaners at Molly Maid recommend as their go-to shower-cleaning solution, too! Just spray it on and it will cling to tile and grout, cutting through mildew, soap scum, and grime while you attend to other tasks. All you need to do to finish the job is to wipe it away with a microfiber cloth.

Why pros love it:

  • Lets you move onto other tasks while it does the work for you
  • Cuts through mildew

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Easy-Off via amazon.com

The best oven cleaner

Easy-Off

When it comes to really getting your oven clean, Easy-Off is the way to go. We belive it is truly one of the best products for cleaning the inside of your oven, and professional cleaners like Navas agree that it’s the gold standard. “It comes out of the can foamy, and you can spread it everywhere—it’s intuitive and easy to use,” he explains. “But the best part is that it has sodium hydroxide, a chemical that melts grease.”

Why pros love it:

  • Powerful
  • Cuts easily through even long-term grime
  • There’s no faster oven-cleaning solution

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Better Life Kitchen and Bath Scrubber via amazon.com

The safest stovetop degreaser

Better Life Kitchen and Bath Scrubber

Cleaning your stovetop regularly can help extend the life of both the outer surface and the burners, according to Paul Berry, owner of Mr. Appliance of San Antonio. However, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re not accidentally doing harm to your stovetop with cleaners that are overly abrasive or that can clog the burners. Clogged burners can shorten the life of your stovetop, and it also makes it harder for your pots and pans to heat evenly. Berry recommends Better Life brand’s Kitchen and Bath Scrubber, which he says is gentle to your stovetop but still powerful enough to cut through grease. As an added bonus, it’s cruelty-free.

Why pros love it:

  • Won’t clog your burners
  • Not overly abrasive so you won’t scratch delicate surfaces
  • Cruelty-free

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Mr. Clean Magic Eraser via amazon.com

The go-to wall cleaner

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

You’re probably familiar with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser—it’s practically synonymous with removing crayon marks off walls. But this truly magical product offers so much more: “Magic Erasers are lifesavers,” says Rochelle Stalter, branch manager at Michigan’s East Lansing Housekeeping Associates. “Yes, they can be used to clean marks off walls or baseboards, but they also easily remove residue from sinks, counters, doors, and floors, and can even be used to clean grout or dirt in pitted tile floors.” (Speaking of cleaning grout, check out Zep Grout Cleaner; it’s a total game-changer!)

Why pros love it:

  • It works like magic (seriously)
  • No harsh chemicals

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20 Mule Team Borax via target.com

The original all-purpose cleaner

20 Mule Team Borax

Borax is an alkaline mineral that was discovered in large quantities in Death Valley, California, in the 1870s, and because it has the power to clean as well as sanitize, it became an important part of household cleaning by the 1890s. It has since been overshadowed by “higher tech” cleaning solutions such as oxygen-based cleaners, but Borax is the true original, and it can effectively tackle myriad household chores. Some of its many superpowers, according to Navas? Boosting your laundry detergent, cleaning sinks and toilets, and safely banishing stains from fabrics.

As an added bonus, borax is effective for eliminating mold. In fact, it’s the only cleanser that Rochester, New York’s Comprehensive Mold Management recommends for eliminating mold, which can grow anywhere water touches surfaces—you know, like everywhere in your bathroom!

Why pros love it:

  • Inexpensive
  • Versatile
  • Powerful

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Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt via amazon.com

An all-natural scrubber

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

Salt is incredibly versatile. Aside from seasoning your food, we can think of at least 60 additional uses for salt, including cleaning your cutting board, opening clogged drains, cleaning grease stains from rugs, and removing coffee and wine stains from fabrics. You can even use it in your washing machine for fresher laundry.

The pros at Merry Maids also suggest using coarse salt, like Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, to clean heavily soiled cast iron, rusted cast iron and dirty coffee pots. For the best results, buy kosher salt; its coarse texture makes it better for scrubbing and cleaning.

Why pros love it:

  • Non-toxic
  • Versatile
  • Inexpensive
  • Compact, easy to store

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Arm & Hammer Baking Soda via amazon.com

An inexpensive deodorizer

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer with a mild abrasiveness, making it a fantastic option not only for absorbing odors but also for scrubbing surfaces that don’t mind a minor abrasive, according to Brian Sansoni of the American Cleaning Institute. We love using it for cleaning sinks, flushing out drains, eliminating carpet odors, and boosting the effectiveness of laundry detergent. Some of these tasks require the use of vinegar as well, which we discuss in more depth below. Since baking soda has so many household uses, it might be worth keeping a bulk quantity around for cleaning, in addition to a smaller box for baking. That’s why we like this Arm & Hammer 13-pounder.

Why pros love it:

  • Affordable
  • Non-toxic
  • Mixes easily with vinegar for powering through hard-to-clean places like drains

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Distilled White Vinegar via amazon.com

Every cleaning pro’s top pick

Distilled White Vinegar

As mentioned above, distilled white vinegar is recommended by pros for many household cleaning tasks. In fact, Molly Maid uses it in virtually every room of the house, and Sansoni says it’s particularly great at lifting hard water stains.

In addition, when you mix baking soda with vinegar, there is a bubbling reaction that helps support deeper cleaning. While this can leave a salty residue on surfaces, it’s perfect for cleaning things that you can’t see, such as your drain, according to Sarah Brunette, brand director of Molly Maid. Just make sure you never mix these three things with vinegar.

Why pros love it:

  • Inexpensive
  • Non-toxic
  • All-purpose

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Sally's Organics Amber Glass Spray Bottles via amazon.com

Sally’s Organics Amber Glass Spray Bottles

The best storage solution

A truly well-organized and highly effective cleaning supplies closet should also be stocked with empty bottles with spray triggers. For starters, can use them for mixing and applying homemade cleaning solutions such as the ones referenced above. But there’s another benefit to using them: The spray bottles that manufacturers use for their cleaning products aren’t necessarily designed to last longer than the time it takes for you to empty the bottle, so when it comes time to buy a refill, it’s smart to fill your own bottle.

Of course, not all bottles are created equal. “The best refillable spray bottles will not leak and the spraying mechanisms are built to last and handle different liquids and chemicals,” according to the Cleaning Institute. “The idea is to have a bottle you can rely on for many years while using it with various applications.” These amber glass spray bottles are durable, have UV protection, and are just the right size.

Why pros love it:

  • Convenient
  • Flexible
  • Economical because you can refill them

Why You Should Trust Us

Like most people, our editors have houses to keep clean, and are always looking for the best cleaning products—just like you! We routinely test products in our own homes, keep up to date with the latest product developments and enthusiastically recommend products whenever we find something that leave our homes sparkling with minimal effort. If it makes our lives easier, we want it to make your life easier, too. In addition to our firsthand experience, we constantly source recommendations, tips and tricks from professional cleaners so we can be sure we’re using the best cleaning products currently on the market. For this piece, we talked to nine experts in both commercial and residential cleaning to find which products they use time and time again.

FAQ

How do professional cleaners clean so fast?

The trick most professional cleaners use to clean houses fast is to focus on only one room at a time, getting it thoroughly clean from top to bottom before moving to the next one. Check out these expert tips on getting every room in your house sparkling clean.

Sources:

Rachel Sokol
Rachel Sokol is a longtime contributor to Reader's Digest, tackling mostly cleaning and health round-ups. A journalism graduate of Emerson College, she's a former education writer, beauty editor, and entertainment columnist.
Lauren Cahn
Lauren has covered knowledge, history, the British royal family, true crime and riddles for Reader's Digest since 2017. Having honed her research and writing skills as an attorney in the 1990s, she became one of HuffPost's first bloggers in the early 2000s, graduated to reporting hyperlocal news in the 2010s and has been researching and writing news and features for a wide variety of publications ever since. Aside from Reader's Digest, her work has appeared in Mashed, Tasting Table, Eat This, Not That!, Grown and Flown, MSN, Yahoo, AOL, Insider, Business Insider and many others.