Best All-Purpose Cleaners of 2026

In addition to testing these cleaners daily for a couple of weeks throughout my home, I also conducted three tests.

Test 1: Tomato Sauce 

In my first test, I placed a spoonful of tomato sauce on my wooden island and let it dry for several hours before using the cleaners to see which ones cleaned the sauce the easiest. 

When the sauce was completely dry, I used two squirts of each cleaner directly on the tomato sauce and wiped it down with a paper towel. Immediately, I could tell that the Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner removed the most tomato sauce during the first round. I was also impressed by Clorox Disinfecting All Purpose Cleaner for cleaning up the sauce rather than moving it around on the island like some other cleaners seemed to be doing. (During this test, I did not use the Windex Multisurface cleaner since it is not recommended for wood.)

I then used additional product from each cleaner on the areas until all of the sauce was off of the island. Some of the products that did not make our best list (detailed below) left small specks of tomato sauce and residue that was spread around further on the surface when trying to clean it up. During this test, I was able to see which sprays were able to cut through build-up the best and how each one smelled and sprayed. Although cleaning the tomato sauce required a bit of elbow grease no matter which product I used, some worked much better than others.  

Test 2: Stainless Steel 

Next, I used the cleaners (this time, including Windex Multisurface) on the stainless steel appliances in my kitchen. Although they all seemed to remove some dust and build-up from the appliances, almost all of them -- besides our top picks -- left streaks behind.

Our top two picks did a great job of cleaning the appliances, but ultimately Windex Multisurface stood out by cleaning and disinfecting stainless steel surfaces without leaving steaks or residue behind. I also used it on glass mirrors and it left them sparkling clean as well. 

Test 3: Bathroom

In my bathroom, I used the sprays and wipes to clean the tub, porcelain sink and toilet. During this test, I preferred the performance of the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes over other wipe options and determined which cleaners were the most effective at cutting through dried toothpaste on the sink and soap scum in the tub. 

With the results from these three tests, my opinions on the smell of each product and how it went using them multiple times in my home across various weeks, I determined which ones outperformed the others in the aforementioned categories. 

Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner: This cleaner didn’t cut through the dried tomato sauce the best, but it did have a very pleasant smell and it cleaned up the dusty range hood above my stove nicely. It also meets the EPA’s Safer-Choice Standard. 

Clorox EcoClean All-Purpose Cleaner: Although this is another product registered by the EPA as a Safer-Choice product, I was not a fan of its smell or performance in comparison to the other Clorox products I tested. 

Clorox EcoClean Disinfecting Wipes: Like the product above, these wipes are a certified Safer-Choice product, but although they can disinfect various bacterias, they are not listed by the EPA as one that can fight the Covid-19 virus, which is why Clorox Bleach-Free Disinfecting and Cleaning Wipes have a slight edge over them. However, if you prefer plant-based wipes with more natural ingredients, these are a great option.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day All-Purpose Cleaner: This one smells nice, but it had a hard time cleaning up the tomato sauce, left behind residue and made stainless steel surfaces streaky. 

Method All-Purpose Cleaner: This is another one that has a pleasant scent, but it was unable to cut through tough build-up like others. Similar to the Mrs. Meyer’s option above, if you want a light daily cleaner, either could work, but they are not the best option for build-up or deep cleans. 

Pledge Multisurface Cleaner: This removed more tomato sauce than I expected, but there was still a bit left behind even after using elbow grease. However, when used on surfaces without food build-up, it did leave them shiny and clean. 

365 All-Purpose Cleaner: The spray nozzle created a foamy spray that to me seemed to use a lot more product than needed. It also left behind some tomato sauce on the wooden surface, but my biggest concern regarding this cleaner was wasted product.

The Pink Stuff, Miracle Multi-Purpose Household Cleaner: I’ve previously been a fan of using The Pink Stuff’s Cleaning Paste throughout my home, but I was not as impressed with the multi-purpose cleaner. During our tomato sauce test, it seemed to only move around the sauce rather than actually clean it. Once the majority of the sauce was finally removed, a good amount of residue from it was still leftover on the wooden island.  

Amazon Basics Disinfecting Wipes: Although there is nothing terrible about these wipes in regards to performance, I did prefer the texture on the Clorox wipes, and I was unable to find these on the EPA’s lists of certified disinfectants that clean the Covid-19 virus or Norovirus.