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The Best Cleaning Products Tested in 2022 - Bob Vila

By Beth Cranston and Michelle Larson | Updated Dec 16, 2022 1:43 PM

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The Best Cleaning Products Tested in 2022 - Bob Vila

Messes are part of life, but ineffective cleaning products don’t have to be. After 200+ hours of hands-on testing, we found 127 of the best sprays, polishes, mops, and vacs to keep counters, floors, and even swimming pools sparkling.

Whether it’s a fresh spill or a set-in stain, this list has everything necessary to remove mud, red wine, pet hair, and more. These cleaning-product picks of 2022 topped all of our tests for maintaining super-clean spaces both indoors and out.

There isn’t a dirty floor problem the Bissell CrossWave can’t handle or a surface it can’t be used on. We tested it in a home with multiple kinds of flooring, and this is a cordless machine that can do it all.

Although Bissell makes other models specifically designed for homes with pets, we were impressed by how well this vacuum mop combo picked up dog hair. It easily picked up dog hair from the floor and was able to remove a layer of stubborn hair on an area rug.

The machine provides 30 minutes of cordless cleaning power, and its Two-Tank Technology ensures clean and dirty water remain separate. When it’s done cleaning, the CrossWave’s self-cleaning cycle cleans the brush roll and the inside of the machine for less manual labor.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Vacuum Mop Combos guide.

Get the Bissell vacuum mop combo at Amazon, Target, or Best Buy.

If the goal is to find a great robot vacuum with useful smart features that can pick up food, dirt, and other debris, the Eufy RoboVac G30 is a great choice. It also has a smartphone app that allows users to review the cleaning history, set a cleaning schedule, switch modes, and much more.

This vacuum passed our general test: picking up kibble, oat flour, crumbs, and other debris. The only thing that slightly disappointed us was that it wasn’t the best at sucking up deeply embedded pet hair from an area rug. So keep this in mind if there are multiple pets and rugs in the home.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Robot Vacuums guide.

Get the Eufy robot vacuum on Amazon or at Lowe’s.

iRobot’s Roomba ranked high in our testing and has standard features such as a three-stage cleaning system, dirt detector sensors, advanced suction power, and smart navigation. The i7+ has 10 times the suction power of earlier models and can hold up to 60 days’ worth of contents.

This Roomba’s smart navigation system learns the layout of a home, coordinates no-go zones, and builds smart maps to automate cleaning. We could see a map generated almost immediately, even after just a 5-minute test run.

For homes with pet dander and fur, a dual multisurface rubber brush allows for easy release of hair, while a high-efficiency filter traps 99 percent of dander and other common allergens. It comes loaded with filters, dust bags, and extra brushes.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Roombas guide.

Get the iRobot Roomba at Best Buy.

This upright Shark vacuum is powerful, versatile, and maneuverable. It has a 30-foot cord and 1,200W of deep-cleaning power. While using it, we noticed an object inches away from the machine was being sucked in. Despite this high motor power, the vacuum only weighs 13.7 pounds.

Though this isn’t one of Shark’s famed “pet” models, the price and features make it a solid choice for homes with pets. It includes a pet power brush, a motorized handheld brush roll, and a crevice tool for cleaning difficult-to-reach areas. The dust collection canister is completely sealed and has a HEPA filter that traps 99.9 percent of dust and allergens.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Shark Vacuums guide.

Get the Shark vacuum on Amazon.

Though Mr. Siga wasn’t an immediately recognizable brand, we were delightfully surprised by the excellent job its Professional Microfiber Mop did in testing. This tall mop with an adjustable stainless steel telescoping handle had great reach under dusty couches and around table legs. The very wide rectangular mophead with a 360-degree swivel action meant less work on large floors, since with fewer swipes and greater maneuverability, we got our dusting and wet mopping jobs done quickly.

The cloths are reusable—just toss in the washing machine to launder. A handy dirt scrubber attachment is included, and the mop can be used on a variety of surfaces, including marble, tile, and laminate, as well as hardwood.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Mops for Wood Floors guide.

Get the Mr. Siga mop for wood floors on Amazon.

No elbow grease, no problem—cleaning with this mop doesn’t feel like hard work. The Bissell SpinWave has two rotating mop pads that easily power through dirt, scuffs, and stuck-on messes. We felt the motor working, and the mop was very easy to quickly push along.

This electric mop is effective at cleaning tile, wood, linoleum, and other sealed hard floors. It’s cordless, easy to maneuver, and each charge provides up to 20 minutes of cleaning time. Another point in this mop’s favor is that it comes with two soft-touch pads and two scrubby pads. The machine-washable mop pads are ideal for cleaning tile flooring and restoring the tile’s shine.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Mops for Tile Floors guide.

Get the Bissell mop for tile floors at Amazon, Wayfair, Best Buy, or Bissell.

Our pick for the best furniture polish is a six-in-one silicone aerosol product that acts as a wood, granite, leather, quartz, laminate, and steel polisher. In our tests, we found that the polish cleaned dust and smudges off of hard surfaces with ease, leaving a refreshing lemon odor.

Just shake, spray directly onto the furniture surface, and wipe clean with a cloth. The polish works on everyday wood furniture with hard finishes like varnish, shellac, and polyurethane, providing a high-gloss sheen that staves off dust but doesn’t leave behind a waxy buildup. For those who are allergy-prone, Pledge also traps up to 90 percent of the allergens in dust but leaves behind a mild lemony scent.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Furniture Polish guide.

Get the Pledge furniture polish at Amazon (3-pack), The Home Depot, or Target.

Bona Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner is our top pick for an all-around tile cleaner because of its versatility. It easily removed dust, dirt, and other light debris from tile and hard surfaces. We loved how fast it dried and that it left behind a streak-free surface.

We used it to clean soap scum and grease splatter on hard surfaces, even though the cleaner is not intended for those purposes. It tackled greasy splatter fairly well, but it did not remove mildew or soap scum, so users will want to pair it with a targeted stain remover.

Bona’s Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner is pH neutral, residue-free, and certified as an EPA Safer Choice product, containing ingredients that are safer for people, pets, and the planet.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Tile Cleaners guide.

Get the Bona tile cleaner at Amazon, The Home Depot, or Lowe’s.

The Soft Scrub With Bleach Cleaner Gel was our favorite cleaner by far in testing. Not only did it work incredibly quickly and easily on all of the filthy grout surfaces in our house—including a kitchen, bathroom, and mudroom that five children, two adults, and one farm dog use—it also can clean pretty much anything in the house, including countertops, tubs, showers, sinks, stovetops, tiles, and toilets.

It contains bleach, so it will clean everything from mold to mildew to limescale stains to plain old grime. It made our grout whiter and cleaner than any other cleaner, and the difference was drastic.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Grout Cleaners guide.

Get the Soft Scrub grout cleaner on Amazon (3-pack).

To tackle a host of cleaning chores, consider the Pure Enrichment PureClean Steam Cleaner. In testing, the Pure Enrichment model proved to be a powerful machine, effectively cleaning hard and soft surfaces with ease. The wide wheelbase and long power cord made it easy to maneuver and access hard-to-reach areas. The plethora of accessories came in handy, and we especially appreciated the scrub pad and utility brush attachments that made getting dirt and grime from grout and window tracks easy.

The 1.5-liter tank is ample enough to enable up to 45 minutes of steam cleaning before it requires a refill. It rolls on wheels, comes with an 18-piece accessory set, and its 16-foot power cord makes it easy to move around and spot clean sections.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Steam Cleaners guide.

Get the Pure Enrichment steam cleaner at Amazon, Target, Wayfair, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Lowe’s.

Woolite Advanced Stain & Odor Remover + Sanitize is an excellent general-purpose stain remover, with a hydrogen peroxide–based formula that kills 99.9 percent of bacteria on soft surfaces. In our testing, the product removed strong smells and dark ketchup and chocolate stains with no color change to carpet fibers. And although the spray formula lists a somewhat lengthy wait time of an hour, after that period and some gentle blotting with a microfiber towel (per the recommendations), the stains were gone.

This powerful carpet stain remover attacks such stubborn stains as red wine, pet messes, mud, chocolate, coffee, and grease on carpet and other soft surfaces, such as upholstery and bath mats.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Carpet Stain Removers guide.

Get the Woolite carpet stain remover at Amazon (2-pack), Ace Hardware, or Bissell.

The Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is a versatile machine that’s popular with pet owners due to its cleaning power and ease of use. We liked that the machine has a generous-sized clean and wastewater tank. It’s lightweight, and its 15-foot cord makes it easy to move around. We especially appreciated the HydroRinse self-cleaning tool attachment that allows users to clean the hose without spilling water everywhere.

The Little Green can be used to clean carpets, upholstery, stairs, area rugs, and auto interiors. It has powerful suction capabilities, efficiently removing stains from the soft surfaces in a home.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Portable Carpet Cleaners guide.

Get the Bissell portable carpet cleaner on Amazon or Bissell.

Painted and composite decks require a gentle cleaner like Star brite Non-Skid Deck Cleaner, which contains non-caustic chelating detergents to vanquish spills and dirt without scrubbing.

To test, we put two coats of deck paint on a new decking board, let it cure for a full week, then smeared it with mud and grease. After letting a small amount of Star brite sit for a few minutes to soften the stains, we wiped the board with a soft rag, and the mud and grease came right off.

Next we rinsed the board with water to remove any errant cleaner, and the paint looked great once it was completely dry. A 1-gallon jug cleans and treats a deck up to 1,000 square feet.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Deck Cleaners guide.

Get the Star brite deck cleaner at Amazon, Ace Hardware, or Lowe’s.

Users don’t always need the heaviest hitter to get the job done. The Stanley electric pressure washer delivers 2,150 psi (pounds per square inch) and a water flow of 1.4 GPM (gallons per minute), which is enough power to clean vehicles or a dirty deck. In our tests, the Stanley performed at or near the top of the pack in all measurements. The soft, flexible pressure hose was easy to maneuver, and it provided good reach while cleaning.

The washer weighs just over 25 pounds, so it’s lightweight for easy transport. It comes with four quick-connect nozzles and a high-pressure foamer cannon that allow users to match water pressure, stream, and soap delivery to the task.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Electric Pressure Washers guide.

Get the Stanley electric pressure washer on Amazon.

The Westinghouse WPX2700 earned high marks in our field tests with its combination of cleaning power, maneuverability, relatively compact footprint, and competitive price. It also costs hundreds less than the next-best gas pressure washer we tested, and it delivered a nearly identical cleaning performance.

This gas-powered washer delivers ample water pressure for cleaning stains from the driveway, but not so much as to risk damaging a car’s paint job. It has strong water pressure, a good flow rate, and up to 2.3 GPM for 2,700 psi. The Westinghouse power washer includes four quick-connect nozzles, a 25-foot abrasion-resistant hose, a built-in detergent tank, and a 1-gallon-capacity gasoline tank.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Pressure Washers guide.

Get the Westinghouse pressure washer at Amazon, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Acme Tools.

The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner uses dual scrubbing brushes and a large filtration system to clean and collect leaves, twigs, dirt, pollen, and other debris in just about 2 hours. It has wall-climbing capabilities to clean inground swimming pools up to 50 feet in length, and we love how the pool cleaner reverses itself at the top of walls.

We really like that this cleaner can be used on all types of pool floors without issue and has a tangle-free swivel cable to let it freely circulate, which it will do even while swimmers are in the water. Users can schedule the automatic pool cleaner to run every day, every other day, or every third day.

Learn about how we tested and reviewed more top picks in our Best Robotic Pool Cleaners guide.

Get the Dolphin robotic pool cleaner at Amazon, Target, or Pool Warehouse.

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The Best Cleaning Products Tested in 2022 - Bob Vila

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