A product earns its place by doing a job the Stain Finder sets, at a fair price in UK shops, with a refill or a plain cupboard alternative named wherever a good one exists.
5 products
Blot first, then patch-test any of these on a hidden spot before it goes near the stain.
Our pick
One small bottle per kind of stain: fruit and drink, fat and sauces, pen and ink, oil, make-up and mud, deodorant. For clothes only, and not leather, suede, acetate or rayon; some aren’t for wool or silk either, so check the bottle.
From £2.99 for 50ml
Visit Dr. BeckmannAn oxygen-based powder for whites and colours. Dissolve it to soak or pre-treat a stain, or add it to the wash with your usual detergent. Vegan.
From £2.49Visit Astonish
A handmade bar to rub into collars, cuffs and marks before washing. For cotton, linen and synthetics, not delicates. Packed in plastic-free card.
£4.36 for 90gVisit Bio-D
An oxygen-based carpet spot cleaner with a brush head, for coffee, wine, food, grease and mud. Not for silk, velvet or water-sensitive fabric.
£4.50 for 650mlVisit Dr. Beckmann
For spills on sofas, car seats and mattresses: work it in with the soft brush, wait three minutes, dab it off. Not for silk, velvet or water-sensitive fabric.
£3.99 for 400mlVisit Dr. Beckmann
4 products
Our pick
Bio, non-bio or fragrance-free capsules, posted on a plan you can change or cancel at any time. Choose bio for protein stains such as blood and sweat.
£6 for 24 capsules
Visit smolNon-bio with no added fragrance, accredited as Allergy Friendly by Allergy UK. Made in the UK, with 5L and 20L refills for topping up.
£6.49 for 1L; £29.10 for 5LVisit Bio-D
A cotton cloth that goes in with mixed colours to catch loose dye, for up to 35 washes. Wash new coloured clothes on their own the first time.
£3.99Visit Dr. Beckmann
Three tiers and 8m of drying space that fold flat. Air-dry anything you have treated for a stain: tumble-dryer heat can set whatever is left.
£26Visit Minky
4 products
Washing-up liquid in warm water and bicarbonate of soda do most kitchen jobs before anything stronger is needed.
Our pick
Concentrated, fragrance free and accredited by Allergy UK. A few drops in warm water also lift grease from hobs and worktops, and fresh food stains.
£2.74 for 750ml; £13.21 for 5L
Visit Bio-DA bottle you keep and fill with tap water and a refill tablet. Tablets come by post in plastic-free packs, on a plan you can cancel at any time.
£2 to start; six refills £7Visit smol
A non-corrosive paste with a sponge for oven racks, trays and pans, and for oven door glass only where the oven’s manual allows a mildly abrasive cleaner. Keep it off non-stick and polished finishes.
£4 for 250gVisit Astonish
Plain bicarbonate of soda in a refillable glass jar, made in Northamptonshire: a mild abrasive for sinks, pans and oven doors, and a deodoriser for bins.
£6.90 for 500g; 5kg from £14.30Visit Fill
4 products
Use one product at a time and rinse in between: bleach mixed with an acid or with ammonia gives off a toxic gas.
Our pick
A spray for shower screens, toilets, enamel and stainless steel, but not marble or granite. Delphis says it is safe on chrome, but some tap makers, Grohe among them, rule out descalers: follow your tap maker’s care instructions. Made in Britain.
£4.25 for 700ml; 2L refill £12
Visit Delphis EcoA bleach spray for mould marks on grout, silicone sealant and tiles. Open a window while it works, and keep it off fabric, chrome, brass and rubber.
£3 for 750mlVisit Astonish
A bleach-free toilet cleaner with citric and lactic acid for limescale. Pour it under the rim at night and brush it round in the morning.
£2.98 for 750ml; £14.32 for 5LVisit Bio-D
Plain citric acid in a refillable glass jar. For a kettle, boil it half full, add two teaspoons and leave it to cool. Keep it off natural stone.
£10.90 for 500gVisit Fill
4 products
Our pick
A microfibre cloth that cleans worktops, tiles and glass with water alone. It washes at up to 90°C, and E-Cloth promises it for a year or 100 washes.
£4
Visit E-ClothAn absorbent microfibre cloth for the first step with any spill: blot, never rub. Minky says it holds over ten times its own weight in water.
£2.99Visit Minky
A microfibre buffing cloth for fingerprints and smears on stainless steel sinks, hobs and cooker hoods, with no cleaner. On taps, follow the tap maker’s care instructions: Hansgrohe advises against microfibre cloths.
£2.99Visit Minky
A sponge scourer for baked-on grease on pans, roasting tins and oven racks. Vileda says it is gentle on non-stick; try a hidden spot first. Keep it off oven door glass and glass hobs: any scourer can scratch glass.
£3.25Visit Vileda
4 products
Our pick
A corded cylinder vacuum with a 6-litre bag, a 10m cable and its tools on board. Built in the UK; three years’ warranty, four if bought direct and registered.
£179.99
Visit HenryA portable machine that washes spills out of carpets, stairs, sofas and car seats and sucks the dirty water back up. 1.1L tank; three-year warranty.
£129.99Visit Bissell
A full-size carpet washer to hire from a supermarket or have delivered, for whole rooms or the end of a tenancy. Use only Rug Doctor’s own detergent. Not for oriental rugs, dry-clean-only carpets, sisal, jute or Berber, among others on Rug Doctor’s list.
Hire from £27.99 for 24 hoursVisit Rug Doctor
A spin mop whose bucket keeps clean and dirty water apart, with two microfibre pads that machine-wash at 30°C. For most hard floors; go gently on wood.
£25Visit Minky
4 products
Bottles to keep, with washing-up liquid and all-purpose cleaner refills made in the UK. Empty pouches go back free by post; pause or cancel any time.
£29.99Visit Bower Collective
Mix 330ml with water to fill a 700ml spray bottle, so 2L makes about six. For basins, baths, tiles and glass. Delphis Eco is a certified B Corp.
£16.99 for 2LVisit Delphis Eco
Concentrated non-bio liquid in 5L and 15L refills to top up the bottle you have; 5L does about 142 washes. Ecover’s map lists UK refill stations.
Spirit vinegar at 4.8% acidity in a refillable glass bottle, for glass and light limescale. Keep it off natural stone, unsealed grout and wax.
£7.38 for 500ml; 10L £23.40Visit Fill
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