CONOR POPEwrites about cleaners

Power Force 750ml

We have always respected the opinion of the Good Housekeeping Institute but alas the time has come when we beg to differ.

When it approved this kitchen cleaner in 2010, it must have had been experiencing difficulties, and wearing gloves.

The only thing this product was tough on was our hands. We might as well have been spraying water on the countertops. As for the lemon-fresh scent, it was more like fresh air.

Verdict: Disappointing

Star rating: **

Dettol €1.74, 500ml (half price)

Dettol has been part of Pricewatch’s life for a long time. We’ve disinfected everything from floors to knees with Dettol so we were quite excited to pick up it’s Anti-Bacterial Multi-Action Cleaner that cuts grease and soap scum as well as killing 99.9 per cent of bacteria. Wow, it’s busy.

The Citrus Zest smells great and our counters sparkle. However, the sparkle fades when we attempt to shift even the smallest of stains on the hob. We love it for our surfaces but it just doesn’t have any impact on the dirt.

Verdict: All sparkle, no substance

Star rating: ***

Cillit Bang €2.47 for 350ml

Bang and the dirt is gone, well not quite it’s actually still there. We had high hopes for this cleaner as Barry Scott has been shouting at us from our telly boxes for a good few years, and he is now promising all sorts of stain-removal guarantees. We also appreciated the fact that it was selling in our local Tesco for half price. Scott assures us that this power cleanser works effectively on more than 40 stains. It removes grease and smears as promised but it really struggled with “baked-on food” or, more accurately, tomato sauce that had burnt on the hob. We sprayed, waited a few seconds, scrubbed, scrubbed again, added a bit of elbow grease, but alas, our baked-on food was still there. Disappointing

Verdict: Bang and the dirt is . . . still there

Star rating: ***

Cif €2.15 for 500ml

Ah Cif, you’ll always be Jif to Pricewatch. It appears that the only thing that has changed about Cif over the last few decades is the name. The packaging is as it was when our mammy used it and it looks and smells exactly the same, too. The cream contains micro-particles that claim to remove 100 per cent of dirt.

Miraculously, it appears to do just that. It somehow penetrates the deep dirt and brings back the shine, as promised. We don’t know how it does it, but we’re convinced. The only minor drawback is that the cream is quite thick and gets a bit soapy so your cloth needs plenty of rinsing but we can live with that.

Verdict: No Cifs, ands or buts; excellent

Star rating: *****