All Purpose Cleaners (293 items found)

Make cleaning your home less of a chore with all-purpose cleaners from Ace Hardware. All-purpose cleaners are ideal for multiple surfaces throughout your home, saving you time and money by reducing the number of products you will need to purchase.

What Are All-Purpose Cleaners?

All-purpose and multi-surface cleaners combine the active ingredients necessary to provide a thorough cleaning and are designed for use on multiple surfaces in your home. These cleaners are available in plenty of varieties, making it easy to find the right product for your needs. Because not all all-purpose cleaners are the same, look at the instructions on each bottle to make sure that your chosen cleaner can get the job done for your task. For example, some are formulated to tackle stains from the carpet or laundry but are not great for kitchen grease, while others can eliminate kitchen grease as well.

What Are Disinfectant Cleaners?

When shopping for all-purpose and multi-surface cleaners, it's important to differentiate between cleaning and disinfecting.

Understanding Cleaning

Cleaning is the process of removing debris from surfaces through the use of a surfactant. Surfactants lower the surface tension of oils, allowing them to mix with water as you clean. Bathroom and kitchen cleaners may remove some germs by physically washing them away, but their primary purpose isn’t microbe control.

Why You Should Disinfect

Disinfecting kills germs like viruses and bacteria because they contain ingredients these microorganisms are vulnerable to. Many disinfectant cleaners also contain surfactants, so they also have cleaning power. You may prefer disinfecting multi-surface cleaners on high-touch surfaces like doorknobs and faucets, but these cleaners are generally suitable for other parts of your home or workplace, too. Some people use all-purpose cleaners for regular cleaning and periodically apply disinfectant cleaners to promote sanitary conditions.

Should I Use Bathroom Cleaner?

Build out your cleaning arsenal with bathroom cleaner, specifically designed to tackle common bathroom messes and kill germs in highly frequented areas like the toilet, shower and tub. While all-purpose and multi-surface cleaners can be used in bathrooms, dedicated bathroom cleaners may be specially formulated to deal with issues like mold, mildew, hard water, soap scum and more.

How to Choose the Right Home Cleaners

To narrow down the options and choose the right cleaner for your job, consider the following:

• Surface Materials: Not all multi-surface or bathroom cleaners are safe to use on every surface. Check the label or read the product description to determine its suitability.
• Location: A specialty product might be suitable for the job, depending on where you need to clean. For example, you can find kitchen and bathroom cleaners that target concerns specific to those rooms.
• Ingredients: Some all-purpose cleaners contain powerful chemicals that boost their cleaning power. When using these types of products, be sure to wear cleaning gloves to help protect your skin.
• Method of cleaning: How you intend to clean also impacts your choice. A spray-on product may simplify things if you want to use cleaning cloths or cleaning brushes on surfaces like a bathroom vanity or kitchen table. On the other hand, a liquid cleaner that comes in a pourable bottle might be a better choice if you need to fill a bucket and tackle a large job.

Shop Multi-Purpose Cleaners at Ace

Ace offers a wide variety of specialty and all-purpose cleaners. Grab the products you need from top quality brands like Mrs. Meyer’s, Mr. Clean, Lysol and more. And to make cleaning even more efficient, remember to pick up handy cleaning tools like mops, buckets and brooms. If you need help selecting the right supplies for a specific cleaning task, you can count on the expert advice and tips of the helpful staff at the Ace Hardware store near you.