The Three Basic Cleaners Every Beginner Needs

Walk down the cleaning aisle and you will find cleaners for bathrooms, kitchens, glass and mold. But most household cleaning can be handled with three powders. Each has a different chemistry, so together they cover almost every type of grime.

What each one does

Cleaner	Chemistry	Tackles
Baking soda	Mildly alkaline	Grease, burnt residue, odors
Citric acid	Acidic	Limescale, hard water, urine scale
Oxygen bleach	Alkaline + oxygen	Mold, grime, yellow stains

For how each works and where to avoid them, see baking soda, citric acid and oxygen bleach compared.

How to choose

1. Size: start with 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) Bulk bags are cheaper, but powders clump when they absorb moisture. Start with a small bag, see how much you use and scale up. Oxygen bleach is used in large amounts for washer cleaning, so a bigger bag makes sense.

2. Food-grade vs cleaning-grade Baking soda and citric acid come in food-grade versions too. Cleaning-grade is enough and cheaper. If you prefer, use food-grade for things that touch food, like kettles.

3. Storage: airtight jars, not the bag Open bags absorb moisture and cake. Decant into airtight containers. All three are white powders, so label each jar clearly to stay safe.

Buy one more thing separately

There is one job these three cannot do: black mold rooted in caulk and grout. That needs a chlorine mold remover. See how to choose a mold remover.