HARD SURFACE CLEANING PERFORMANCE OF 6 ALTERNATIVE HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

In this laboratory study, several commercially available household bathroom and kitchen cleaning products, with and without EPA registered disinfectant properties, were compared to several 'alternative '' products (lemon juice, vinegar, ammonia, baking soda and borax). High pressure decorative laminate tiles were cleaned mechanically using a Gardner Abrasion Tester. Test criteria included microbial reduction, based on remaining colony forming units of a tracer organism (Serratia marcescens), and soil reduction (of simulated bathroom and kitchen soil formulations) based on subjective grading by a panel of individuals. Among bathroom cleaners, the commercial cleaners and vinegar gave the most effective microbial reduction while a commercial cleaner without disinfectant was most effective at soil removal. Among kitchen cleaners, again the commercial products and vinegar were most effective at microbial reduction while the commercial cleaners and ammonia were most effective at soil removal.