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Coles and Bunnings floor cleaners slated as 'worse than water'
Consumer advocate CHOICE has awarded the entire retail category of floor cleaners, including popular brands sold at Coles and Bunnings, a 2020 Shonky award for “being flawed cleaners”.
In some cases the group even said the cleaners were “worse than water”, adding many of them are nothing but “perfume for your floor”.
“Floor cleaners barely work. In our lab tests some brands sold at retailers like Coles and Bunnings performed worse than water,” CHOICE CEO Alan Kirkland said.
“In fact, our experts say floor cleaners are basically ‘floor perfume’. They won't do much more than make your floor smell nice.”
Three cleaners, including brands sold at Coles (Coles Ultra Floor Cleaner) and Bunnings (Long Life All Purpose Cleaner), received lower scores than plain water, with other floor cleaners in the category either tying with water or earning only 1 per cent more.
“It's not the floor cleaner that cleans; it's the scrubbing action,” CHOICE testing expert Ash Iredale said.
“For many of them, you're no better off than if you use plain water.”
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Ash explained the floor cleaners were tested in a scientific setting against typical soils that you're likely to find in your own home.
“We found that, despite how expensive they are compared with water, they didn't perform any better,” she added.
“If you want your floors clean you can just use a plain old bucket of hot water. Save your money.”
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