Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner

Kids sure can make a mess quickly, so a great all-purpose spray cleaner is a must. Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner got the green light from both editors and parent testers for its ability to clean up messes and disinfect up to 99.9 percent of germs—ideal for use in kitchens and bathrooms, or pretty much everywhere when the flu hits your family.

In our lab tests, one spritz of the Lysol spray made quick work of cleaning vegetable oil from a laminate countertop, while dried-on jam took a little more effort. It even managed to help lift permanent marker from the countertop, albeit leaving behind a smear of discolouration—but only a few of the all-purpose cleaners we tested managed to even budge the marker. If you have a kiddo who treats your walls like a blank canvas that's just waiting for their crayon masterpieces, you'll be glad to know that Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner removed crayon from a white wall in our lab tests. Letting the spray sit on the crayon for a little while really helped lift it and made the inevitable scrubbing a little bit easier.

The majority of our parent testers also found this spray made quick work of messes in their homes, noting how well it cleaned quartz and granite countertops, stovetop messes and gunk on a highchair. But they were split on how well it removed scuff marks and other stains from walls: some said it worked easily, but others found it didn't banish the marks. Overall, though, they felt this disinfectant spray left surfaces feeling clean to the touch. It's worth mentioning, however, that the spray zone of this cleaner is pretty wide, and editors noticed that a light residue can get left behind on surfaces along the outer edges of the spray zone.

A bottle that's comfortable to hold and easy to grip is especially helpful when you're trying to handle it with wet hands, or you're doing a deep clean and holding the bottle for longer periods of time. The Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner bottle is designed for easy use: the trigger lever compresses easily, and grooves for your fingers make it comfortable to hold and effortless to grip. While some nozzles can be stiff to lock and unlock, our editors found the one on this bottle turns easily—especially helpful if you're trying to open or close the nozzle with wet hands.

FINAL WORD

Both editors in the Today's Parent Approved lab and parent testers who tried it out at home were impressed with Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner. It's designed to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria and does a good job of cutting through a variety of messes, plus it has a mid-range price point that'll go easy on your family budget. All of our testers said it performed better than other surface sprays they’ve used, and they'd recommend it to other parents—though some noted it would be best for families with older kids who aren't touching every surface and then stuffing their fingers in their mouth. Whether you need to disinfect the bathroom, cut through sticky messes in the kitchen or scrub away your wannabe Picasso's latest mural, Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner is going to help you get the job done.