Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleaner Spray

I remember the year Dettol came out with their surface cleaner spray! My parents brought me up on Dettol- whenever I had fallen playing football or just outdoor pursuits climbing trees and generally having fun as a child (do children these days ever go outside, other than to credit their mobiles?) but putting up with the awful smell of Dettol. Long before the company ever brought out a way of keeping surfaces clean with a likeminded hygiene spray, my dad used to water down Dettol in a spray bottle and go about the kitchen quite liberally – you never put down food such as a bread without a plate – for fear of it being tainted with Dettol and looking back on it now, no wonder I became less of a fan of Dettol over the years as a result – but also bringing me up well to tidy up after me and always use a plate when eating a snack! When Dettol began to advertise baby sitting at chair with food on a high chair after mother sprays the plate with Dettol surface spray to infer that it is 100% safe and hygienic to do so, parents must have been beside themselves to rush out and get the product in question. I was no longer a baby when the product came out but my Dad loved the concept, being the scientist at heart and bought this product, hook, line and sinker!

The Price, The Product & The Promise

When I moved into my own flat, my mum went out and bought this immediately for me and over the years she always seems to bring Dettol’s Antibacterial Surface Cleanser with her, thinking that it’s a good product back by the name she thrust upon me when I was little! Over the years whilst I have gone from major brand to budget brand and homemade remedies to cut the cost of chemicals in the home, Dettol’s Antibacterial Surface spray retails around £1-75 to £2 for a 500ml spray bottle and £2-98 for a 750ml bottle (Asda). For those who don’t like the smell of normal home disinfectant Dettol, they will adore this product. The product claims to contains no bleach, no odour and no taint – all three claims you’ll find proudly displayed at the front of the bottle to the bottom left hand side of the blue sky blue and white label backed onto a clear bottle that shows off the clear water like liquid. This product is therefore a very safe cleanser to use around the home and Dettol go to the bother of pointing out that the product is suitable for use on chopping boards, worktops, fridges, microwaves, taps, bins and all kinds of aspects including children’s play pens and work areas. It also claims to kill 99.9 % of bacteria, viruses and the whole gamut of germs ranging from E Coli, the flu virus, Salmonella, MRSA and the rotavirus. Well, it would have so many claims – it is a Dettol product after all!

Performance

First off, this product does have an odour that is detectable – it is very understated, quite pleasing and has an air of familiarity about it – basic and original Windowlene glass cleaner! Some would say that it smells like the original version of Fairy liquid but to my nose, it’s not as flowery and has a stronger clinical, medicinal scent that plays more of its scientific card here and plays up to the Dettol branding and reputation promise. The liquid however mirrors water and I can see Dettol’s point of view here whereby if the liquid didn’t have a smell, children could easily think this was a safe product to try since it does look like water to the eye! The variable twist spray dispersal tap at the top of the bottle easily controls the amount of spray when you squeeze the trigger.

When it comes to shifting stains on worktops, I find Dettol Surface cleanser to be highly effective with only few downsides. Coffee, tea or light liquid stains isn’t a problem – once sprayed the solution easily breaks down the light stain and can be wiped up immediately. Give it something like jam or honey that is stuck on a surface and you’ll need to apply a bit more elbow grease to get it off. Likewise with coffee droplet stains that can be sticky to the touch anyway. Whilst this isn’t the kind of cleaner to have bicarbonate of soda powder added so that it bubbles on a stain and breaks it up faster, I find Dettol’s cleaner here to be good provided, that half the time you’re aware that you may need to apply pressure with the cleaning cloth you use in tandem. Using paper towels with this product is not recommended as I find the solution tears up the paper more and I spend more time clearing up the screeds left over!

On a lot of surfaces, Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser works very well. Glass, stainless steel and plastics prove no problem at all – in so far as layering down the peace of mind “no rinse” claim and for the fact that you’re sanitizing as you go, often inferring that you won’t have to wipe down surfaces again if they are clean. It is true that whilst you don’t need to rinse or dry up the product once you’ve sprayed this formula, I find that I’m never far away from wondering if a worktop looks clean just because I can’t see the dirt because of this very formula and its promise. Whereas Dettol’s surface cleanser doesn’t allow your home to harbour germs and bacteria, it certainly harbours an almost OCD condition in its owner to spray everything insight to ensure everything is 100% clean and hygienic! Good for new parents I suppose, or for nursery teachers who need optimum 100% cleanliness in the work and teaching environment; it certainly came in handy when I taught at nursery and pre-schools with my music instruments.

There is virtually no fear of aftertaste here since the product has been developed to be used around food areas. However, because of its cleaning performance, one of the better aspects I like to use this product on more often than not are the music instruments or audio equipment I have, where unless I’ve washed my hands and fingers beforehand, the keys and buttons get cleaned using this spray, especially if others have tried my instruments. Another material that this cleanser works well on is mouse pads that have a plastic/glossy touch to them, where they often appear with black oily spots due to the dragging of the hand on the mouse, to the extent that even washing the cradle and handset of your home landline phone also sanitizes and cleans it. I have also used this product on my PC and general computer equipment and thanks to the lack of bleach in this product, none of the transfers or decals have rubbed off.

Downsides

In continued use I find that Dettol’s Surface Cleanser can be painful on dry hands, especially if you have dry skin in general. I noticed this aspect after a few times when using this product and if inevitably if the product gets on my hands, my palms get quite red and start to feel painful. For a product that looks and claims to be largely, chemical free, this isn’t an aspect that I was expecting. As such whenever I use this surface cleanser product, I have to be very careful as over use of the trigger can result in leakage of the product onto the hand!

The original formula as shown here on Ciao has the understated scent value that some buyers may find off-putting. Certainly from a cleaner point of view, I don’t mind products that don’t have that long-lasting “clean” smell – why else do you think I love scented candles and their associated products?! Dettol have obviously recognised that some buyers may be after an extra scent – so you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a new Lime and Mint version also available!

Final Thoughts

If you are a parent of young children, work in a nursery or even a school, then perhaps yes this is a great product to consider – certainly from the point of view that around food places and the kitchen with likewise children around and their paraphernalia, this product will keep them safe from harm’s way. Certainly from a steam cleaner point of view, Dettol’s Surface Cleanser is a heck of a lot faster to sanitize areas. It certainly does shift dirt and grime and with a few more pressures from your own hand, will shift stubborn dirt aided with a hot, damp cloth. Certainly for those looking for a protective surface cleanser, you won’t get any better than Dettol’s product here. For those however who prefer bleach-based products that shift all manner of dirt quicker, you may find it best to look at other alternatives and if it wasn’t painful on dry skin, I’d easily apply top rating here. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2012

www.dettol.co.uk

A list of ingredients and general warnings: http://www.pilgrimfoods.co.uk/V2/C4015.p​df