I bought the Koh Cleaner as well the Koh microfibre cleaning sponges. I’ve been using them around the house to test them out. Does the Koh Cleaner actually work? Here’s my Koh review:
What is the Koh Cleaner
The Koh universal cleaning solution is a ready to use spray and wipe cleaner. It comes in a large 4l box and you can also now buy 1.8l refill pouches. The active ingredient in Koh is Potassium Hydroxide. Koh claims you can use their universal cleaner pretty much everywhere throughout the home.
In 2023 Koh also sells dishwashing tablets and dishwashing liquid.
The Koh products are designed to be allergy and asthma friendly.
As well as the cleaning consumables, Koh sells a range of cleaning tools. These include microfibre cleaning cloths, diamond cleaning sponge, grout brush and mop.
My Koh Cleaner Review
I’ve been using the Koh universal cleaner as well as the Koh microfibre cloths to clean around the house over the past few months. Here’s what I like and don’t like about the Koh products:
Koh Cleaner Pros
No Nasty Smells
The Koh cleaner doesn’t have any noticeable smell. It’s been approved by the Asthma Councils Sensitive Choice Program and is allergy friendly. So if you’re looking for a cleaning product that won’t destroy your lungs this is a good choice.
Effective Spray and Wipe
To clean up spills and general grime on hard surfaces the Koh cleaner works really well. If I’ve spilt something on my desk or on the kitchen floor, I usually reach for the Koh bottle and cloth to wipe it up. If you like using spray and wipe cleaning products, I highly recommend Koh over the alternatives. There are no nasty smells and it’s friendlier on your lungs.
Really Great Spray Bottle
The Koh spray bottle is very effective. Instead of short burst of spray that comes from most spray and wipe bottles, Koh delivers a mist that can be sprayed over a wide area. The spray bottle also works upside down. One of the annoying things with most cleaning bottles is not being able to effectively use them when most of the product is used. This isn’t a problem with the Koh cleaner bottle.
Excellent Microfibre Cloths
The Koh Microfibre cloths are the standout feature of the Koh cleaning system. They are large and have and have a scrubby corner that features a more course material. This is great for wiping up dried on dirt and marks.
The Koh Universal Cloths are machine washable and are made from recycled plastic.
Eco Friendly
The Koh products don’t contain any chemical nasties. And because the system uses a refillable spray bottle, you’re not buying a new disposable bottle with each product. The bottle gets refilled from refill packs.
Koh Cleaner Cons
Doesn’t Contain a Surfactant
The Koh cleaner doesn’t contain a surfactant. Surfactants trap grease allowing it to be wiped up. Because the Koh cleaner doesn’t contain a surfactant, it’s relying on the microfibre cloth to trap the grease and remove it from surfaces. This is sort of effective but for the kitchen I don’t recommend using the Koh cleaner. You’ll do a much better job using solution of dishwashing liquid diluted in warm water. Dish washing liquid is primarily a surfactants is super effective at removing cooking grease and oil.
Cloths don’t work well when wet
Koh recommends using the microfibre cloths dry with just the Koh solution. For some cleaning tasks I like using a wet cloth. But the Koh cloths don’t work well like this and are a bit too heavy to use.
Is the Koh Universal Cleaner Worth Buying?
If you’re currently using a spray and wipe product to clean around the house, then I definitely recommend Koh. Unlike most spray and wipes, it won’t leave any build up on surfaces (which can get sticky) and the cloths work well to wipe down pretty much all hard surfaces.
I don’t recommend Koh for cleaning in the kitchen. At CleanLab we found warm water with a squirt of dishwashing liquid did a much better job than Koh Universal Cleaner. Of course Koh now sells a great dish washing liquid that can be used for cleaning in the kitchen.
For mopping the Koh cleaner is a great choice. Especially for engineered floors which are not designed to be mopped using lots of water. The Koh mop and solution shouldn’t damage wood floors (although we recommend doing a spot test). And because you’re only using a small amount of the solution to mop, it won’t warp engineered floors. The spray mop from Koh is excellent and works as well as the more expensive mop + cleaning solution we have previously used that is recommend by our floor manufacturer.
