Scotch Brite Cleaning Products Head-to-Head

The school holidays (and - being a teacher - that means for me as well as the kids) are always the time I do my proper, in-depth cleaning so it was the perfect timing to receive a box of cleaning products from Scotch Brite. They were so keen for me to put their products through their paces that they sent me a selection of their own products but also those of leading competing brands to see how they compared. They said : "At Scotch Brite, we feel that paying a little extra can make all of the difference to a product's durability and efficacy, but we want you to decide".

Well, as our dishwasher has just given up the ghost (new one arriving next week !), the first task was to clear the mountain of washing up waiting for me in the sink. There were some delicate items like glasses but also some ovenproof dishes and a roasting tin that had baked-on grease and food residue to clean off. Luckily, Scotch Brite had sent one of their non-scratch washing up sponges as well as a 3-pack of Heavy Duty Scourers to try out.

Here are the competitors for the sponges. Product A costs 90p for a pack of 6, working out at 15p each, and product B costs 50p for a pack of 3, breaking down at 17p each. The Scotch Brite sponge retails at £1.15 for one so there is a considerable difference in price. It immediately became apparent though that, while A and B were very similar, the Scotch Brite sponge was totally different. Firstly, it really is a different product. Being a non-scratch version, it doesn't have the scourer pad attached, but taking just the sponge part into comparison, it's still very different. It seems much denser and has a much nicer feel to it - sponges A and B have the indescribable texture that I call squeaky that sets my teeth on edge, whereas the Scotch Brite one feels softer and more resistant. I prefer the slimmer, larger shape too as it's easier to hold and gives greater surface area, making it more efficient.

On to the scourers for my baked on grease. The Scotch Brite ones cost £1.15 for a pack of 3 so that's the equivalent of 38p each.

Competitors A and B are both slightly cheaper but there's not a great deal in it - 30p each (£1.20 for 4 for A and 90p for 3 for B). A seemed slighter harder wearing but B was a bit bigger. I felt that the Scotch Brite one had a slightly rougher feel but all three did the job perfectly.

The final product was the Sponge Cloths. I have recently replaced, as much as possible, kitchen roll by these Sponge Cloths because they are a greener option and clean up spills or wipe down tables just as efficiently. The Scotch Brite product actually promises to absorb 10 times its own weight, which is rather impressive, and having seen how well it mopped up a juice spill, I'd be inclined to agree with the claim.

Products A and B cost the same - £1.30 for a pack of 4, 33p each - and the Scotch Brite ones are 50p each, costing £2.49 for a pack of 5. A and B both looked pretty much identical, with the same grid pattern on the cloth, although A seemed more rigid and harder to squish into corners. The Scotch Brite cloths have raised dots which seems to give them greater cleaning power - they were great for wiping grease splashes off the hob - and I have to say, I absolutely love the cheerful rainbow of colours, even if that doesn't impact on cleaning power.

Overall, I'd say the Scotch Brite products held their own and, when they were more expensive, I could see why.

for more information : http://www.3mselect.co.uk/c-251-scotch-brite-cleaning-products.aspx

Disclosure : I received a box of cleaning products in order to write an honest review.

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