The five things that clean most of a house
A cupboard of specialist sprays is mostly the same four chemicals at different dilutions. Here is the short list.
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Vinegar or citric acid for anything mineral: limescale in the kettle, soap scum in the shower, the cloudy film on glass. Acids dissolve deposits that scrubbing only polishes.
Soda crystals for grease: the hob, the extractor filter, the sticky tops of kitchen cupboards. Strongly alkaline, and the thing to reach for whenever the problem feels oily rather than crusty.
Baking soda for the gentle jobs: a soft scouring paste for enamel and stainless steel, and an odour absorber that takes smells away rather than covering them.
Dish soap for everything in between. A few drops in warm water is a surfactant solution, which is what most all-purpose sprays are once you read the label.
And a microfibre cloth, which is the only one of the five that is a tool rather than a chemical — and the one that most often makes the difference between clean and streaked.
That covers the great majority of a house. The specialist products are worth buying for the specific jobs they name, and rarely for the ones they merely imply.