I’ll admit it: I don’t love cleaning. My flat is generally tidy and organised but as far as I’m concerned, keeping things in order is a necessary evil and not a pasttime to be enjoyed.
I prefer my home best when it’s spick and span, but as much as I admire the habits of the super-house proud people on my Instagram who share photos of their sparkling kitchens and loos, housework isn’t my bag.
It’s after mentioning this to my colleagues three brand new Minky cloths - made famous by ‘cleanfluencer’ Mrs Hinch - swiftly appear on my desk, along with instructions for me to try them out the next day to see if I can be converted.
“It’s literally just a cloth. I don’t get it and I never will,” I say, reluctantly stuffing them into my bag. I remind myself to be open minded, though – after all, these cloths have been subject to so much fanfare that they sold out online (they’re now back in stock on Minky cloth’s website), and people have given it top reviews on Amazon. Rarely has a piece of cleaning apparatus been so highly sought after.
Here’s what happened when I used a Minky cloth to clean my flat.
First Impressions.
I’m not sure what level of joy I was anticipating from picking up a cloth, but as I first take it out of its packaging and turn it over my hands I feel underwhelmed. To me, it looks like any other cloth except with two sides - one featuring a soft, cotton-like pad and the other a rougher, scouring-pad like material. The stitching also looks a bit shoddy - though to be fair to the makers of Minky - who inspects a cleaning cloth for this long unless they’re writing an article about it?
Reading the claims on the pack, I am impressed by the idea that the cloth could save me time, money, and give me an “outstanding performance” either dry or just with some water. But the cynic in me thinks that’s just marketing bull. I pull off the outer packaging and get cracking.
Task One: The Kitchen.
When cleaning the kitchen surfaces I typically reach for a generic all-in-one kitchen spray and a sponge: the type you use to wash up with. Today, I put those aside - reaching instead for my mate Minky. Excited, I roll up my sleeves and try it first just with water and starting with the rough side, which is best for grimey stains. So I begin attacking my kitchen hob – which I can never seem to keep completely shiny and was last used earlier in the morning to make an omelette for breakfast.
I give it a go with just some water at first. But I quickly become frustrated by the lack of progress so reach for some Flash spray, which makes an instant difference.
After about five minutes of serious scrubbing I’ll admit that I am quite impressed – the vast majority of the marks are gone and it looks super shiny. Usually I’d do this with a kitchen sponge rather than a scourer as I’d be worried about scratching the glass surface, but the rough side of the Minky cloth does the trick. The soft side buffs up the surface nicely, too – I can practically see my face in it.
Task Two: The Bathroom.
Next, I’m attacking the bathroom, beginning with the sink. I use a brand new Minky for this task as the other one is wet and a bit mucky and I don’t want to smear that around my bathroom surfaces.
I use the Minky in the same way I would a regular bathroom sponge - the type with a scourer on one side. I spray on some bathroom spray and scrub the plug and the enamel bowl of the sink. It does the job nicely - though at this point I don’t think the results are any better than what I’d usually see. The fact that it’s thinner than a regular sponge does mean I can use it slightly easier though, and I am able to fit it it far more easily behind the tap.
I try to use the soft side to buff up the taps. But actually I find it just soaks up the damp, which makes it smeary. So I reach for my final unopened Minky cloth and drag it around the surfaces, and it does a good job. In fact, I’ve never seen the taps so shiny and smear-free.
When completely dry, the soft side does a superb job of ridding the surfaces of any residual dust and leaves no fibres - which if I’d used a regular cloth I could expect to see. It does a fantastic job on the towel rail, too, which had some dried water marks left on it from the last time it was cleaned. In a matter of seconds, dragging the Minky over the metal fixes this and – while I hate to admit it – I feel a bit house proud as I survey my hard work.
Verdict: 7/10.
It’s true that the Minky really is just a cloth. But it’s quite a good cloth that seems fairly durable. I particularly like the fact it can be washed and reused, which to me seems better than chucking out cleaning wipes or sponges once they’ve been used a few times.
I do think that having just one cloth would be tricky, though. This is because the soft side soaks up moisture and, unlike a sponge, can’t be rung out to dry. But if you keep two - one that stays dry and one that you use with cleaning products or water, I think they’re worth the cash. I do think the Minky could benefit from some sort of hand strap, though, which would give extra grip for when you’re really going at those tough stains.
All in all, I’m hardly bowled over - and I’m still doubtful that owning a Minky really will save me time and money, but I am pleased that they do the job when it comes to cleaning the flat, and I’ll be happy to use them again. Sorry Mrs Hinch, I’m not a cleaning convert just yet, but I do love my shiny taps.
Buy it on Minky’s website for £2.49 or on Amazon, where prices start from £2.70.
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