My Mexican Grandma’s $4 Cleaning Trick Works on Basically Everything (I’ll Never Stop Using It!)

Somehow, grandmas always know the right thing to say. Whether it’s dating advice or decades-old recipes, they’re ready to pass their years of wisdom down from generation to generation — and that applies to cleaning and organizing, too. So when I was on the hunt for the best tips for keeping my home in tip-top shape, I knew my Mexican grandmother would have some great tips to share. 

Fabuloso multipurpose cleaner has sort of a cult following in the Latinx community as the holy grail of cleaning products. It can be used to mop floors, clean the shower, wipe kitchen counters, and even spot-clean furniture. So it’s no surprise I’m at least the third generation in my family to swear by it (the purple “lavender” version in particular).

Many Latinx people will tell you that the sweet smell of lavender and citrus triggers childhood memories of cleaning the house on a weekend morning (for us, it was Sundays), while their mother or grandmother blasts their favorite nostalgic Spanish songs. It’s more than just a cleaning product — for us, it feels like both a tradition and a connection to home. 

Growing up, my grandma used Fabuloso on everything. It’s great because it’s a multipurpose cleaner and can be used on a wide range of surfaces and fabrics so you really get your money’s worth, especially if you get the concentrated formula. Grandma took its versatility a step further by adding either baking soda or a pinch of salt to her mixture of Fabuloso and water to clean areas like the bathroom and kitchen sink. I’ve also been seeing these tricks go round on TikTok (like here and here), so other peoples’ grandmothers must be passing them on, too!  

The baking soda and Fabuloso mixture creates a thick, foamy concoction that works great for cutting through grease on kitchen walls and surfaces, or grime in the sink. If you mix in salt, however, it turns the cleaning product into a sort of exfoliant that works great for buffing away soap scum in the shower. To show how well the baking soda mixture works, I tried it on my sink and was blown away by how effective it was. With just a splash and a sprinkle, both tricks really only cost less than $1!

Another brilliant hack my grandma swears by is to add Fabuloso and baking soda to your mop water, which leaves your house smelling fresh and clean for days afterwards, while also removing any stubborn stains from your floor. The best part? Fabuloso is safe to use on sealed wood and tile, so you can use it all over the home.

In addition to a handful of other scents, Fabuloso also has an antibacterial version that can be used on a variety of surfaces, just like the original, with the added disinfecting boost. I like to use the antibacterial version when I’m cleaning the kitchen after prepping a meal with raw chicken or meat. The nice thing about this version is that you can simply dilute it, wipe down the surface, let it sit for 5 minutes, and you’re done — there’s no need to rinse it off afterwards. 

So the next time your kitchen needs a weekend deep-cleaning reset, or you simply need a whiff of that fresh, floral homey scent, crack open a bottle of Fabuloso (or, better yet, light this Fabuloso-inspired candle for an even easier way to get that crisp feeling). You can thank my grandma later!

Buy: Fabuloso Multipurpose Cleaner, Lavender, $3.79