The cleaning aisle can be overwhelming: there are so many brightly coloured products vying for your attention, promising the best and easiest clean you've ever had in a jiffy.
One brand in particular might've caught your eye: The Pink Stuff. Or perhaps you've seen or heard some of the hype around the range of products on TikTok or other social media platforms.
Along with its attention-grabbing name, the loud, bright-pink label on The Pink Stuff range of products is hard to miss. The product has garnered an international cult following and boasts endless five star reviews by customers online. The products all bear the name "miracle" – perhaps the most ambitious promise of all the products on the shelf.
We've probably all wished that someone else would do the cleaning for us – could these so-called miracles be the answer to your prayers?
On this page:
- What is The Pink Stuff?
- Do The Pink Stuff products work?
- The Pink Stuff surface cleaners
- The Pink Stuff stain removers
- The Pink Stuff Miracle Cleaning Paste
- Where can I buy The Pink Stuff products?
- Which products are in The Pink Stuff range?
What is The Pink Stuff?
The brand started out in the UK in the 1930s with a product called The Miracle Paste, which came to be known as 'The Pink Stuff' due to the paste's pink colour and packaging.
Now it's owned by Star Brands and its full official name is Star Drops The Pink Stuff Miracle Cleaning Paste, which is quite the mouthful – you can see why people shortened it to just The Pink Stuff!
The original Miracle Paste is touted as an all-round cream cleaner for an array of common household surfaces. It's a mild abrasive that is supposedly "gentle on surfaces but tough on stains". The Pink Stuff range has now expanded to include a huge range of laundry products such as stain removers and household cleaning products such as toilet cleaner and window cleaner.
In Australia, it's distributed by the company that distributes the famous Scrub Daddy and Scrub Mommy products – you've probably seen the sponges that have a face in them – which explains why you can buy The Pink Stuff/Scrub Daddy bundles on some sites.
Do The Pink Stuff products work?
Yes and no. We have tested a number of The Pink Stuff products, including surface cleaners and stain removers, in our labs, and a CHOICE journalist has done a trial of The Pink Stuff Miracle Cleaning Paste in their home.
Some products scored better than others when we tested them, but overall, we feel the brand's claims about them being a 'miracle' are a bit overstated.
In our rigorous lab tests, The Pink Stuff products usually sit around the middle (and in some cases towards the bottom) of the pack.
And even the higher-scoring ones aren't so far ahead of their competitors that you'd call them miraculous.
Let's take a look at The Pink Stuff products we've tested and how they compare with their competitors on performance and price.
CHOICE experts tested a range of The Pink Stuff products in our labs.
The Pink Stuff surface cleaners
We've tested several The Pink Stuff spray and foam cleaning products, assessing how well they perform as surface cleaners.
Our testers give each product a CHOICE Expert Rating based on how well they clean dirty tiles. For glass cleaners, we also check whether they leave streaks behind.
Here's how the brand's products scored:
- The Pink Stuff The Miracle Bathroom Foam Cleaner: 76%
- The Pink Stuff The Miracle Window & Glass Cleaner: 67%
- The Pink Stuff The Miracle Multi-Purpose Cleaner spray: 55%
- The Pink Stuff The Miracle Toilet Cleaner: 45%
In each case, our expert found that there were many other products that performed better in our testing, for a fraction of the price.
The Pink Stuff stain removers
No longer just for cleaning surfaces, The Pink Stuff range now encompasses laundry products as well.
There are two powder stain remover products for soaking – one for whites, one for colours – and a pre-wash treatment spray.
Will these work miracles on your washing? While The Pink Stuff products fell only a few percentage points short of being recommended by our experts in our stain remover reviews, there are cheaper products that had better results in our performance testing. For example, our top scoring stain remover soaker – Sard Whiter and Brighter Stain Remover – scored 74% and costs just $1.10 per 100mL so we rate it as a better buy.
The Pink Stuff The Miracle Laundry Oxi Powder Stain Remover Whites
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Price per 100mL: $1.49
The Pink Stuff The Miracle Laundry Oxi Powder Stain Remover Colours
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Price per 100mL: $1.49
The Pink Stuff The Miracle Laundry Oxi Stain Remover pre-treater spray
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Price per 100mL: $1.96
The shoes before (right) and after cleaning with The Pink Stuff cleaning paste.
The Pink Stuff Miracle Cleaning Paste
The Pink Stuff Cleaning Miracle Paste is described as "a tough cleaning paste that is gentle on surfaces but tough on stains. Ideal for cleaning saucepans, barbecues, ceramic tiles, glass, rust, sinks, uPVC, garden furniture, paintwork, boats, cook tops, copper and much more". We haven't tested it in our labs in comparison with other similar products. However one of our CHOICE journalists put the product through a series of tests in her home.
Does it work?
To determine whether The Pink Stuff is as miraculous as its fans – and marketing teams – say it is, a CHOICE journalist put the product to the test on a pair of grubby white vinyl runners, an old burnt pan, a white ceramic sink and the stained glass on an oven door.
On opening the lid of the small tub of The Pink Stuff, she was pleasantly surprised by its mild floral scent – there was no harsh cleaning product smell, which was definitely a plus. The paste was also simple to apply, she experienced no skin irritation while using it (although, she was wearing kitchen gloves) and, being pink, it was easy to identify when cleaning off the residue.
Whitening muddy runners
Despite having already been put through the wash after a very muddy walk, the white runners still looked pretty grubby.
Using an old toothbrush, she scrubbed The Pink Stuff onto the shoes and immediately saw an improvement.
Result: Success! See the difference after five minutes of gentle cleaning with The Pink Stuff.
Reviving a grotty baking tray
Our journo had been hiding this baking tray at the bottom of her cupboard for years. With The Pink Stuff's claim that it cleaned saucepans and cooktops "miraculously", she was keen to give it a try.
She applied a fair amount of The Pink Stuff onto the grotty tray and left it for a good 15 minutes to work its magic. Returning to the task with a green scourer, she scrubbed the pan for a good five minutes before cleaning off the residue with a clean, wet cloth.
She saw very little – if any – improvement to the tray, despite repeating the same procedure three more times.
Result: Fail. The stains on the tray did not "miraculously" disappear at all, despite best efforts.
The baking pan, before and after.
The oven door from hell
Many of us probably have a disgusting oven door with grotty glass, stained after many months (or years) of neglect.
Our journo applied The Pink Stuff to her grotty glass, using a hefty amount of the product to ensure the whole area received a good covering. She then left for 15–20 minutes, returning to it with a cloth, which is directed to be used to rub away at the stains. Then she wiped the paste residue off with a clean, wet cloth.
Result: Fail. While a small amount of the surface stain did lift, it certainly wasn't a miraculous result.
The oven door before and after cleaning with The Pink Stuff
Where can I buy The Pink Stuff products?
There are plenty of places to find The Pink Stuff. Some products are available off the shelf and online at Coles, Bunnings and Chemist Warehouse, and in some Reject Shop stores.
It doesn't appear to be available in Woolworths stores, but you can buy it through one of Woolworths' Everyday Market Partners.
It's also sold through a number of online retailers such as Amazon, Catch, eBay, Kogan, CleanHQ, Big W and more.
Which products are in The Pink Stuff range?
From the one pink paste product, the brand has expanded to include:
- The Miracle Multi-Purpose Cleaner
- The Miracle Cream Cleaner
- The Miracle Window Cleaner with Rose Vinegar
- The Miracle Bathroom Foam Cleaner
- The Miracle Toilet Cleaner
- The Miracle Foaming Toilet Cleaner
- The Miracle Wash Up Spray
- The Miracle All Purpose Floor Cleaner
- The Miracle Floor Cleaner Spray
- The Miracle Foaming Carpet & Upholstery Stain Remover
- The Miracle Laundry Oxi Powder Stain Remover – Whites
- The Miracle Laundry Oxi Powder Stain Remover – Colours
- The Miracle Laundry Oxi Stain Remover Spray
- The Miracle Laundry Fabric Conditioner
- The Miracle Laundry Bio Liquid
- The Miracle Laundry Sensitive Non Bio Liquid
- The Miracle Laundry Sensitive Non Bio Gel
- The Pink Stuff Miracle Scrubber Kit
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.