In the ongoing quest to declutter our cleaning cabinets, products that promise an all-in-one approach are the North Star.Force of Nature is one trending example, appealing to people who are looking for cleaning products with ingredients that are safe for pets and kids and ideally have multiple uses. The company’s ads claim that with just water, salt, vinegar, and — crucially — electricity, you can replace all your surface cleaners and household disinfectants.The reason: hypochlorous acid.Our immune systems naturally produce this compound. It’s become an increasingly popular main ingredient in topical skin sprays, as its antimicrobial properties mean it can help acne and improve eczema. It’s also been used as a disinfectant in hospital settings and nursing homes for years, said Charles Gerba, a professor of virology, immunology, and microbiology at the University of Arizona.When properly prepared and applied to surfaces, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) may kill up to 99.9% of microbes, including bacteria and mold, without the harshness of other disinfecting agents like bleach.Hypochlorous acid cleaners have a passionate following on sites like Reddit and Facebook. But direct-order options are relatively new and still rare. That’s because hypochlorous acid solutions break down relatively quickly, so they need to be made on demand. Force of Nature’s proposed fix is that, channeling your inner Bill Nye, you prepare the solution in small batches, so it can retain its 99.9% efficacy.I tested the Force of Nature Starter Kit — which includes a small electrolyzer appliance to turn salt, water, and vinegar into a hypochlorous acid solution — to see if the spray really can replace multi-surface cleaners as well as it disinfects.In the end, it doesn’t deliver the “streak-free shine” and one-bottle simplicity that the company promises, but we do think it’s a worthwhile replacement for household disinfectants. An effective yet gentle disinfectant spray you make on demandForce of Nature Starter KitThis kit includes everything you need to make your own hypochlorous acid disinfectant solution, which can kill up to 99.9% of microbes. But we don’t love it as an all-purpose cleaner.$82 from Amazon$72 from Force of Nature