Happy Earth Day Everyone!
Although on our diverse planet we have many holidays, Earth Day is quickly becoming my personal favorite. Perhaps this is because I feel such gratitude for the Earth as my home and want to take care of it with the utmost respect, or perhaps it is because most of the other holidays we have are so “Earth-unfriendly”. Whatever the case may be, I love any celebration that focuses on honoring and healing our beautiful planet.
There are many things that we can do to live out a more “environmentally friendly” life and leave a smaller impact on this currently fragile system. Anything from what we drive or what we eat to what type of home gardening we do and what kinds of products we use to clean our homes with.
So seeing as it is Earth day and it is April, usually a popular month for spring cleaning, I wanted to share with you today some reputable environmentally friendly or “green” cleaning product companies. Today, in the developed countries, we live in a world of abundance and in the year 2009 it is actually not hard to find more and more companies who are supporting the Earth, by producing non-toxic products.
Thus here are 10 companies who are providers of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. Now, while some of them still have products that need to be improved on in terms of their health effects on us, today’s focus is that they are “green” and non-toxic for our Earth. They are listed in random order. Each of these companies offers a full line of “green” home cleaning products and some even more!
3. Ecover
6. Nature Clean
7. Method
9. Shaklee
10. ECOS – Earth Friendly Products
So there they are! Lots of variety to choose the product that works best for your cleaning needs, home or budget. Most of these are fairly easy to find in stores across North America and some in even other parts of the world. If you cannot find them in a store near you, many of them can also be purchased online.
However, do not forget that there is immense power and thriftiness in simple baking soda and vinegar, which can safely and effectively pretty much clean the whole house. For simple home-made cleaning solutions that are both environmentally friendly, safe and effective, check out the following from Loretta’s Clean & Green, where she offers simple recipes for all sorts of household cleaning.
What is not included in this list are green products from companies that use MLM (multi-level marketing) and thus are hard for some to get or lock a person into buying the products. And for those of you wondering where Clorox Green Works is, let me just tell you that I will take them seriously, when they take the environment seriously and stop producing their other highly toxic lines.
In conclusion, may we remember that making a difference for the Earth should not be saved only for one day. May we use Earth Day as a reminder and an inspiration to treat our Earth right and live sustainably every day! And if this is the first time you are thinking of going “green,” may this Earth Day mark for you the start of a beautiful journey of making a difference on this precious planet that we call home!
Happy Earth Day!
*Photograph provided by visulogik
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.
25 Comments to “Top 10 Environmentally Friendly Home Cleaning Product Companies”
This is a great article with very useful information. I will echo what you said that we could go a long way with a little baking soda and water or vinegar. Also I agree with you that we should celebrate earth everyday and be mindful of what we put in our waters. Just the other day I was forced to go indoors because my neighbor decided he was going to mix chemicals to kill off all the weeds and anything that flies. It smelled horrible and made just about everyone who was outdoors enjoying the day run inside and close the windows. So ignorant! Thanks for the post.
Hi Evita, this is a really great top ten list. Seventh Generation is an excellent product and it is still affordable. Target carries it along with Method products, I encourage everyone to purchase green products, it’s up to us to demand corporations to produce them. You can post this to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/ and then link back to your site. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.
I make most of my own cleaning products with baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and essential oils. It’s so easy to cheap to do.
Hi there,
I was just wondering if you have a recipe you can share. Both my daughters are asthmatic and it wasn’t until my 7 month old was given puffers did I decide to completely go chemical free but that doesn’t mean products in green cleaners don’t trigger asthma… I was wondering are you in the same boat????
Hi Kim
Thank you for your question. What a great choice to go chemical free, and you are so right, even a lot of the “green” companies heavily scent their products and can be irritating to anyone with sensitivities or asthma, etc. This is why I really urge people to understand that just because they are “green” does not mean they are healthy. They may be okay for the environment, but not for our health.
So personally I try to make cleaning really easy, and the biggest hurdle for a lot of us to overcome, is to stop obsessing about how many antibacterial things, etc.. we must use as if our home was some war ground or hospital. Most homes are really not that dirty. In fact the biggest cases where cleaning needs to be a little more serious is if one has a pet, or really poor hygiene and habits, like walking around the house in shoes, or not washing ones hands as soon as they come home (no matter from where).
So for dishes and clothes, I use unscented natural dish soap for example and laundry detergent, from Seventh Generation or Greener Choice (Canadian).
For all sinks and bathtubs, I use baking soda, let is sit a little with some water sprinkled on and than scrub with a brush or wipe with a sponge. With baking soda the only thing one has to remember is to rinse the area with plain water several times, to avoid white streaks.
On floors, if I need to quickly freshen up, I use plain water, and if I need to wash any stains or freshen up a little more seriously, I just put some dish soap in the water.
For windows and mirrors, you can either go with a diluted vinegar-water solution, or plain water with a good cloth specifically for mirrors. Greener Choice makes an amazing one that works so well with plain water.
For dusting, just a plain cloth that is damp with fresh water will do more than fine.
Bottom line, we have to simplify cleaning a bit. Most people today do not realize that we have all the allergies we have and all the asthma’s we have due to all these chemicals. We are so obsessed with killing all these supposed “germs” that our immune systems today are completely not able to function properly in these environments. We are more prone to getting sick from the chemical cleaners, than from any bacteria or virus ever found in our home.
Good hand washing habits, not ever wearing shoes around the house, and good hygiene in the kitchen for those who use animal products. And in the end, it really can be that simple :)
I also use a lot of vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda as cleaning agents. There are also a lot of other great “green” products out there that I didn’t know about until reading Josh Dorfman’s latest book, “The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.” I didn’t realize that there were inexpensive “green” products out there.
@ SPINDIVA – Thanks, yeah we are lucky to have all these green companies today, but sometimes it can be even much more simple than that.
I have to tell you I am not surprised about your neighbour as I have seen some pretty outrageous things around the neighbourhood too, like kids playing on pesticide-treated lawns with the parents right beside them bare feet. To give them the benefit of the doubt I assume most people just don’t realize how toxic so many household and garden products are today.
@ VINCE – Hi Vince and thank you! You are right too that 7th Generation is actually very affordable and comparable in price to many of the other traditional products.
Thanks for the link, I will check it out!
@ LOVELYN – That is great to hear Lovelyn! It is not only so cheap and easy, but the healthiest way to go too.
As green as these cleaners above are, most of them are still not 100% optimal for our health, especially the fragrances in them.
@ BECKY – That is wonderful to hear Becky too. It is so great to hear that people are turning more and more towards the basics as they really are cheap, easy, effective and not toxic or irritating health wise.
Thank you so much for the link, I will definitely check it out, as yes apparently there is so much more than just vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. I know some people too who clean silver, cars, and so much more in all natural and eco-friendly ways!
Hi Evita, thanks for the information. I stumbled upon your website after reading your great article on the Choice Point Conf. in Boston – Your article about the cleaning products caught my eye and thought I would share info about a company that I recently started to rep. Have you heard of wowgreen? If not, you will be hearing a alot more about them. wowgreen is a new company, officially launched last month. They offer a line of 100% chemical free cleaning products, (4 ingrediants: all natural enzymes, natural plant fragrance, surfactants and water) The products is extremely effective and competitively priced. It is sold throught independent reps. check it out: http://www.wowgreen.net/jhdesigns.
Your information will help me spread the word about the chemicals in cleaners – people are just beginning to become aware of these health hazards. Thanks again Jean
@ JEAN – Hello Jean and thanks for contacting me. It is always great to hear about new companies that are going green and take the environment and people’s health seriously.
As for the ingredients you mention, they do sound great, but I have seen other companies like Clorox Green Works do this too, and in truth no one really knows what those surfactants are, or how those fragrances were really made. There are many marketing ways today to make something chemical sound nice and simple, and even natural. So while I hope that this new company is making truly green products, unless they disclose their detailed list of ingredients, it is really hard to tell.
Hi Evita,
It can be very confusing for the consumer. I did some research prior to joing wowgreen and really believe in their mission “Freeing the world of toxic chemicals, one household at a time.” I thought I would send along a copy of an MSDS for one of wowgreen products (currently have 12 products) and one that compares 7th Generation and wowgreen. Also thought you might be interested in info from one of wowgreen’s founding distributors who is actively involved in the EWG. She is spearheading the Safe Kids Act – some startling information about the chemicals and the effect on newborns! Frightening! I will forward separately. Thanks for the information, great site.
Jean Hayes
@ JEAN – You are so right Jean, it really is confusing for the consumer, especially that one really needs to look at every ingredient in every product to make a good choice and that is of course time consuming and not always possible for everyone.
It would be great if companies really cared, after all we are all one on this planet and in this together. But as long as greed, profits and the bottom line drives decisions, the consumer must take on the responsibility of being accountable for their own health.
Thanks again for being in touch.
I went and looked at only the first one on your list..
Small heavy plastic containers, and plastic wrap do not make for an eco-friendly company, no matter how much the company may claim so…
So, my question to you would be, just what do you use as a criteria for this list?
Hi Evan
As far as I know, all companies today, whether environmentally friendly or not, put their products in plastic containers. The type of plastic and the way the bottle is made can be made to be more or less environmentally friendly, but I have yet to see a company who uses glass…perhaps Thieves products come closest.
This list is hence talking about what is actually inside the bottle – and all these companies make products that are environmentally friendly. That does not meant they are healthy or perfect, but are all better options than the traditional cleaners out there.
Hai Evita,Thanks for posting these great ten list.I strongly believe that everyone needs to start doing their part to be more environmentally responsible.So every one choose these products our home clean and also save our environment.
Hi Cedric
You are welcome and thank you for your comment and great thoughts!
Hi Evita,
I have tried several of the companies products on your list but found either they didn’t work very well or they smelled bad or both. I am surprised that you have not listed Melaleuca as one of your top 10 unless you have not tried thier products. They are the best I have every used and I don’t believe thier is another product that can even compares.If you have not tried thier products I suggest that you do.
Denise
Hi Denise
I am aware of Melaleuca and do not promote their system of selling. I have also checked out their ingredients and was not impressed. If something is great, it should be easily available to everyone, transparent and authentic.
While I cannot personally speak for every single product’s smell and efficiency here, I am super familiar with Seventh Generation and not only does it work extremely well, but they also have an unscented version to suit those who prefer things without fragrances. The same goes for Greener Choice – an outstanding product, especially when it is the unscented variety.
Hi Evita, Thanks for your reply. Thats to bad you do not promote Melaleuca’s system of selling. I think thier method is genius and supports the little guys. I much rather put money back into my friends and families pockets then the pockets of big corporate execs that are more concerned over profit than quality. Seventh Generation is one of the products that I found did not work well for me. I have not tried the Greener Choice but I am hooked on Melaleuca. I haven’t found anything that work as exceptional. Customers of Melaleuca have access to all the ingredients as well as the scientist, chemists, etc that developed the products who will tell you where the ingredients are derived from and what thier purpose is in the products. I like that! I can call a number and get every bit of information I need about the products I use. I think its great though that you have this information for people because you and I both know that we need to get the word out there that household cleaning products are harmful to our health.
take care, Denise
Hi Evita,
Thanks for your post. This is for the gardening friends. Instead of using pesticides,funguscides and insecticides look up Jerry Baker’s tips and tonics. He uses safe ordinary house hold items like vinegar, garlic and baking soda for the garden that actually work.
http://www.jerrybaker.net/garden/homepage.aspx
Hi Dave
Thank you that is a great helpful link, as I myself am going to be getting in gardening myself this season and starting to grow my own veggies and more!
Hi To all
Have you guys ever try the pure earth or biorem products..
Hi Francis,
Thank you for sharing about those two. I personally have not heard about them before, as today aside from water, soap, baking soda, Greener Choice dish soap and the Universal Stone, I find I don’t need any other cleaning products.
Hi Evita, just come across your list and a very good one it is too. Can I just correct you on one thing though; you say you don’t include companies that use MLM (multi level marketing). Actually you do. Both JR Watkins and Shaklee are MLM companies, and fine companies too. Just goes to show, MLM is not so bad, as long as the company does it the right way!
Great article.
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thank you and you are right on in your comment. Although I still try to look at each MLM product with as fresh eyes as possible and not judge them all the same, my view of MLM was increasingly tarnished since the writing of this article. It seemed that each product someone brought to my attention had some flaw, and was just not honest about its true merits. So today I tend to shy away from all things MLM. Yes, there is a place for them and you also stated such a great point that indeed there are companies with integrity…I just choose not to give my energy to them anymore for a few reasons.
I have the best cleaner on the planet. It is derived from plants and can be readily available to consumers worldwide. It is the Howard Huges of cleaners. I love seeing more and more people being more aware of the side offects associated with the use of chemicals. The future is what we make it. Best product ever…