The Best Eco-Cleaning Products Tried And Tested
Using natural products to clean our homes may help to reduce our carbon footprints, but not all of us are quite ready to replace the bleach for a simple bottle of white vinegar and a lemon. Are you? We’re not quite there yet anyhow. But after months of washing our hands while singing Happy Birthday and squirting bucketfuls of skin-abrasive sanitiser onto our mitts, we’re harking after gentler cleaning solutions that feel kinder to ourselves and our homes.
There is a middle ground where ‘eco-cleaning’ solutions that claim to be kinder to the environment and our wellbeing sit, however. And these products are fulfilling a public demand that is gaining popularity. Simply take a look in your local supermarket - or perhaps you have a local refillable shop just launched nearby - and you’ll notice a number of ‘eco cleaning’ solutions lining the shelves including multi-purpose sprays, bath cleaners, washing up liquids, biodegradable surface wipes and more. These products are taking on the mainstream cleaning brands that we’ve been using for years.
“For many, eco-cleaning means making your own cleaning solutions with products found at home, but for others, purchasing eco-friendly cleaning products is the way to go,” says Lily Cameron, domestic cleaning expert at Fantastic Cleaners. “But bear in mind that many companies label their products ‘greener’ as part of a marketing strategy, but not all have the correct certifications to do so.” Cameron says that when it comes to telling cleaning products apart, the safest way is to check the label - many products that are actually green have an A.I.S.E. Charter for Sustainable Cleaning logo or an EU Ecolabel. Another way is to check the ingredients at the back and make sure they don’t have phosphates, chlorine or other strong chemicals.
The key to eco-friendly solutions is in the branding: anti-bacterial sanitisers that are ‘phosphate and chlorine-free’ with no ammonia, surface cleaners that are ‘plant-based’ and ‘non toxic’, and even washing-up sponges that are non-plastic and compostable are just some of the items you can find in store and online. ‘Vegan’, ‘cruelty free’ and ‘cleaning with a conscious’ are just a few more virtue-signally buzzwords you may also find on the packaging. This is enough for any of us to feel a little shame and consider our positions in the world while toying up the state of our bathrooms. What do we want? A greener environment. When do we want it? After the bath and toilet is sparkling clean, naturally.
