By: Christianne Wittbrodt
House cleaning chores can be a hassle. Traditional cleaning supplies may do an effective job at cleaning your space, but many of them contain harsh chemicals that are bad for your skin and can negatively impact the environment. Luckily, there are countless substitutes for cleaning supplies that will leave your house sparkling without having an adverse effect on our planet. Some of the most common ingredients in basic cleaning substances are phthalates, phosphates, and parabens. Phthalates have been characterized by their reproductive toxicity meaning that they can cause issues regarding infertility and other reproductive problems. Phosphates can aid in the production of algae once they reach waterways, which can lead to algal blooms that can be lethal to marine life. Parabens have been known to kill coral and have been detected in fish, sediments, and water. Take a look at these options that you can easily introduce to your cleaning routine that will keep you and the environment safe!
6 Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Laundry Detergent Eco Sheets
Check out Earth Breeze’s laundry detergent eco sheets that will leave your clothes smelling fresh without the use of any harmful ingredients. These sheets are phthalate, phosphate, and paraben free, which is great news for your health and the environment! These detergent sheets are biodegradable and hypoallergenic, making them the perfect alternative to common laundry detergents! One box can account for up to 60 loads of laundry. Once the package is empty, you can tear it up and throw it in your compost bin because it is entirely biodegradable and compostable.
Earth Breeze Laundry Detergent Eco Sheets
Plastic Free Laundry Tablets
Many well-known laundry brands package their detergent in little plastic casings that will break down once thrown in the washing machine. They are also filled with harsh chemicals and have a high carbon footprint due to their shipment weight. Check out Blueland’s laundry starter set. Complete with 120 plastic-free tablets, Blueland prides itself on its ability to provide a detergent tablet that is just as effective at tackling stains without using bleach, dyes, and other poor ingredients. Each tablet is made without parabens, phosphates, ammonia, VOCs, chlorine bleach, or phthalates. Blueland is cruelty free and cradle-to-cradle certified.
Dishwasher Detergent Pods
Just like laundry detergent, dish detergent is also notorious for being made with a long list of harsh ingredients. Dropps dishwasher detergent pods are chlorine, phosphate, and phthalate free. In fact, the pods are made with mineral-based ingredients. When you order from Dropps, you won’t have to worry about the carbon emissions associated with the journey these dish detergent pods took to get to your doorstep, because the shipping is 100% carbon neutral. Dropps is also a partner with Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservancy organization, so you can be sure that the company you’re buying is working with the planet in mind.
Dropps Dishwasher Detergent Pods
Organic Cotton Dishcloth
Once your dishes are all clean, you can use an organic cotton dishcloth from EarthHero to dry them with! Earthero, a B Corp company, has produced plastic-free, organic cloths that can be used to dry dishes as well as tackle spills or messes in the kitchen. These dishcloths are part of Full Circle’s zero waste collection and are shipped in plastic-free packaging that is made from recycled materials. These dishcloths are soft and won’t release any microplastics into the water when they are washed. Once the cloth has reached the end of life stage, it can be composted!
EarthHero Organic Cotton Dishcloth
Vegetable Based Multipurpose Cleaner
Some of the most popular cleaning solutions are ones that are multipurpose. But, as the case may be, many of the multipurpose cleaners contain intense chemicals that may make cleaning a breeze, but don’t do the environment any favors. Frosch provides a neutral vegetable-based cleaner that can be used on all surfaces while remaining pH-neutral. This brand is EU Ecolabel certified, letting you know that it meets high environmental standards. Their neutral cleaner is vegan and cradle-to-cradle (all of their products are!). The packing itself is made from 100% recycled PET, making it an even better buy!
Toilet Brush
EarthHero is clearly a very popular sustainable brand considering it has made this list twice! It is a one-stop shop for a variety of sustainable products. One essential cleaning product is their Scrub Queen toilet brush. This brush made from recycled aluminum, recycled plastic, bamboo, and ceramic comes with a base that prevents the growth of mold and bacteria ensuring that your bathroom will remain as sanitary as possible. As a plastic bank partner, you can be rest assured that EarthHero has been reducing, reusing, and offsetting the plastic used in products, like this toilet brush, to retain their plastic neutral status. The head of the Scrub Queen toilet brush is replaceable, making it a sustainable tool to keep your bathrooms impossibly clean!
EarthHero Scrub Queen Toilet brush
It once seemed impossible to clean your house without using harsh chemicals and ingredients that are bad for your skin and the planet. As sustainability initiatives are being achieved by more and more companies, there is much more access to safer alternatives. From detergents to everyday cleaning solutions, there are options produced by reputable brands that you can feel good about using. Now it is much easier to have a clean house and a cleaner environment!
