Eco-Clean: Earth-friendly choices can spruce up homes
I love Mother Earth. But I’ve always avoided eco-cleaning products because with labels that read “non-caustic, non-acid, phosphate-free, non-toxic,” I wonder — does it work?
So I put such products to the test.
First, the good news. The products, while they cost more, were not as expensive as I expected. And products that are biodegradable and non-toxic are easier on our planet and better to use around the house on a regular basis. Save the industrial cleaners for those intense, once-a-month cleanings.
Many eco-friendly products also smell better, and some people might feel more comfortable using them in a house shared with small children and pets.
The bad news: One clogged my drain, some do smell bad and you may have a hard time finding many of these on store shelves.
Here are some of the products and test results:
Drain openers
Earth-Friendly Products’ Natural Enzymes Drain Opener Build Up Remover and Drain Maintainer turned out to be a drain-clogger. The directions read like a recipe: You have to mix the brew ahead of time and wait 24 hours for it to work. But at the 28-hour mark, the drain was clogged worse than ever. I used Liquid-Plumr to clear it.
Glass cleaners
All cleaned the glass, but Seventh Generation Free & Clear Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner streaked. It’s also the only one with a caution label (eye irritant). Mountain Green Natural Glass Cleaner Streak-Free with Vinegar was better at cleaning windows, but the vinegar smell was strong. It’s hypoallergenic. EcoCover Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner was soapier and required a bit more rubbing to get it off glass, but cleaned the best. It also cut through grease on marble, chrome and porcelain. I usually use Windex Glass Cleaner Wipes.
Toilet bowl cleaners
The winner was Seventh Generation Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It had a mint scent and was a good cleaning product. Earth Friendly Products boasted a “natural cedar scent” on its Non-Polluting Toilet Bowl Cleaner, but it didn’t smell as good or clean as well as the Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner I typically use.
Bathroom cleaners
LifeTree’s Fresh and Natural All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner worked fine on the sink (a Soft-Scrub equivalent), but not as well on the tub or toilet. I was delighted to discover that good old Bon Ami qualifies as an eco-product. This powerful powder contains no chlorine, perfume or dyes that would blacklist it. The label does warn it’s an eye-irritant. Heather’s Oxygen Bleach Cleanser worked fine on the tub, but with a little more work — and I missed that Bon-Ami clean.
What to say about Seventh Generation Shower Cleaner? It’s not Tilex. But it works like something in between the everyday shower cleaners and the toxic Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover.
Laundry detergents
Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent worked well, but Citra-Solv’s Citra-Suds worked a bit better (it even got out a stubborn chocolate stain). Neither detergent worked as well on whites as my usual Arm & Hammer Free Liquid, but using hot water and adding Country-Save Non-Chlorine Powder Bleach to the wash helped with one white load (the bleach also worked as a good cleaning product when dissolved in water).
One nice touch: The whole house smelled like oranges while the machine was running (both Seventh Generation and Citra-Solv brands are citrus-scented), yet the “orange peel” smell didn’t overpower my clothes once dried.
Dish soaps
Dish soaps are dish soaps, so if you’re going to do dishes with them, you’ll do well with the eco-products. They’ll clean your dishes and won’t skin your hands raw. If you prefer the anti-bacterial formulas, stick to non-eco-products.
I liked the apple-scented Bio-Pac. It seemed to clean better than LifeTree’s Dishwashing Soap. (I usually grab the cheapest dish soap on the shelf).