With spring cleaning in full swing, arm yourself with eco-friendly cleaning products and your body will thank you. Turns out, over the course of four to five days, the average person spends between 5 and 10 hours scrubbing and dusting away, according to the latest Spring Cleaning Survey by Thumbtack, a home care app. That means if you’re sensitive to harsh chemicals in multisurface cleaners and other foaming cleaning solutions, dealing with grime in your house can be quite a headache, literally. What’s more, some disinfectant sprays and wipes release toxins, potentially triggering allergies.
That’s one of the reasons Devon Holmes, a Thumbtack pro with Uncommon Solutions, switched over to making his own cleaning products. The traditional formulas tended to irritate his skin and throat after a long day of cleaning. These days, his cleaning supplies use basic ingredients. “For example, baking soda is a great odor eliminator and whitener,” Holmes says. “When mixed with white vinegar, it is also a powerful cleaning combination for many purposes. All in all, the most anyone truly needs for everyday cleaning is vinegar, alcohol, baking soda, dish soap, and some cleaning tools.” He also adds essential oils to his eco-friendly cleaning formulas since they have disinfecting and antibacterial properties and add a nice natural scent to the cleaning experience. One of his favorite DIY products is a glass cleaner, which consists of alcohol, white vinegar, distilled water, and essential oils.
For those who prefer not to concoct cleaning solutions but still want the eco-friendly version, AD has been on the hunt for cleaning products you can feel good about using at home, especially if you have little kids or pets. We found ready-to-use earth-friendly products that will get the job done without harsh chemicals. And we are not the only ones interested in sustainable, plant-based ingredients that can KO a serious mess. According to research from Google Trends, people are searching for eco-friendly cleaning products: The top searched term in the US this past year is “eco-friendly laundry detergent” and other top trending terms include “eco-friendly disinfectant” and “eco-friendly carpet cleaner.” Search interest in “biodegradable soap” in the category of cleaning supplies and services more than doubled in the past year.
We did our homework and put dozens of natural cleaning products—sans parabens, phthalates, and phosphates—to the test by wiping smudges off a glass dining room table and windows in a playroom, scrubbing away stubborn stains on countertops, and running load after load of dishes to find a perfect dishwasher detergent that will get rid of grease without leaving a chalky residue.
The following 21 green cleaning products are our favorite biodegradable formulas in reusable or compostable containers that won’t end up in a landfill. Plus, tools to give your home-maintenance routine even more sustainability. Happy and healthy cleaning!
Best eco-friendly cleaning products for the kitchen
This aromatic multisurface cleaner is hands down the best smelling product we tested. Just a few spritzes of Safely Universal Cleaner leave the kitchen a fragrant bouquet that isn’t too citrusy or too floral. The cleaning brand, founded by Kris Jenner and Emma Grede, uses plant-based ingredients such as coconut oil and mineral salt to power through grime. We love to use it at the end of the day to get rid of fingerprints on the stainless steel fridge and to wipe away splatters off of countertops with a Cloud Paper bamboo paper towel or a Swedish cloth. But really, it smells so good you will want to spray it everywhere.
Mix this biodegradable powder with a bit of water to make a paste that banishes stuck-on stains with the power of plant-based ingredients like lavender and tea tree essential oils. (Tea tree oil is know to be a disinfectant). We used it to to get rid of a tea stain on a laminate countertop and as a floor cleaner to lift stuck-on spots around the stove. Bonus points: The EWG gave AspenClean SuperScrub an A and it comes in a 100% recycled bottle, not a single-use plastic destined for a landfill. A true hero of sustainable cleaning.
A lot of dishes went into testing dishwasher products without harsh chemicals. We love Grove Co. Total Clean Dishwasher Detergent Packs for dealing with food stains, even stuck-on oatmeal and greasy pots used to make dumplings. Unlike some natural cleaning products that tend to leave a chalky residue on glass, these lemon-and-eucalyptus scented pods left dishes sparkling clean. It also comes in a fragrance-free formula. These are also cruelty-free and come in recyclable aluminum packaging.
Koala Eco Lemon Myrtle and Mandarin dish soap is the essence of clean thanks to its fragrant bounty of essential oils. It’s Aromatherapy at its best because you’ll actually want to wash the dishes. And oh, yeah, its foaming power cuts through grease without having to rely on phthalates or phosphates.
Dr. Bronner’s soap is made with organic oils and fair trade ingredients. It works on basically everything: house and body. You can dilute it in a bucket of water and use it as a floor cleaner or make a cleaning spray for windows and other household surfaces. We love to use it to rejuvenate oven racks. All you need to do is fill up a bathtub with hot water, then add Dr. Bronner’s fragrance-free castile soap, and soak the dirty oven racks for at least two hours. Use steel wool to remove the brown residue. (It helps if you put old towels on the bottom so you won’t have to clean the tub after). This variety pack, a great introduction to the brand, lets you sample their seriously amazing scents (including almond, peppermint, tea tree, lavender, and eucalyptus).
This wouldn’t be an eco-friendly cleaning products story without baking soda. It can do just about anything. You can use it to remove rust stains, clean a mattress, polish brass, wipe down kitchen countertops, deep-clean your oven, and more. You can also leave it your fridge or freezer and it will absorb any odor. You can even use baking soda for pest control. Halle Cottis, author of Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness, suggests placing a mixture of equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar in a saucer. “The powdered sugar attracts the ants, and the baking soda will kill them,” she explains.
The compact scrub brush starter set of four is your answer to a zero-waste kitchen. Two of the brushes are made from stiff coconut fiber bristles that work great on cast iron pans, stuck-on messes, and as a tool to brush off dry food plates before placing them in the dishwasher. The other two are made from a gentler sisal fiber, which won’t scratch non-stick cookware and glass. We use them instead of sponges to erase coffee stains from mugs.
A paper towel works great in a pinch, but it is no secret that sustainability is not its forte. On the other hand, cellulose sponge cloths (also known as Swedish dishcloth) can be used to wipe up messes again and again. Each reusable cloth can last up to six months—just wash it with your clothes or in the dishwasher. It’s safe on everything from marble to tile to stainless steel to wood surfaces.
Best eco-friendly cleaning products for the bathroom
There is a sponge and then there is the sponge. The Grove Collaborative coconut scouring pad is your answer to dealing with stuck-on toothpaste and other sink issues. It suds up the cleaning products but won’t scratch the surface, whether its your marble vanity countertop or the inside of a porcelain sink.
Now that you have the right sponge, get your hands on the Brandless Tub & Tile Cleaner to deal with soap scum on both shower tiles and the glass. Our favorite part about this cleaning spray is that the refill packs are about two inches, so they will never take up precious cabinet storage space. When you’re ready to reload, just drop a pack into a 32-ounce bottle and start up your bathroom cleaning routine once again.
A beauty routine is no good if you have a cloudy, streaky, or splattered mirror. Safely Glass Cleaner will banish all with the help of coconut oil, a plant-based ingredient that helps reduce static and wipes away smudges with ease. Simply spray on the surface and wipe away with a lint-free material, such as a microfiber cloth or an old newspaper.
The Bissell SteamShot is the darling of TikTok, and for good reason: the high-temperature steam machine can tackle the most stubborn spots, from dirty grout to hard-to-reach areas behind the sink faucet—all without the use of harsh chemicals.
We’ve been turning to brands like Branch Basics, a female-founded cleaning supply company that makes a plant-and-mineral-based concentrate for cleaning pretty much every part of the house. We appreciate the BPA-free, reusable spray bottles and the biodegradable, non-harmful formula. The Branch Basics Oxygen Boost powder is a favorite, not only does it work on laundry stains without having to rely on bleach, ammonia, fragrances or dyes, use it to make a paste that will banish yellow and moldy stains from grout.
In between scrubs, you can pop these toilet bowl cleaner tablets into your tank. With every flush, the tablet releases a bit of bleach into the tank, providing constant cleanings. Swap them out every two to three months.
Best eco-friendly cleaning products for the living room
L’Avant wipes are one of those natural cleaning products you want to buy by the dozen. The wipes are made with a mesh material that is penetrated with powerful plant-based ingredients that work overtime on everything, from removing dust from baseboards to stains on wall surfaces in high-traffic areas and pet foot prints. You can also feel good about using them around your kids as these are fragrance-free and contain no parabens, phosphates, phthalates, chlorine, or articolors. Pets love them too, these wipes are Leaping Bunny–certified as cruelty-free.
We tested this on a glass dining table and a glass coffee table, as well as windows, and the results were spectacular. The Koala Eco Peppermint Glass Cleaner dealt with icky, filmy messes by polishing away smears and fingerprints in seconds. The biodegradable formula also removes bacteria and smells amazing so your house is ready for guests. And it will certainly enhance your cleaning routine when the entertaining is all done.
Discouraged by the lack of transparency around ingredients in his laundry detergent, Ryan Lupberger and his cofounder, Zachary Bedrosian, decided to take on the cleaning industry. Cleancult’s products lean heavily on the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties of coconuts, and the company is committed to carbon-neutral shipping. Use the all-purpose cleaner to tackle dust and more.
This no-wax, nontoxic, plant-based wood floor cleaner is super easy to use, dries quickly and doesn’t require any rinsing. It’s also one of the best things we’ve ever smelled. It’s available in three scents: almond, spearmint sage, and lemon ginger. (They’re all delicious, but almond is our favorite.) It’s also available in a spray bottle, which is perfect for when you just need to clean a spot on your floor rather than the whole thing.
Best eco-friendly cleaning products for the laundry room
Dirty Labs products are 1,4 dioxane-free, California Prop 65 chemical-free, and are hypoallergenic. But that’s not the only reason we love them, the scent Magnolia (with notes of bergamot, and cedar) and Murasaki (inspired by the early spring green tea harvest in Japan with notes of jasmine, matcha, and vetiver) will make you want to wash your sheets, along with everything else, nonstop.
The zero-plastic compostable container is one reason to up the sustainability factor in your cleaning routine. AspenClean Oxygen bleach laundry powder is also void of harsh chemicals but still works as a super stain remover thanks to mineral-based and plant-based ingredients. We also love that it is safe to use on color.
It should also be noted we’re major proponents of the dryer ball. These Wooly Heroes are by far the cutest way to minimize static and lint as your laundry goes into the dryer.
