7 Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products That Won’t Dirty Our Planet
No, using eco-friendly cleaning products won’t clean your house for you (we wish!), but they sure can remove a lot of the hazards.
We’ve all swept dust under the rug, but we’re also (figuratively) doing it when we use conventional cleaners that make our planet a little dirtier. Because their use ironically contributes to the build-up of toxic waste and plastic pollution (more on this at the bottom of the article).
Which is why we’re on a green cleaning mission to spotlight natural alternatives that ensure a healthier home and planet, and that surely provides some motivation for those chores.
So after a lot of research, reading ingredient labels, and testing (i.e. cleaning), we’ve rounded up our favorite brands that stick to safe, effective formulations, ethical sourcing, and low-waste packaging.
As we refresh our eco-guides in the coming months, our new Brand Rating System will be applied to brands to score them against an array of factors, from chemical use to biodiversity considerations in the supply chain. You can learn more about these criteria here.
1. Blueland
Blueland’s Home Cleaning Products
Price Range: $18–$61
Blueland offers some of the best eco-friendly cleaners, and we should know—we’ve tried pretty much all of them.
The Clean Essentials is the perfect starter kit, and it’s what started our love of Blueland, too. It includes their Glass + Mirror, Bathroom, and Multi -Surface cleaning sprays as well as their foaming hand soap.
While each of these products end up as liquids, they don’t start that way. Instead, they come in the form of tablets in composable packets. Just drop in water and let the cleaning magic begin. When you need a refill, order the tablets alone and keep using each colorful spray bottle received in the initial kit for years to come.
2. Meliora
Meliora’s Cleaning Products
Price Range: $5–$29
Meliora is most well-known for its Eco Laundry Powder, which uses the power of organic plant-based ingredients to clean without compromising the health of our planet. Everything is made with non-toxic ingredients, like organic coconut oil.
Zero waste laundry detergent aside, some of their most popular offerings include all-purpose home cleaning spray, a home cleaning scrub, Castile dish soap, and even a refillable glass cleaning spray bottle that can be used with cleaning spray refills.
3. Miniml Refills
Miniml Refills’ Cleaning Products
Price Range: £2.50–£25
Miniml Refills is among the most unique cleaning brands we’ve come across with a closed-loop product design. It works like this: You purchase an initial reusable glass bottle, purchase a refill of your choice, refill your bottle, and send back the empty packaging for cleaning and reuse.
They do contain “perfumes” to get scents like Sorrento lemon, blood orange, wild rhubarb, and cucumber, which likely means they’re synthetic. All their cleaning supplies are free of VOCs, chlorine bleaches, solvents, lanoline, sulfates, parabens, and phosphates.
4. Ecologie by Danica
Ecologie by Danica’s Cleaning Supplies
Price Range: $6–$42
Ecologie by Danica’s Swedish sponge towels will help you say goodbye to the paper towel.
The reusable paper towel replacements are made from 70% sustainably-sourced cellulose and 30% cotton, and can be used for everything from absorbing spills (holding up to 15 times their weight in water), to removing tough stains on the dishes or cleaning bathroom surfaces.
5. Earth Breeze
Earth Breeze’s Cleaning Products Subscription
Price Range: One-Time Purchase $20–Subscription Price $12
Earth Breeze keeps it super simple with just one product—liquidless laundry detergent sheets—available in Fragrance-free or Fresh Scent.
They’re vegan, cruelty-free, and don’t contain parabens, bleach, dye, phthalate, or phosphates. However, as they are laundry sheets, they do contain PVA, which has raised some concerns about impacts on water systems.
They work in almost all washing machines, including HE units and modern combo washer/dryers, which is what we’ve specifically tested them in, with great results.
6. Jungle Culture
Jungle Culture’s Cleaning Products
Price Range: £4–£13
Jungle Culture develops a wide variety of zero waste bathroom and home goods.
But their Natural Dish Brush set is the perfect biodegradable plant-derived cleaning product for a eco-chic kitchen. The brushes are made from plant-based materials like bamboo and fibers from coconut husks and sisal plants. The plant-derived brushes are completely organic, vegan-friendly, and biodegradable. The natural coarseness of the sisal and coconut fibers gets rid of stubborn stains and soap scum and doubles as a kitchen tile cleaner if you’re in a pinch.
If you have fragile glassware, the organic hemp and cotton cleaning cloths will be a go-to.
7. Zero Co
Zero Co.’sCleaning Products
Price Range: $7–$170
Zero Co. products are more than just a pretty face. They’re committed to tackling the plastic problem with recycled plastic bottles and refillable cleaning supplies.
The Australian home cleaning brand’s method is straightforward: order a starter kit with reusable bottles and refill pouches, send the refillable pouches back for cleaning, and repeat. Whether you need toilet bowl cleaners, handwash, or shampoo, Zero Co. has you covered with high-quality eco-friendly products with fewer carbon emissions.
The Essentials Starter Pack gives you everything for your cleaning routine—nine home and body cleaners that are vegan, cruelty-free, septic and gray water safe, phthalate free, and palm oil free (except for the dishwasher tabs).
