In the ongoing effort to keep our collective carbon footprint down, switching to organic cleaning products seems like a no-brainer. While mixing up vinegar-based DIY solutions in a reusable spray bottle might be one of the eco-friendliest ways to clean the home, everyone's time commitments and household needs are different — which is why buying a readymade cleaning product might be a better move for you.
There’s no doubt that terms like “organic,” “natural,” and “green” are very contentious when used in marketing products. Unfortunately, there is currently no official standard in the United States as to what these terms mean when it comes to regulating cleaning supplies — this is why there's so much greenwashing in this product category. According to The National Law Review, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans to update its Green Guide this year to potentially revisit categories of claims such as “sustainable,” “organic,” “natural,” “recyclable,” and other climate-related terms. These terms are currently either undefined or up for revision.
Generally, if you're not going to make your own cleaning products, Medical News Today says that the best indicators of relatively safe organic cleaning products are ones with transparent ingredient lists that are nontoxic, biodegradable, and free from unnecessary dyes and fragrances. Of course, it is still up to the user to recycle or reuse the product's container responsibly. Even still, some consumers may oppose the environmental ethics of an organic cleaning product brand's parent company or the unclear sourcing and quality of a cleaning product's ingredients.
Until this area of consumer products is more closely defined and regulated, there is unfortunately still a lot of gray area for the consumer to navigate.
How We Chose
For this guide, we looked to product verification from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to help inform our product research. The EWG is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that researches the ingredients of personal care, baby care, and cleaning products. Through its rigorous criteria and rating system, it denotes which brands and products use potentially harmful ingredients or obscure their ingredient lists from consumers, while also sharing which brands and products are actually more transparent and safe.
From essential-oil powered concentrates to dye-free detergents, these are the 20 best organic cleaning products to get your home sparkling in a safer-for-the-environment way.
This organic cleaning product works by sprinkling it onto the soft surface in question, waiting five minutes, and then running a handheld vacuum over it. It leaves nothing but a nice, naturally derived, lemony-eucalyptus scent behind.
As much as we love using cleaning pastes like Bar Keepers Friend and The Pink Stuff for banishing grime and restoring shine to our cookware, stainless steel sinks, and bathroom tiles, those brands do contain some questionable, slightly abrasive ingredients.
For an organic cleaning product alternative, try the Soft Scrub Natural Cleaner. All of its ingredients are plant- or mineral-derived, and are much safer for washing down the drain post-scrub. We also like that you can choose its container material: recyclable plastic or glass.
Bar soap — even for shampoo — is nothing new, but this might be the first dishwashing bar soap we've ever come across.
Wet the No Tox Life Vegan Dish Block onto your sponge, and then work it up into a lather to scrub down your dishes, silverware, glasses, and pots as you would normally. This organic cleaning product provides the same clean without the plastic packaging or mystery ingredients.
This powder detergent from Molly's Suds is a standout from others on the market because it has just five naturally derived ingredients. It not only washes clothes, but its concentrated formula can also treat fresh stains before laundering.
This organic cleaning product smells fresh and clean, and it's also surprisingly cost-effective, supplying an estimated 70 loads from its 47-ounce bag.
There's nothing that makes our eyes water more than opening our fridge to a medley of pungent smells. Sticking an open box of Arm & Hammer in there usually does the trick, but the brand's Refrigerator Air Filter will prevent you from having to waste your go-to box for baking.
Each filter contains the same sodium bicarbonate as the boxed stuff, but it adheres to the side of your fridge's interior to absorb funky smells.
When mud, juice, spit-up, or even poop stains make an unfortunate cameo in the course of a day, parents who've reviewed this organic cleaning product swear by its ability to make them vanish. It works best on fresh stains, so it's a good one to keep in your bag at all times.
No matter which type of mop you use at home, Aunt Fannie's Floor Cleaner will help make a dirty job smell a whole lot nicer.
Dilute half a cup of this lemon-scented, vinegar-based concentrate into a 2-gallon bucket of water, dip in your mop, and get to it: The solution can be used on any sealed floor material, from hardwood to linoleum.
To use, pour just a teaspoon of this organic cleaning product formula into a 22-ounce bottle and fill it with water. Then, you can spritz it on nearly any surface (besides untreated wood or stone) for a thorough, eco-safer clean.
The Force of Nature Starter Kit will have you cleaning smarter, not harder. To use, just fill up the included vessel with water, insert a cartridge pre-filled with salt and vinegar, attach it to the dock, and power it on.
The dock infuses the solution with an electrical charge, and by doing so actually changes the chemical compound of the solution into hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide. This super-charged solution cleans and deodorizes so thoroughly, it's even on the EPA's list of COVID-19 disinfectants.
Note: While this brand isn't EWG-verified, the chemicals it produces — hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide — don't show high environmental or health concern, as long as they're used responsibly to clean.
So, years-old carpet stains, a grimy bathtub, and even coffee marks on your ceramics have finally all met their match with this organic cleaning product.
Blueland’s dishwashing tablets are effective at cleaning a dish load without unnecessary scents or wasteful extras. Where many detergent pods have dye, fragrance, or a water-soluble film, this organic cleaning product keeps things simple and eco-friendly.
The starter set pictured comes with a tin for holding all 40 tablets. Or you can purchase the slightly cheaper refill pack instead, sans tin.
This travel-sized pack of Dapple's All-Purpose Wipes help clean hands, clothes, tray tables, toys, and anything else that might get a little gunky on the go. Not only are these wipes hypoallergenic, but they are also approved for use by pediatricians and health professionals.
It's tough to find a toilet bowl cleaner that's safe for the Earth, not extremely harmful to our health, and able to effectively sanitize one of the grimiest places in our home — but Seventh Generation's Toilet Bowl Cleaner comes as close as it gets.
It leaves out bleach, chemical fragrance, and artificial dyes for a septic-safe, 97% bio-based formula.
Attitude's dishwashing detergent has a light and all-natural grapefruit smell and dye-free formula. Plus, it's packaged in a 100% recyclable plastic bottle for your convenience.
Many reviewers say that they love using this organic cleaning product as an alternative to traditional liquid detergents because it cleans just as well.
Dropps is an eco-friendly and hypoallergenic laundry detergent that comes in a convenient pod form. The brand includes no dye, no colors, and no plastic in their products — and that's why we're obsessed with them.
The dissolvable detergent pods can be popped right into your laundry load, and they're packed with the same stain- and odor-fighting potency as regular detergents. However, they contain no major environmental or health hazards.
Aunt Fannie's Glass and Window Vinegar Wash's clean ingredient list includes white distilled vinegar and a sugar surfactant that helps to emulsify the solution, along with essential oils for scent and added cleaning power.
It's surprising how well this organic cleaning product cleans without leaving streaks — though you may want to dust your surfaces before spraying for maximum efficiency.
Perfect for cleaning floors, countertops, laundry, and dishes, Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds is an all-in-one organic cleaning product. Certified vegan and organic, the formula contains plant-based surfactants that are easy and gentle to work with.
Plus, the formula is free of synthetic dyes, preservatives, and fragrances.
The master of multiple uses, Heinz's white vinegar can be used in a myriad of home cleaning solutions. Use this acidic, yet skin-safe organic cleaning product to help unclog a sink drain, get the gunk off a showerhead, or even clean the inside of your microwave.
Melanie YatesSenior Home Decor EditorMelanie is the senior home decor editor of Best Products, where she's been researching and testing out home and bedding products since 2015 — her work can also be found on House Beautiful and Women's Health.
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