We all want to have a clean home, but without impacting on our health and the environment. The answer is swapping to natural eco-friendly cleaning products.
Cleaning is a chore that some love and others hate. Either way, it’s a task we all have to do. But did you know that traditional cleaning products are bad for the environment and our health?
I was quite shocked when my research revealed how damaging common household cleaners are. And don’t get me started on cleaning sponges or wet wipes.
So in this guide, I will tell you all you need to know about swapping to natural eco-friendly cleaning products.
What’s Wrong With Traditional Cleaning Products?
But let’s start with why you should be swapping to natural eco-friendly cleaning products in the first place.
Because there are several things wrong with traditional household cleaners that you buy in the supermarket.
Harmful Chemicals
While many of them do a great job at cleaning your home, they also use harsh chemicals that are bad for the health of your family as well as our environment.
Toxic chemicals such as bleach, ammonia and triclosan have been shown to have a negative impact on the health of humans.
While less research has been done into the impact these substances have on our environment, the studies that have been carried out confirm that they are just as bad for the environment, if not worse.
Some of the most commonly used chemicals in cleaning products can kill aquatic life. So if you want to reduce the impact you have on our planet, then stopping the use of these nasty cleaners is a must.
Read our guide if you want to know more about how bad these traditional cleaning products are.
The good news is that there are alternatives available that use natural ingredients that won’t harm us or the environment. But we’ll get to them in a bit.
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Plastic
Another reason for swapping to natural eco-friendly cleaning products is to reduce your plastic waste.
Have a look under your kitchen sink. What do you see? Plastic bottles galore, I bet. Most of the household cleaners we buy come in plastic bottles.
OK, they can be recycled, but here is the thing. Plastic can’t be recycled indefinitely because the quality worsens with every time a plastic item goes through recycling. So sooner or later it will end up in landfill.
So we have to keep producing more plastic, most of which is made from fossil fuels, which is not a renewable source.
This means more plastic waste. And given that plastic can take hundreds of years to break down, this is a big problem for our environment.
And it’s not just the packaging of these cleaning products. Cleaning accessories such as sponges and wet wipes are also made of plastic.
Both of these are terrible news for the planet. Not only do we have to produce huge amounts to satisfy the demand, they also release microplastics into our environment.
And these tiny plastic pieces can enter the soil, waterways, animals and our own bodies. This is bad news for everyone.
Although scientists don’t know the extent to which the presence of microplastics in everything causes harm, they are very worried.
And wet wipes and sponges can’t be recycled either, so by using them we produce a huge amount of plastic waste through our daily cleaning routines.
On top of this, many people think that wet wipes are only wet tissues and flush them down the toilet. Not only does this cause problems for our drains, but these wet wipes also cause real havoc in the environment.
Single-Use/Short Life
Wet wipes are also single-use. And everything that is single use creates a lot of waste. Additionally, single-use items need to be replaced often, so it is necessary to produce vast amounts.
There are also a lot of different types of wet wipes, not only are there different ones for cleaning, but they are also used in personal care and beauty.
By the way, wet wipes are also soaked in chemicals, hence why they are wet. Some of these chemicals are bad for the environment and can cause great harm.
While cleaning sponges aren’t single-use, they only tend to be used for a short period, days or maybe weeks.
Especially dish sponges are replaced regularly due to hygiene reasons, to prevent the build-up of harmful bacteria. As these could transfer onto your dishes, this is necessary.
However, this also means that worldwide we throw away millions of sponges every week. And as sponges can’t be recycled, they end up in landfill.
To keep the sponges safe from bacteria while they wait on the shelf, they are soaked in bleach or triclosan. These chemicals are not good for us or the environment.
But every time the sponge is used, these chemicals make their way down our drains and eventually some of them make it into our waterways.
So you can see, traditional household cleaners and things like sponges are very harmful to our planet.
Top-Rated Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
| Cleaning Products | Value For Money | Effectiveness | Ease Of Use | My Rating | Full Review | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Outstanding | Excellent | Great | 4.90/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Outstanding | Excellent | Great | 4.90/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Great | Outstanding | Excellent | 4.87/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
What To Look Out For In Natural Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Now that we know what makes traditional cleaning products so bad for the planet, we can find out what natural eco-friendly cleaning products should look like.
It might look daunting at first, because it seems like a big task to replace all these harmful cleaners and accessories. But don’t worry, our guide will break down into bite-size pieces, so to speak, to make it easy for you.
From what we have learned above, we can identify three criteria that natural cleaning products need to fulfil:
- Plastic-Free
- Reusable
- Natural Ingredients
To ensure that your cleaning routine is sustainable and safe for your family and the environment, use products that meet these three criteria when cleaning your home.
1. Plastic-Free
It might seem like an impossible task in a society that is so obsessed and addicted to plastic. But there are companies out there that put our environment at the centre of their business and create plastic-free alternatives to clean your home. At least, as plastic-free as possible.
First look at packaging: that’s where most traditional cleaners contain plastic. Plastic bottles are so commonly used now, that we don’t even think when picking one up. But there are more eco-friendly alternatives.
Glass bottles can’t just be recycled endlessly; they are also reusable without deteriorating after a while. So look for cleaning products that come in reusable glass bottles.
Most brands that sell cleaning products in reusable glass bottles will also offer refills.
When it comes to packaging of cleaning products, there are two instances where it is difficult not to get plastic. One are refill pouches. Most of them are plastic.
However, there are companies who will take them back, either to recycle them or, even better, to reuse them.
It’s worth checking before you buy, if they take back the refill pouches. Sometimes the refills come in tablet form, which you just dissolve in water. These tend to come in plastic-free packaging.
Another area where it is difficult to go plastic-free are spray bottles. While the bottles themselves are often glass, the pump is plastic. Some companies will take back these plastic pumps to get them recycled to keep them out of landfill.
So, while it is very difficult to go completely palstic-free, you can reduce the amount you use in your cleaning to a minimum. And if you choose the right brand, any plastic that you do use can be sent back to be either reused or recycled.
You can even get cleaning gloves made from natural rubber, which means they are plastic-free. While these are a bit more expensive, they are eco-friendly and won’t harm the planet. I think this is worth paying more for.
And you can get plastic-free sponges and wet wipes. These are made from natural materials and are biodegradable or even compostable.
Compostable sponges are made from different materials. Natural sea sponges are animals; loofah sponges are the fruit of the luffa plant and cellulose sponges are made from plant fibres.
These are all plastic-free, and they tend to last longer than traditional plastic sponges, because you can clean them to prolong their life. This brings us neatly to our next criterium.
2. Reusable
In order to reduce the waste we produce, we have to move away from being a throwaway society. This means only buying things that we can reuse again and again.
Traditional plastic sponges are not made to last. They deteriorate quickly, especially if you use them for scrubbing dirty areas. Eco-friendly alternatives are different. Sea sponges can last for years if cared for properly.
Loofah and cellulose sponges can be washed in a dishwasher or washing machine to freshen them up. This means they can be used for longer. They won’t fall apart quickly and by cleaning them you get rid of harmful bacteria.
And you can get reusable wet wipes too, so there is no need for these nasty single-use ones anymore.
There are even reusable kitchen rolls available. While kitchen roll sheets are compostable and palstic-free, they are still single-use. And producing them does involve processes that use energy.
Like with other single-use items, we have to keep producing them. So by using reusable kitchen rolls, you help to reduce the amount that is produced.
And together with cleaning products that come in reusable glass bottles, you can make sure that you have a sustainable cleaning routine without producing lots of waste.
3. Natural Ingredients
The final criterium is keeping away from products with harsh and harmful chemicals. This includes cleaning products, but also wet wipes and sponges, which often are soaked in chemicals such as bleach.
When it comes to swapping to natural eco-friendly cleaning products, you have two choices: you can go for natural cleaning products or probiotic cleaning products.
Both alternatives don’t use dangerous chemicals, but there is a big difference. Natural cleaning products use traditional, non-synthetic ingredients such as bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, salt and citric acid.
These are natural ingredients that won’t harm the environment or our health. Therefore, they are eco-friendly, as well as sustainable.
Probiotic cleaning uses good bacteria to clean your home. Think of it like probiotic yoghurts or drinks that are good for your gut. These introduce beneficial bacteria that will support your digestion and gut health.
In cleaning products, the good bacteria do two things: they eat dirt and outcompete the bad bacteria. Good bacteria are already in our environment, but by adding more through the cleaning product, you create this army of beneficial organisms that won’t leave the baddies a chance.
Another benefit of probiotic cleaners is that the bacteria will carry on cleaning when you have finished. This will keep your home cleaner for longer and cleaning becomes less of a hard job.
Of course, you can also go back to homemade cleaning products. Creating your own natural cleansers is easy, cheap and very satisfying.
Where To Find Natural Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
If you are now keen on switching to natural eco-friendly products but are not sure where to find them, read on and find out.
There are a lot of small UK-based companies out there that make eco-friendly cleaning products. Finding them can be a bit tricky, but there are also online eco stores that only sell eco-friendly products.
They only work with brands that have proven green credentials and mostly only with UK companies. This is important to me, because I believe that buying a product from a company on the other side of the world that you could get from a homegrown business is not sustainable.
Most of them have their own environmentally friendly products too, but use their website to also promote and sell other eco-friendly brands. I like this, because it shows they do really care about the planet and not just about their profit.
Bower Collective
Another UK-based online eco shop is the Bower Collective. They have their own natural cleaning products, which they sell under the name Bower on their website.
These are eco-friendly household cleaners that are made with only natural ingredients. They also offer reusable glass spray bottles to complete their cleaning range.
They have also created the BowerPack, which is a reusable pouch they use for their refills. Once it’s empty you can send it back to them for free, and they refill it and send it back out.
I love this circular packaging system, because it means there is no waste. Great Job Bower!
Under the name Bower Collective, they also sell sustainable and eco-friendly products from other brands. They carefully vet the partners they work with to ensure they confirm to their standard.
This means you can have confidence that the products you buy at their online shop will help you to live a more sustainable life.
&Keep
This is another small UK-based online business that has sustainability at its heart. &keep make sustainable products themselves and sell them on their website.
At the same time, they give other small eco brands a platform to sell their products too. They have a great collection of environmentally friendly products.
And because they select the brands they allow on their website carefully, you only find genuine, eco-friendly brands. For me that is great, because they have done all the leg work for me.
You can also find information about the seller on the product page, so you know exactly who you are buying from.
Their range is quite big, so you are sure to find the eco-friendly product you are after at &keep.
Re:gn
I’m not sure how you pronounce their name (I think it’s regain), but re:gn is another great online store for eco-friendly products.
This UK-based online shop has some own products they sell on their website, but they also have a great range of products from other companies. All products they sell are eco-friendly and sustainable too.
They are keen to create a zero-waste society, so you won’t find any products on re:gn that produce waste. It’s a great place to find alternatives to single-use, plastic products.
I love that they offer various eco-friendly accessories, some of which we may not even consider to be harmful to the environment, like hair ties or dish brushes.
Veo World
What I love about this Manchester-based online shop is that it’s not just about eco-friendliness. It’s a big part of it, but they also incorporate other values into their brand, such as Fairtrade and independent.
This means that on Veo World you will find businesses that align with all your values and I love that.
They don’t seem to have their own products. They provide a platform for brands that operate in an ethical way, which is brilliant.
Veo Wolrd have a wide range of different products, including clothing, personal care and cleaning. So a great place to go if you look for sustainable alternatives to traditional products.
Ethical Superstore
Like Veo World, the Ethical Superstore is a platform for ethical products, including eco-friendly products. They have a wide range of products that are a better choice than conventional products.
While eco-friendliness isn’t the only aspect, it’s a big part of the concept. So you will be able to find many eco-friendly brands on this online platform.
They have a wide range of different products for the conscious consumer, including fashion, cleaning, toys and even food.
There is a “plastic free” category in their grocery section, where you can find food products in all categories that don’t contain any plastic. This is very useful, if you’re trying to reduce the amount of plastic you have in your kitchen.
The only thing to remember is that they sell products from all around the world. So it’s worth considering if you could get the product from a company that produces in the UK or EU, which would be more eco-friendly.
Conclusion
So while it might feel a little daunting to swap to natural eco-friendly cleaning products, it’s simpler than it sounds.
As long as you look out for the three criteria we talked about (plastic-free, reusable and natural ingredients), you will find the switch a breeze.
And you don’t have to find the right brands yourself searching the internet for hours. There are online eco shops that have done the work for you.
So don’t wait any longer, swap to natural eco-friendly cleaning products now and give mother nature a helping hand.
3 Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
| Cleaning Products | Value For Money | Effectiveness | Ease Of Use | My Rating | Full Review | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | Excellent | Great | 4.90/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
| Outstanding | Excellent | Great | 4.90/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
| Great | Outstanding | Excellent | 4.87/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
