Favorite Green Cleaners from Organic Picks

January 18, 2008

OrganicPicks was developed by two moms here in the Bay Area. It is a community-based resource site that offers user-submitted reviews of green products and services, as well as news about deals on green goods, services, and local events, and tips on green living. Check them out at www.organicpicks.com.

Over the last couple of years, I have bought and tried a variety of green cleaning products; some are true work horses and others unfortunately have shown me why some people think green products do not work well. Since I have been trying them for a couple of years, I thought I’d share my picks. In terms of where you can purchase these cleaning products, surprisingly I have found that it is often cheaper to buy them from your local stores than from online stores (sometimes significantly cheaper), IF you live in metropolitan areas. When you factor in shipping & handling, online purchases are even more costly.

All Purpose Cleaner: Seventh Generation Free & Clear or Citrus

It does a great job cleaning counters, floors, tables and many more. I use it to clean my toddler’s crusty and food-stained high chair. Very effective without selling like artificial cleaning solutions
One tip: use it for bathroom and shower stall. There is no need to buy extra bottles. They use more or less the same ingredients
Where to buy: WholeFoods stores, Piazza stores (bay area), Mollie Stones stores (bay area), Elephant Pharmacy (bay area), www.drugstore.com, www.amazaon.com, and more.

All Purpose Cleaning Powder: Bon Ami

This is a true work horse, at a very low price. For $1.25, you can use it to clean counters, scrub dirty sinks (without scratching the surface), and perform the touch job of getting rid of crust on the bottom of burned pots or pans. By far my favorite product – effective, cheap, non-toxic, versatile. What else can one ask for?
Where to buy: luckily almost all grocery stores carry it

Bathroom Cleaner and Shower Cleaner: See All-Purpose Cleaner above

Glass & Surface Cleaner: homemade (vinegar with water)

Unless your windows or mirrors have not been cleaned for 5 years, there is really no need for commercial glass cleaners. Get a spray bottle, mix 1 tbsp of white vinegar and 2 cups of water. Result? Clean surface with no streaks, all for 2 cents. Some people don’t like the vinegar smell. Open the window for 30 minutes. Beats the noxious ammonia smell.
See the recipes for other homemade solutions

Laundry Detergent: ECOS liquid detergent

Love ECOS liquid detergent. It is ultra concentrated, so a 1⁄4 cup is enough for a normal load in an HE wash machine. Does a better job than other “green” detergents. I like the Magnolia & Lily variety which gives off very mild pleasant scent and contains clothe softener. If you are allergic to clothe softener, they have a free & clear version.
Where to buy: WholeFoods stores, Trader Joe’s stores, Andronicos stores (bay area), Elephant Pharmacy (bay area), www.drugstore.com, www.amazon.com, and more.

Automatic Dish Detergent: Seventh Generation Gel or Powder

I have heard that people bemoan about their green dish detergent not cleaning well. Does one have to choose between green dish detergent and clean dishes? I have never had the problem with Seventh Generation Gel or Powder. The way I load my dishes, I fully expect that some dishes don’t get cleaned. But they inevitably get cleaned.
Where to buy: WholeFoods stores, Piazza stores (bay area), Mollie Stones stores (bay area), Elephant Pharmacy (bay area), www.drugstore.com, www.amazaon.com

Handwash Dish Soap: Ecover

It includes all-plant based surfactants and fragrance, so the trace residual on your dishes are not chemicals. Good suds and excellent cleaning power. Don’t need to use a whole lot to wash and easy to rinse off.
Where to buy: Whole Foods, Draegers stores (bay area), www.drugstore.com. Yeah, the downside is that it is a little hard to find.

Happy cleaning!