If you’re ready to embrace a greener lifestyle when it comes to cleaning, you’re in luck. There is no shortage of durable, environmentally friendlyand herbal household cleaners that are kind to the planet and its inhabitants – and, most importantly, they actually work. The tricky part is sorting through the countless options on the market to find out which products are legitimate and which just have really good marketing.
To simplify things, we talked to Sydney SwansonEnvironmental Working Group’s (EWG) Health Science Analyst, Consumer Safety Science, who shared some key tips. Her first recommendation is to look “for products that fully disclose all of their ingredients on the package.” She adds: “Beware of vague terms such as ‘surfactant’ or ‘preservative’ on packaging; this inadequate disclosure does not provide sufficient risk data and can cover a wide range of ingredients.” The same goes for fragrance: “The term ‘fragrance’ is an umbrella term that can encompass up to 4,000 different chemicals. These chemicals can be water toxins, phthalates, and those that release harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere.”
When asked if there are any ingredients she recommends scouting for products, Swanson suggested a different approach. “Watch out for the ingredients you want to avoid,” she said. “Consumers can also look for certifications, such as EWG Verifiedor those that match their specific needs or concerns. However, be wary of greenwashing claims such as ‘non-toxic’ or ‘eco-friendly’ as these terms have no legal definition and are often just a marketing ploy.”
Ahead, we’ve rounded up seven eco-friendly cleaning products that are either EWG-verified or considered low-risk by the organization, including products for the kitchenbathroom, laundry room and more. Keep scrolling to shop our selection, starting at $5.
Experts featured in this article
Sydney Swanson is the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) health science analyst in the area of consumer safety science, specializing in the analysis of consumer products for EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning and EWG’s Food Scores. She was previously a research assistant in the UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Research Lab and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
