A Beginner’s Guide To Natural, Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
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I want you to slowly put down the bleach and step away…
Just kidding!
I know that it’s hard for many people new to eco-friendly cleaning to picture a home without bleach.
It can seem even more daunting to replace a powerful disinfectant with the popular chip shop condiment, vinegar.
If you need a safety net for a while, that’s cool, I’m not going to judge you.
(And I’m definitely not going to tell you to use vinegar.)
You’re here because you want to know more about natural, non-toxic cleaning products… you want to know what works and what’s actually green, right?
Coming up
While I have dabbled in DIY cleaners for a fair few years now, I appreciate that not everyone wants to do that.
It was when my first child was born prematurely that I no longer had the energy to make my own products (or even clean my house if I’m honest). Instead, I sought out cleanings products that were safe to use around the most delicate of babies.
It’s taken me a while but I’ve finally found a balance I’m happy with. I use a mix of homemade and shop-bought cleaners that are safe to spray around babies and kind to the environment.
Here’s what’s on todays agenda:
Common cleaning myths debunked
To buy or to make? Homemade vs shop-bought cleaners
Ingredients for DIY
A list of cleaning products I use in my home (a mix of made and bought) organised by section.
1. Common cleaning myths debunked
You shouldn’t automatically believe everything you read on the internet. I’ve seen a big rise in false information since the plastic-free movement got big on social media.
Here are some truths inspired by dodgy information I’ve read online:
No matter how many times your favourite influencer tells you to mix them in a solution, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda will cancel each other out. It is basic chemistry - you will be cleaning with saltwater.
Castile soap and vinegar also shouldn’t be mixed.
Switching to plant-based cleaners doesn’t mean you have to clean your house with vinegar (you can if you want but you don’t have to). I rarely use vinegar in my home because I’m sensitive to the smell.
You can still be green without making products from scratch.
Your house can be clean and disinfected without chlorine bleach.
Your toothbrush pot, kitchen sponge, and keyboards are dirtier than your toilet.
A stronger fragrance is not necessarily a good thing. They are traditionally used to cover up the bad smell of synthetic ingredients, like surfactants made from fossil fuels.
There is an abundance of terrible advice about essential oils on the internet. Essential oils are extremely potent and should be used with caution (and maybe even avoided if you have kids or pets).
Overuse of antibacterial cleaners can be harmful because it kills all the good bacteria which is necessary for a healthy immune system. There are concerns that the overuse of disinfectants is causing antibiotic resistance. Antibacterial ingredients act a lot like antibiotics so it doesn’t make sense for everyone to be using them routinely to prevent illness, y’know? (source)
Unless it’s an allergen, cleaning brands do not have to disclose their ingredients or their fragrances making it hard for consumers to know who to trust - even “eco” brands.
2.Homemade or shop-bought cleaners?
Just like everything in life, it’s not all or nothing.
It’s perfectly okay to make some products and buy others. Eco-friendly changes only stick if you’re happy with them, if they are convenient enough for your circumstances and if they work to your standards.
DIY
While making your own products is likely to be the most sustainable option, we should all be mindful that it is a privilege to have the time and resources to go down that route completely. Eco-shaming is not cool and certainly doesn’t inspire change.
…Besides, just because a DIY recipe is online doesn’t mean it actually does what it says. I once saw an influencer telling her (thousands of) followers to clean up urine with vinegar and bicarb mixed together. Sure, the bicarb may remove the odour but she didn’t believe me that it wasn’t going to be effective at sanitising. The recipe is still on her website and social media for others to copy *facepalm.*
Commercial
Going down the shop-bought route for green cleaning can be confusing because of the greenwashing and exaggerated eco claims.
Part of the challenge is the lack of transparency. Cleaning brands are allowed to keep their ingredients a secret and they don’t even have to list them on the bottle.
I find it odd that Persil (who is not remotely eco-friendly) are super transparent and explain their ingredients, while greener brands like Splosh and Ocean Saver refuse to disclose their ingredients.
It’s an area that is extremely hard to navigate!
On the other hands, the huge amount of refill shops popping up are making refilling cleaning products much more accessible. They are a brilliant way to reduce packaging and support your local community.
Bower Collective is an online zero waste shop and B Corp bringing household refills and other eco-friendly essentials to your door.
I have a separate blog post on my favourite sustainable cleaning brands in the UK which I’m hoping to update soon. Let me know if there are any brands you’d like me to investigate in the comments below.
3. My favourite ingredients for DIY
If you’ve read my posts about transitioning to a shampoo bar, you’ll know I am not a fan of strong smells, like vinegar. Just as I refuse to tip it over my head, I refuse to have my home smell like it (as pretty as it looks, no amount of citrus peels and herbs does the trick in my opinion).
Here is a list of ingredients you can use to make your own cleaning products, many of which I find essential:
Citric acid
Sourced from citrus fruits, citric acid is an effective alternative to vinegar. Not only is it just as good at removing limescale - it’s more eco-friendly. Packaged in a cardboard box, there is no plastic or glass packaging and no water weight to transport.
Good for: descaling appliances, cleaning cloudy glasses and as a natural disinfectant. Combine with hot water to remove built-up limescale.
Read: how to clean built-up limescale on your toilet naturally
Bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda has an abundance of uses around the home. Its pH is alkaline so it shouldn’t be mixed with citric acid (or vinegar) because they are acidic and will neutralise each other.
Good for: absorbing odours by sprinkling on carpets or furniture, placing in a dish in your fridge or mix with water to use as a cleaning paste. The fizzing that occurs when mixed with vinegar can be used to remove burnt-on food or keep drains clear.
Borax Substitute
Borax is banned in the EU (but not in the USA) so Borax Substitute is a completely different product that is used in its place. It is made from sodium sesquicarbonate and it comes in a cardboard box. Borax substitute is stronger than bicarbonate of soda but not as strong as soda crystals. I keep my borax substitute in a mason jar because it can go hard inside the box.
Good for: softening water and stain removal so you can add it to your washing machine as a laundry boost. You can also presoak soiled items or create a paste with water and add it directly to the stain for 10 minutes before washing.
Soda crystals
Soda crystals are an old fashioned, effective cleaning essential. Another white powder, only this one is widely available in many high street shops with a cleaning aisle. If you want to buy from a sustainable retailer, you can get them along with all your other green cleaning products at Ethical Superstore. Unfortunately, they come in a plastic packet.
Good for: softening water, unblocking sinks and drains (use with hot water) and removing grease. Also available as liquid soda crystals - an alternative to cream cleaners.
Vegetable soap
Also called castile soap, vegetable soap can be liquid or solid. Soap is a mild surfactant and effective at removing dirt from surfaces. Always look for certified vegan soap because traditional soap making has been made with animal fat (tallow) or milk and isn’t always clearly labelled. Dri Pak is a great product if you’re on a budget and part of their plastic bottle is now made from recycled materials. Dr Bronner also sells concentrated castile soap in a 100% recycled plastic bottle. Dr Bronner has great ethics and costs more because it is Fairtrade and Organic.
Good for: washing clothes (you will need to use a water softener if you have hard water though), cleaning surfaces including floors made from stone or laminate. Can be diluted with water to create a handwash, but will not lather very well.
Sterile water
Tap water isn’t sterile. When making DIY cleaning products in bottles that you expect to be using for a while it is a good idea to use boiled water that has cooled down. This will make your homemade cleaners last longer.
Where to buy ingredients for DIY?
Some corporations sell them, like Wilkos (who I try to avoid due to the fact they sell pesticides that are harmful to bees). I also try to avoid Amazon because they have an absolutely massive carbon footprint.
I like to shop with Ethical Superstore because I’m able to get almost all of my zero waste essentials from them which is super convenient.
Please note - I am affiliated with Ethical Superstore which means I get a commission for referring you (at no extra cost to you) this goes towards the cost of my website hosting fees and keeps it free from annoying pop-up ads. I appreciate you supporting my content. <3
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4. A list of cleaning products I use in my home
I use a mixture of homemade and sustainable brands. I tend to switch between them depending on my level of laziness and organisation (which is not usually great).
Most of the brands featured in this list are based in the UK.
If you are located in the US, I’d recommend checking out Grove Collaborative.
Washing up liquid
I love the idea of a solid bar to wash up with but I’m not convinced they are effective in a hard water area. I have seen eco influencers advertising them and later on (in private messages) they’ve told me they aren’t very good. As I have very hard water and don’t want to waste a product, I am sticking to liquid which I buy in bulk.
Homemade:
Washing up liquid was one of the first products I tried to make with castile soap (before refill shop days) and it just didn’t work for me. Soap just doesn’t create the lather that I require when washing up. I haven’t tried it since, mainly because I have a dishwasher now.
Commercial:
Bio-D washing up liquid. I buy it in 5L containers for £10.79 and then fill up a bottle next to the sink. If you’d prefer to try it in a smaller size first, their packaging is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and is vegan. It’s not as bubbly as the classic Fairy liquid, but unfortunately Fairy test on animals and use synthetic fragrances.
I’ve discovered my bamboo dish brush has gone dark from the water (over a long time) but I do really like the brush head. And I can’t go back now knowing how much I prefer washing up with a handle. Ecoliving clearly know this is an issue, so once my dishbrush is at the end of its life, I’m going to try the silicone version.
Dishwasher tablets
I’ve only had a dishwasher for a short time so I’ve never attempted a homemade option - I’ve heard positive things from others and plan on giving it a go when my baby is a bit older and I have more free time. I haven’t tried Smol, their packaging is cool and they appear very affordable but I’m not sure how environmentally friendly they are in terms of ingredients yet (I’m focusing on laundry first due to a huge amount of requests). I find Ecover dishwasher tabs ineffective.
Bought:
Ecoleaf dishwasher tablets - the wrapper dissolves in water so there is no waste. These work well in hard water. Ecoleaf is also available on subscription from Bower Collection.
Smol - ideal for those on a budget looking to reduce packaging and for added convenience (seriously love the cardboard letterbox subscription). Smol’s focus is on fewer chemicals than supermarket brands so they are not the most sustainable in terms of ingredients. I’ve decided to include them as a more accessible option but also because they publicly list their ingredients which many other eco brands (including Ecoleaf) do not.
Multipurpose spray
I use a multipurpose spray for general cleaning. They contain soap or surfactants so will sanitise surfaces making them fine to use where food has been. The first homemade one is the toughest cleaner, whereas the second homemade one is more versatile and good for glass. I prefer my homemade recipe to Bio-D which works fine for general “maintenance” or light cleaning.
Homemade:
You can view my 3 ingredient (vinegar-less) recipe for all-purpose cleaning here.
Clean your kitchen sides/house with washing up liquid and water whenever you wash up to reduce water consumption
Commercial:
Bio-D multi-purpose spray - good for light cleaning
Greenscents citrus spray - for those who want organic, ethical and transparent.
Bower Collective have a selection of sprays, refills and refillable glass bottles.
Disinfectant
While I feel quite strongly that the routine use of antibacterial sprays should be limited to hospitals (and other high-risk places), I can’t ignore the chaos of 2020. Even with the big C and the need for extra caution, I refuse to spray pesticides in my home. Instead, should I need to disinfect, I choose to use one simple ingredient - (officially) approved by the EPA as it has antiviral properties.
Homemade:
Hydrogen peroxide - you can buy it for a couple of quid from a chemist and it can be used to disinfect surfaces and remove stains. It doesn’t have a long shelf life so I tend to use it as I need it. You could buy an amber glass spray bottle for this one (it’s the only time I’d recommend not using a clear/plastic bottle you already have). I do not use this every day, just anytime someone is unwell or in an area you know is germy like the toilet or nappy buckets. It’s ideal for disinfecting high-risk areas like door handles. Caution: do not mix hydrogen peroxide with vinegar as it will produce a dangerous gas.
Commercial:
Bio-D multi-surface sanitiser gel - different to their all-purpose sanitiser spray, the multi-purpose is a thick concentrated gel that you can spot clean to disinfect or dilute to sanitise. It’s ideal for the kitchen and I’ve even used it to sanitise carpets. It has not been tested against coronavirus but is effective against e-Coli, MRSA and salmonella. You can buy it in a recycled plastic bottle, or in bulk sizes.
If you want a strong antibacterial cleaner (a biocide), Eco Delphis has created a kitchen sanitiser that is biodegradable. I have never used this product and have not thoroughly researched it, however, it is certified by Ecocert who have higher standards than the EU for eco-friendly ingredients. If you’d like to do your own research, the active ingredient is Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride and here is the safety sheet for the product.
A note on Ocean Saver
Ocean Saver have a cheap antibacterial pod which they claim is cruelty-free and plastic-free. Ocean Saver are not certified leaping bunny and when contacted about this in 2020, they said they were hoping to be accredited in 2022. This is not to say they do test on animals, it just annoys me when brands use a fake bunny logo on their products. The reason they are cheap is because they are manufactured in China. When contacted (multiple times) in 2020, they had no information to give me about their carbon footprint and it took me ages to get them to state where their pods were made.
Ocean Saver ingredients
They use benzalkonium chloride (BAC) in their antibacterial which is the biocide that vets warned about when the Zoflora trend happened (it is the same ingredient that is in Zoflora). BAC can be poisonous to cats so I’d be cautious about using it when your pets are in the house. The main reason I do not recommend Ocean Saver is because they refuse to disclose their synthetic fragrances to customers.
…It also kinda bugs me that they have spent all this money on marketing themselves as plastic-free yet they literally sell plastic bottles to go with their products. I wonder how many bottles they’ve manufactured in the 3 years they’ve been in business.
Bathroom cleaner
Out of the 5 homes I’ve rented, the house I live in now has the worst bathroom by far. Some of my blogger friends clean their bathrooms with vinegar or bicarb. That is not going to cut it for my horrible damp bathroom because (combined with mega hard water) it is way too much effort. That said, I have found most natural cleaning methods just as effective as chemical ones, if not more.
Homemade:
Cream cleaner - liquid soap (or washing up liquid) and bicarbonate of soda. This works well but sometimes goes hard in the jar so may need a bit of cool boiled water added if you want to make a batch.
Limescale and soap scum remover - citric acid and cool boiled water (add alcohol for faster drying on glass)
Pour soda crystals and hot water down the drain every month to keep them from getting blocked with soap scum.
Commercial:
Bio-D bathroom cleaner - this stuff is really good! On ceramic, metal and glass (not to be used on porous surfaces). It is stronger than the multipurpose cleaner and doesn’t leave smears. This is what I use at the moment because it is so handy and convenient compared to DIY cream cleaners which I find a bit of a faff.
LoofCo scourer - while I do have cloths I use in the bathroom too, I really like this natural scouring pad for cleaning the bath etc. It lasts for ages and can even go in the dishwasher.
Toilet cleaner
This is definitely my least favourite part of the house to clean. With a three-year-old and a baby, I end up cleaning it more than I’d like to.
Homemade:
The multipurpose spray (with castile soap and bicarb) cleans the toilet well.
Homemade disinfectant - 1/2 a cup of hydrogen peroxide in the toilet bowl, leave for 30 minutes. This is antimicrobial but not a lung irritant. CAUTION: do not mix hydrogen peroxide with vinegar/citric acid as it produces a dangerous gas.
Commercial:
Bio-D toilet cleaner is ideal if you want something to use in your toilet bowl that’s like a traditional toilet cleaner. It has a sanitising action (like soap) by removing 99.9% of germs rather than killing them (like a disinfectant). It doesn’t leave a scent behind which is what I prefer but if you like a strong scent in your bathroom it probably isn’t for you. It doesn’t remove built-up limescale.
If you want a toilet cleaner with a fresh scent, try Greenscents. It’s a little more expensive because they are organic and use more sustainable ingredients than other brands.
Citric acid - pop a spoonful of citric acid in the toilet before you go to bed to prevent limescale from building up.
Laundry
Laundry is the most confusing area of green cleaning due to the lack of regulation, secret formulas and conflicting information.
I have a new post on the best (and worst) eco-friendly laundry detergents in the UK.
Eco-friendly laundry products use surfactants from natural sources and plants, rather than from petrochemicals (fossil fuels). If you want to make your own, I’d recommend doing your research first, especially if you have hard water. I’d advise against DIY for reusable cloth nappies because they need effective detergents with surfactants.
Homemade:
Liquid soap flakes can be used as a mild surfactant alongside borax substitute to soften the water. I have found this works absolutely fine for clothes and use it regularly. It is super important to clean your machine every month though.
Dilute citric acid in water and use it in the fabric softener compartment to help remove mineral deposits from clothes (like a fabric softener).
Clean your washing machine draw and seal with a dilution of citric acid (or white vinegar) before putting a cup of it into the detergent compartment and running a wash with no clothing. This will remove any limescale in your machine. (This doesn’t damage washing machines (citric acid is in most commercial washing machine cleaners because acids remove limescale) so if you read an article telling you it will erode your machine, check the ingredients of what they’re trying to sell you instead…
When using DIY ingredients in your washing machine, it is important to put products in the correct compartments. Mixing them together will result in the acids and alkaline substances cancelling each other out or not working correctly. If you’re unsure, you should be able to search your brand of washing machine and find a manual - I have a Beko machine and there is a video tutorial online that took a minute to find.
Bought:
I am currently using liquid soap to wash my clothes but I have previously used Bio-D because it’s an affordable option (Bio-D means biodegradable - all of their products are non-bio and do not contain enzymes). The inside of their powder packaging is lined with recyclable plastic (#2 I recall) which is slightly annoying, but the laundry liquids are made from recycled plastic with refill options available.
Cloth nappies. Enzymes are much more effective at stain removal and at cleaning heavily soiled items. Ecover does a highly-rated vegan bio detergent. I’m currently trialling it on my cloth nappies as part of my search for an effective plant-based detergent without microplastics (harder than you think!) Let me know in the comments if this is something you’d like me to write about.
For (naturally) scented fabric softener, try Ecoleaf which comes in a recycled plastic bottle. I haven’t tried this myself (as I’m sensitive to smell) but it has 5 stars reviews and is certified vegan. Ecoleaf also offers a bulk bottle for £9.99 which works out cost-effective.
A note on enzymes: The UK appears to be the only country where people are concerned about enzymes (used in bio products to break down proteins). In some countries, non-bio powder isn’t even available. Here’s an interesting article about using bio and cloth nappies. The NHS now says there is no evidence that using bio will irritate your baby’s skin. I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at the ingredients, but Fairy Liquid has plenty of irritating ingredients.
A note on Ecover - I used to be of the mindset we should avoid Ecover because of their unethical parent company. In an ideal world, I would only support, small sustainable businesses but actually, Ecover is one of the only petroleum-free cleaning brands that share their full ingredients. Other eco-friendly brands keep their laundry ingredients a secret. Or they just contain soap which doesn’t get reusable nappies clean enough.
Now I ask myself why do people boycott Ecover but not supermarkets who are way more unethical?
…Like Asda for not paying garment workers during the pandemic or Tesco for selling meat linked to deforestation.
Sometimes we hold sustainable brands to such high standards yet don’t apply the same rules to less ethical brands.
I guess what I’m trying to say is perfection doesn’t exist. We could put our energy into boycotting green brands like Ecover (the first brand to say no to phosphates when they were still legal and killing rivers) or we could find a more worthwhile way to spend our time.
By all means, choose the most sustainable cleaning brand you can find, but maybe pause and think before you call someone out for using Ecover’s laundry detergent if you’re a regular in Asda…
Soon I’m going to be sharing more information on the ingredients and ethics of different eco-friendly cleaning brands.
I have done lots of research the last year (in my free time while on maternity leave) and I look forward to to sharing it all with you (including information bout brands you’ve asked me to look at) .
Be sure to bookmark my site so you can keep checking for new posts. I now have a cleaning category under “topics” on the menu bar (top right had corner). Once I’ve caught up with all of my content and messages I’ll be starting up my monthly newsletter again.
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