For years I’ve used natural cleaning products.
I’ve made these solutions myself, with plant-based ingredients. (Sometimes I also added baking soda to the mix.)
That’s because I’ve had it with toxic chemicals. I don’t want them in my house. I don’t want to get them on my skin.
Nor do I want my dog to walk across a kitchen floor that contains poisons.
Natural products can work really well. Especially when you add essential oils. Essential oils add a nice fragrance, as well as cleaning power.
Essential oils are also nature’s disinfectant. In the lab, aromatic oils are shown to kill pathogens.
So, naturally, you want to add them to your DIY cleaning solutions.
I plan to continue making DIY cleaning formulas with essential oils.
However, sometimes I want convenience. Life is busy. I don’t always have time to mix a non-toxic cleaning solution.
It is true that homemade anything is more affordable. When you buy a packaged product, you pay for the labor. That’s why making something yourself is almost always more cost effective.
But sometimes you just need that convenience. My solution: I’ve found super affordable natural cleaning products that work.
Boy, do they work.
Natural Cleaning Products That Work
(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)
I found these products almost by accident. There was a new natural online health store. I wanted to support it. So I ordered enough stuff to quality for the $49 thresh hold for free shipping.
The cleaning products didn’t arrive though, until about two weeks later. I wondered if the order would ever come.
Eventually, though, I was able to unpack my order and use the cleaning products. I was blown away at how good they worked.
I won’t be ordering from this particular venue again. But, fortunately, these products are available elsewhere. If you can’t find them locally you can get them online.
Environmentally Safe Cleaning Products for The Home
The first product I used was Ecos All Purpose Cleaner Parsley Plus. It contains a number of plant-based ingredients, plus some chemicals you can’t pronounce. But I researched every one of them. Here are the scores given to them by the Environmental Working Group.
- Caprylyl/myristyl glucoside. (plant-derived surfactant). The EWG gives it a B+.
- Propanediol. (a plant-dervied solvent). The EWG gives it a C+.
- Alcohol denatured. The EWG grades it as B. (It says this is a “corn-derived solvent.” If so, it could be made from GMO corn. I’m assuming it is, unless labeled otherwise. This isn’t perfect. But, then again, I’m not eating it.)
- Natural fragrance
- Potassium sorbate (plant-derived, food grade preservative). This is often found in foods.
- Citric acid (plant-derived pH adjuster). This is often found in foods.
As you can see, the ingredient list is maybe not perfect. But nothing on it worries me. So I’ll continue to order this all purpose cleaner with parsley, as well as the lavender version.
This cleaner (I’ll admit) works better on grease and grime than my DIY essential oil formulas do. The smell of the parsley formula bothered my son. He said it stinks. I thought it smelled just fine, pleasant even.
Chemical Free Cleaning Products
My next very pleasant surprise was the Puracy Natural Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo. This is a concentrate made mostly from plant-based ingredients.
There is one ingredient of concern, the last one listed. (I’ll tell you more about that later in the post, when I break down all of the ingredients in this formula.)
Benzothiazolinone is the only objectionable ingredient contained in this formula. So we each have to decide if we can live with it. I have a 16-1/2-year-old dog. So we can live with a small amount of benzothiazolinone.
Puracy Natural Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo works so much better than the DIY rug cleaning formula with essential oils I previously used. This did remove dirt and stains. But it took a week to dry, after applying it.
It has a very pleasant citrus smell. It works as good as any nasty chemical rug cleaner I’ve seen.
I’m averse to using toxic chemicals. One reason is because I know they’re toxic. The other is because I suffer from chronic nerve pain.
This is caused by excess inflammation. Toxins can promote inflammation. Avoiding toxins in all forms is one of the ways I’m able to manage my once excruciating pain naturally, without drugs.
I figured if I’m going to go through the trouble of cleaning up my diet, I may as well do the same with household cleaning solutions.
Non Toxic Cleaning Products That Work
The Puracy Natural Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo cleans whatever spills on our rug. We need a strong rug cleaner. Because we have a very elderly dog.
It’s very highly concentrated, and should last a long time. Unless you plan to use it to clean large areas. Even then, it would go very far.
The bottle says it’s a 4x strength. This is designed to reduce packaging. I only have to put a little on a warm cloth for spot cleaning.
This formula contains no sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, petroleum byproducts, chlorine, bleach, phosphates or caustic agents.
Okay, let’s see what’s in it and what does the Environmental Working Group have to say.
- Decyl Glucoside. The EWG rates this is a 1, or “low hazard.” It’s made from glucose.
- Dimethyl Amine Oxide. The packaging says this is derived from coconuts. The EWG gives it a B+, of “low hazard.”
- Lauramine Oxide. The label says it’s derived from coconuts. The EWG seems to think it’s safe, giving it a 1 rating of “low hazard.”
- Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate. The label says it’s a “biodegradable water softener.” The EWG rates it as “low concern.”
- Zinc ricinoleate. The Puracy label says it’s a “mineral based odor removal agent.” The EWG gives it a 1 rating of “low hazard.”
- Coconut fatty acid. This also receives a favorable “low hazard” rating from the EWG.
- Sodium citrate. Again, the EWG rates this as a 1, or “low hazard.”
- Pink grapefruit essential oil.
- Benzothiazolinone. This was the last ingredient and the one that worried me the most as I typed it into the EWG data base. It came up as a 6 or 7, depending upon how it is used. There was no additional data. The label lists it as a “biodegradable preservative.”
For some, the benzothiazolinone may be a deal breaker. Now that I know it’s a concern I’ll be a bit more careful using it. I’ll try to avoid contact with skin and make sure to wash my hands after using it.
Sometimes we need to make compromises. For me, this is one of them.
We need a strong (and relatively natural) non-toxic carpet and upholstery cleaner. Because we have a very elderly dog.
If you’ve ever had a really old dog, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
For More Reading
