The truth of the matter is that we need to be eco-conscious about every product we purchase, and that includes household cleaning essentials like sponges, brushes and towels. Today’s Tried and True Green Products Review is focused on a company whose tools of the trade, so to speak, are stylish, planet-friendly and effective.

the backstory - Full Circle is an eco-minded company offering a complete line of kitchen cleaning products derived from sustainable and renewable resources: scrub brushes with bamboo handles, plant-based sponges made from cellulose, fully biodegradable pot scrubbers as well as kitchen towels made from a blend of bamboo and organic cotton. Here’s a quick look at the products we tried:

• scoop sponge – comes in a set of 2. They’re called (more…)

Some background: Jamie Gold and Jason Goldenburg, 2 buddies since high school, started messing around with a tree-born, Chinese Soapberry, as a planet-friendly alternative to typical chemical-laden laundry soaps. The resulting product – their innovative laundry detergent, Berryplus – first made in-roads on college campuses and laundromats keeping clothes, as well as the planet, nice and clean. (The 40, 60 and 100 size pouches shown above will be available in a couple of weeks.)

The challenge: How to make a more people and earth-friendly laundry detergent. Typical laundry detergent contains plenty of synthetic chemicals, unhealthy stuff like petroleum distillates, phosphates, chlorine, EDTA, surfactants and phenols. Some of these nasty chemical residues can land on our skin – which is especially problematic for those with allergies and skin sensitivities. Berryplus, on the other hand, is 95% berry-based. What’s in the other 5%?  Vegetable based glycerin for softening; olive leaf extract to kill bacteria; .1% each of food grade preservatives made from plants: sodium benzoate and sodium potassium.

Put to the test: I was given 2 small vials of liquid soap to test. I washed a load of whites and a separate load of darks, each in cold water cycles and the clothes came out smelling fine and looking good.

Aside from how Berryplus is made, what’s also amazing is how little you need, a microdose…less than half a teaspoon. It takes up less space, which is another eco perk. (more…)

From sunny Southern California comes a new line of home cleaning products that you’re sure to love. Founder Patricia Spencer hitched her business wagon to CEO Michael Edell and together formed MaddieBrit Products / GrabGreen eco friendly home cleaning products with a total of 40 safe, effective and reasonably priced items in their line.

They offered to provide us with a few products for the purposes of a non-partial review:  Dish Soap, Automatic Dishwashing Detergent, Room & Fabric Freshener, 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent (cleans + removes stains + enhances softness) and Wet Dryer Cloths (softens clothes + reduces stain cling + chlorine free + biodegradable cloth + fragrance free) so we put them to the test.

I’m happy to report each product is a winner but two real standouts for me were the Automatic Dishwashing Detergent and Room & Fabric Freshener, (above) and here’s why.

In addition to thoroughly cleaning dishes, GrabGreen’s Automatic Dishwashing Detergent left my drinking glasses and silverware sparkling clean. Not just clean, but really sparkling (unlike many phosphate-free products). Amazing stuff. Aside from the all (more…)

Here’s an ecologically intelligent cleaning product that we can wrap our hands around and (pardon the pun), flip over…Sustainability guru William McDonough and his posse at McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) worked closely with Jason Foster, Founder and CEO of Replenish, and his development team to bring a more sustainable household cleaning product to market and it launches today.

“Recycling is good for the environment – but it’s just not good enough.  We need to get to reuse.  By creating more sustainable products, we can help change our throw-away, disposable culture,” said Jason Foster, Founder and CEO of Replenish.  “We hope to bring Replenish’s innovative design to all forms of household liquids, and in turn inspire a reuse revolution with smart, sustainable products for happier homes and a healthier planet.”

Why we like it:

• Replenish is made from 98% plant-based ingredients – natural, sustainable ingredients that are non-toxic to aquatic life, readily biodegradable and PH Neutral –  safe for you, home and planet
• high-tech green chemistry reduces the amount of cleaner needed to rinse away soils by more than 50 percent
• 100% made in the USA and has a supply chain radius of only 200 miles
  
• works on all surfaces that can be cleaned with water
  
• replace the Concentrate Pod, not the bottle…spray head & bottle are 100% recyclable (PET #1, the most recyclable plastic) and engineered to last about 3 years
  

How it works: (more…)

The Naturally It’s Clean line of home cleaning products was originally recommended to us by my sister – a clean fanatic if ever there were.  Given her glowing recommendation, we tried the company’s plant-based enzyme floor cleaner.  The stuff works great on our hardwood floors, no streaks or residue.  And it goes a long way, too – mix 4 small capfuls of the cleaner with 1 gallon water in a bucket, clean with your favorite mop (well wrung out for hardwood); no rinsing needed.

This floor cleaner is non-toxic, free of fumes, phosphates, alcohol, ammonia, chlorine and petroleum based surfactants and fragrances.  We’ve had trouble in the past with other solutions leaving residue and film on our hardwood floors, but not with this stuff.   This natural-based solution is also designed to clean ceramic tile, stone, cork, bamboo, linoleum, vinyl and any water washable floor.

Ingredients: Water, pure & fresh enzymes blended from plants, coconut oil surfactant, Carmine natural color, and orange essential oil fragrance.

Naturally It’s Clean also has a complete line of plant-based enzyme cleaners, though we haven’t tried any other ones yet.

You can find the floor cleaner @ amazon for $10.36 for two 16oz. containers.  Naturally It’s Clean products are also sold at your local Whole Foods.  Naturally It’s Clean is made in the USA by a company called Enzyme Fresh Home.

Talk about serendipity!  The day I moved into a new apartment I happened to receive a complimentary bottle of Eco Clean Kitchen Counter Top – for the purposes of this review.

So I immediately put it to the test.  I’ve been spraying it on every kitchen cabinet, shelf and counter top surface for the past several days and in a word, it’s fantastic.  Scented with essential oils, the Orange & Rosemary cleaner smells so good, it could almost be used as an air freshner.

Made in Denmark, the land of highly eco and energy minded individuals, the non-toxic Eco Clean line is free from parabens, phosphates, bleach, ammonia and petro chemicals.  It’s cleaning power is derived from plant and sugar based surfactants – specifically, fatty acids of sugar beets, (D-Glucopyranose) a sustainable, renewable, readily biodegradable plant.

In addition to the products in the photo below, Bathroom Cleaner, Dish Wash and Hand Wash round out the Eco Clean product line.

According to the company, “D-Glucopyranose has exceptional detergency properties even on oily and cosmetic stains.”  Danish scientist Jens Erik Hansen toiled for five years perfecting their proprietary formula called Active Eco Boost (AEB), a natural amino acid derivative.

Eco Clean is packaged in fully recyclable PET (recycled plastic) spray heads and bottles.  The bottles are also fully biodegradable.  To top it off, the nozzle is rather nifty — it features a special foaming option, as well as the usual spray setting.

Cleaning is easy.  Shake the bottle, spray Eco Clean on surface and wipe with a dry cloth.  No rinsing necessary.  The stuff really works.  We give Eco Clean a definite, green thumbs up.

Find, ($4.49) at Alice.com and Duane Reade stores.  Or checkout their Facebook page for more info.

For Earth Day this year I visited my sister Kate’s third glass class in Hopewell, NJ.  We demonstrated how to make a simple, DIY Glass Cleaner and then all 40 of the sweet monsters made their own people- and planet-friendly concoction in a spray bottle.

They also designed their own individual labels and hang tags before bringing their bottles home.  Hopefully, their moms and dads are using the spray on a daily basis now.  (I wish I’d taken photos of the event but it was quite hectic so I didn’t get it together.  The kids were quite enthused about the whole happening.)

Here’s the easy to follow formula for eco friendly glass cleaner:

• One Cup warm water
• 1/2 Cup to 1 Cup Distilled White Vinegar*
• 20-50 drops essential oil.  We used Lemon essential oil.  You could also try lavender, orange citrus or sweet tangerine.

*You can adjust the amount of distilled white vinegar to suit your personal preference; its smell is as potent as its cleaning power.  To help minimize the lovely vinegar scent we added about 40 drops of essential oil to the bottle.  Before spraying on glass, be sure to shake the bottle so the oil isn’t left floating on top of the mix.

Why you should try it:   It’s probably the most effective, eco-friendly and least expensive Glass Cleaner available today.  It’s healthier — better for the air you breathe than conventional store-bought glass cleaners.  And you can stop purchasing plastic bottles that wind up in ever-mounting landfills.  Simply empty, clean and use one of the spray bottles you probably already have under one of your sinks.

Cost:

• One gallon of Distilled Vinegar ($2 – $2.99, depending on retail store)
• Essential Oil ($8.99; health food / Whole Foods market).
• These 2 ingredients will last you a very long time.
• I use a microfiber sponge which can be rinsed clean after each use.  I strongly recommend that you try to break that paper towel habit.

If you give it a try, let me know how it goes.

If you really are pressed for time, here are a few suggestions for store-bought sprays.  The GoodGuide rates Method and Seventh Generation among their Top Two household cleaners.  I also love Better Life and Ecover.  For hard core grime, nothing beats Shaklee’s Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste, one container has lasted me three years. It’s really quite amazing.

Related:  previously on altCon – DIY soap – clean up your act

Time to battle the allergies, garden and breathe a bit of fresh air… sweet. Also time to clean the cobwebs from their corners — both in my mind and in my home. Come spring, I seem to go on a feng shui tear. De-cluttering closets and re-organizing drawers. I don’t know which is worse, to have or not have — things, and places to store these things.

If you have a similar compunction to undertake spring cleaning, you may uncover many possessions that are of no use to you anymore. Here are a few recommendations on where to recycle/unload items that may be of no value to you anymore…

• NRDC’s – extensive recycling support for NYC.
• Recycle.co.uk – Free giveaway website based in the UK.
• Earth911.org - comprehensive info, by zip code.
• Apple Computer – take-back & recycling program for US and Canada.
• Dell Computer – recycles old PCs and monitors for a fee, no matter what the brand; or for free if you purchase a new Dell.
• Recycles.org – an exchange network; find someone who may need a used computer or other electronics.
• Oregon – where recycling efforts run deep.

Once you’ve surrendered your “don’t need anymore stuff,” you’ll have more room…room to stretch on that yoga mat:) before diving in to spring clean your new-found space.

Years ago I read Isle Crawford’s The Sensual Home. What a find — her down to earth recommendations on how to care for your home are amazingly, still quite relevant. Crawford recommends the most natural and versatile tools: baking soda, distilled white vinegar (buy 2 of the largest jugs you can find), salt & lemon; and an old tooth brush for appliances (ie stove knobs & grills), faucets and drains. Covet clean, lint-free cloths. (more…)

Let’s talk household paper products.  I consider good old bath tissue, (toilet paper), an essential household item. However, as you may already know, I’m just an occasional user of paper paper towels and paper napkins.  I make a concerted effort to use cloth for most household cleaning, drying pots and pans, and napkins at mealtime.  But there are greasy spills that call for paper, so I do use paper towels — sparingly and conservatively.

Interestingly enough, I recently tried SCOTT Naturals paper towels and bath tissue, and then, coincidentally, the company asked me to do a review.  I also noticed that they offer print your own coupons on their site, so wanted to make sure that you were aware of how to save some nice green cash @ scottnaturals.com/special-offers — whereby twice a month, you can print coupons and replenish some of those vital household products.

Here’s my take on SCOTT Naturals paper towels and bath tissue; as well as the manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark’s, official word on this line.

The paper towels are durable and they do a very good job.  They’re made of 60 percent recycled fiber, and the ridge-like design allows for fast absorption of spills.

The bath tissue is made of 40 percent recycled fiber; it’s 2-ply, and also has a small ridge-like design.  It felt pretty soft and it performed adequately.

Kimberly Clark touts that their Natural “outperforms 100 percent branded recycled fiber paper towels products.”  I’ll leave it up to you — which is more important, a better-performing paper product or one made of 100 percent recycled content?

The company also points out that their “Choose a Size sheets help eliminate waste by allowing consumers to select the right amount to clean-up spills.”  And both the bath tissue and paper towels are “available in long-lasting rolls that minimize packaging materials and shipping impacts.”  Good eco credibility there, right?

And “finally, the bath tissue and towels’ outer packaging is made from 20 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, and the cardboard cores are made from 100 percent recycled fiber.”  Packaging-wise — it may not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.

The company also offer napkins and flushable wipes, which I haven’t tried.  The napkins are made of 80 percent recycled fiber.  The “Scott Naturals flushable wipes are made of 100 percent of fibers derived from sustainable resources and natural Aloe Vera.”

For more info visit scottnaturals.com and kimberly-clark.com.