10 BEST CLEANING BRANDS TO REDUCE HOUSEHOLD PLASTIC

Is your cleaning cupboard a wasteland of chemicals and plastic bottles? And did you know most dishwasher pods are made from petrochemicals that pollute our waterways? Would you like a sustainable alternative to single-use dryer sheets?

Misleading marketing tactics and shameless greenwashing ads are designed to confuse shoppers. Brands intentionally create packaging to make their merchandise look environmentally friendly. They also use the colour green and images of nature to give a false impression that their products are organic.

It’s hard to know what to do when all you really want to do, is clean your home without harming people or planet. So how do you know if your cleaning products are toxic?

Don’t worry, there has never been a better time to swap your polluting products for plant-based ones. As more consumers reject toxins and single-use plastic, Earth-conscious brands provide eco cleaning alternatives. I’ve selected a few of my favourites to help you make the switch. But first a caveat, this is for people with the means to support small brands. Ultimately the onus falls on behemoth chemical company Proctor and Gamble that owns most of the domestic cleaning brands you see in the supermarket including all the Clorox products. This a gigantic company that makes billions off pushing chemicals & plastic onto consumers. Let’s be clear, WE DO NOT NEED THIS STUFF.

It’s estimated that 17.6 billion pounds of plastic enter into waterways from land-based sources every year – that’s about the size of a garbage truck full of plastic into the oceans every minute. Imagine how we could reduce that immediately if every household in America suddenly stopped buying their cleaning products in single-use plastic.

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR

If you’ve never had a subscription for basic consumer goods you don’t know what you’re missing. I have eco-friendly subscriptions for toilet paper, laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, cotton buds and dental floss. The first obvious benefit is the convenience of home delivery. It’s simple when you sign up for the product select how often you’d like it delivered, then a payment comes out of your account automatically. This can be adjusted as and when you need so there’s no chance of running out or oversupply.

The second benefit of buying in bulk is saving money. While it may seem like an expensive option at first, when you break down the cost per use the savings are obvious. Let’s make the case for laundry pods. My favourite zero-waste brand is Dropps. This laundry detergent cleans beautifully and covers all my expectations from an ethical and sustainable perspective. Traditional cleaning pod membranes are made from petrochemicals. A byproduct of crude oil that is highly polluting to produce, leaves a toxic residue on your clothes and poisions waterways when washed down the drain. In other words, a triple threat to people and the planet. However, Dropps pods are 100% biodegradable and harmless to marine life. The detergent content is plant-based, dye-free, npe-free, chlorine-free, phosphate-free, and animal cruelty-free. So there’s also that.

Now back to the all-important affordability, because there’s no point in a product being awesome if we can’t afford to buy it right? My Dropps subscription is for 64 loads which work out at 21 cents per load. There’s a 25% discount when you subscribe and delivery is free. Speaking of delivery, it’s important to mention the eco-friendly packaging. Packaging accounts for an enormous amount of single-use plastic waste and carbon emissions. Dropps use minimal and compostable cardboard from certified sustainable forestry and replaced the plastic tape with Kraft paper tape. What’s more, the company offsets its carbon emissions by supporting renewable energy and methane capture projects.

The wonderful thing about eco-conscious brands is the attention to sustainable detail. We find these companies are aligned with our goal of global sustainability and the highest ethical standards. It’s easy to commit to a subscription and become a loyal customer when the rewards are so great for our family and the planet.

SMALL SUSTAINABLE CLEANING BRANDS TO SUPPORT

While all of these brands sell plant-based, non-toxic and cruelty-free products not all of them come in refillable packaging. However, by supporting small eco-friendly brands we encourage them to work on this aspect moving forward as they grow.

• DROPPS – Laundry and dishwasher pods. I’ve been using both these products by subscription for two years and have never been disappointed. I don’t pre-rinse my dishes and I set the fast wash.
• BLUELAND – Foam hand soap, cleaning sprays, dishwasher and laundry. I use the foaming hand soap. bathroom spray, surface spray and window cleaner by subscription. It lasts a lot longer than traditional spray cleaners and works a treat.
• COUNTER CULTURE – All-purpose cleaners, fabric spray, air freshener and floor cleaner
• FRIENDSHEEP WOOL – Dryer balls, hand made for fair wages by underprivileged women and people with disabilities in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ethical working conditions, medical care, education and purpose to empower people while respecting animals and nature. Plus one tree is planted with every purchase.
• CLEANCULT – All-purpose cleaner, liquid hand soap, dishwasher, laundry and dryer balls
• GOOD VIBES – All-purpose cleaner, car, kitchen, bathroom and floors
• THE HOOT – Grease cutting oven cleaner and refrigerator cleaner
• COMMON GOOD – Refillable hand soap, dish soap, laundry and surfaces

EARTH CONSCIOUS TOILET ROLL

An honourable mention must go to the humble loo roll. Not strictly a cleaner, although that’s debatable since it cleans dirty bottoms. Toilet paper has come a long way in terms of its impact on the environment. We no longer have to buy loo paper made from old-growth forests. There’s also no reason for bleached, dyed and plastic-wrapped toilet roll. These days there are numerous ethical and affordable options available just a click away.

Earth conscious toilet roll brands not only care about the environment, they also care about people. Every day 2.4 billion people are forced to defecate outside — meaning lost dignity, exposure to deadly pathogens, increased risk of contaminated water, and loss of life. The two brands I bring you today are working hard to change that. By supporting them, you can also make a difference to the lives of others. If you’re in a position to buy from the brand that helps people why wouldn’t you? Click on the images for more information about the work of REEL & Who Gives a Crap.

When covid-19 hit, the subsequent frenzy on toilet paper caused it to sell out in a matter of days. The madness over toilet roll was quite unexpected and telling wasn’t it? Personally, I was grateful for my subscription to Who Gives a Crap. The Australian owned brand sells recycled bamboo loo roll wrapped in paper, delivered in bulk to your door.

A word from Who Gives a Crap –

“We donate 50% of profits to help build toilets because we believe access to a safe, dignified loo is a basic human right. Thanks to our amazing community (that’s you!), we’ve been able to donate over Aus$5.8 million to help provide proper sanitation for the 2.3 billion people in need. Now that’s a lot of toilets!”

REEL is another toilet roll brand doing great work across the globe. This Black-owned business produces 100% bamboo, paper packaged, biodegradable loo roll and hand towel. As expected, no inks or dyes and delivered in plastic-free packaging.

Here’s what REEL says about their goal –

“We built reel to help eliminate the threat of illness posed by a lack of access to toilets while promoting the use of earth-friendly, sustainable paper products. We’re on a mission to affect as many lives as possible by providing much-needed access to clean toilets for those without.”

And finally a note about cleaning tools. As much as we’d like to throw away all our existing household plastic we know that there is NO AWAY. With that in mind, we should use the scrubbers we already have until they fall apart. When the time comes to replace a cleaning tool go online to WILD MINIMALIST. You’ll find all manner of zero waste household items such as scrubbing brush, pot scrubber, broom, toilet brush etc. I’m looking forward to the day when rubber gloves are compostable, don’t you?