Do you have people in your home with allergies or who are sensitive to harsh ingredients in products and chemicals?

Do you have children or pets and are concerned how your cleaning products may affect them when used or if they accidentally get into them?

Are you trying to make product choices that are safer for the environment and Mother Earth?

Are you trying to cut back on the amount of plastics that you dispose of daily, weekly and monthly?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then read on for tips on what to look for when selecting cleaning products that tick all of the boxes.

Tips on what to look for when selecting cleaning product

1. Read the Ingredients

Does the product contain toxic ingredients? “Carefully read the ingredients label of any cleaning product to be sure they don’t include toxic chemicals or harsh ingredients.” (Source: Healthline) Toxic chemicals in cleaning products are not safe for you or the environment and contribute to water pollution among other negative impacts.

Avoid products that use the following ingredients:

• Ammonia
• Antibacterial and disinfectants such as bleach and triclosan
• Butyl Glycol, Ethylene Glycol, Monobutyl 
• Chlorine bleach
• Petroleum solvents / surfactants
• Phosphates
• Phthalates

Check out this article from The Eco Friendly Family to learn more about this list of ingredients to try and steer clear of.

Are the ingredients sustainable?

2. Effectiveness

Are they effective? Do they work? Are they powerful enough to tackle grease and grime without harming surfaces? Do they work on tough cleaning issues? Do they leave streaks?

3. Flexibility of Uses

Can they be used on multiple surfaces such as the toilet and the kitchen sink? If your cleaning product is effective for cleaning a range of surfaces, it cuts down on the variety and number of cleaning products that you need and reduces clutter.

4. Are they Safe?

Are they safe to use around children and pets? Are they safe for the environment?

“Products tell you right on the packaging if they are dangerous. This is good news, though you may have to look at several products before finding one you are satisfied when you first start out. Bottom line – listen to them and stay away! It’s so easy. Avoid products with terms like Caution, Corrosive, Danger, Irritant, Poison, or Warning.  Instead look for products that don’t say they’re toxic and suggest simply to “drink water”. That’s a good thing to see!” (Source: The Eco Friendly Family)

5. Are they Approved?

Are they approved by environmental agencies? Select products that meet NOSB (National Organic Standards Board) guidelines and/or USDA-certified organic or whose ingredients are 100% natural or plant based.

6. Packaging

The vast majority of household cleaning products are packaged in a way that is detrimental for the environment. Most cleaning products come in plastic bottles that are thrown out once the bottle is empty. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018, 27 million tons of plastic was disposed of in landfills.

7. Price

How cost effective is the cleaning product? If you choose a product that costs less, but you need to use more of it to clean, it will be less cost-effective in the long run.

8. Research

If you research and google 'best natural cleaning products', you will find many lists rated by important factors such as effectiveness, price and so on.

Earth Smart Solutions is a small company and we can’t compete with the big guys when it comes to showing up on google lists for most effective environmentally friendly cleaners.

However we do offer an effective and extremely powerful Multi-Purpose Cleaner (ESMC) which we invite you to try for yourself.

Here is how ESMC rates on all of the above factors:

• Ingredients. ESMC is safe. It is non-sensitizing, non-irritating, non-toxic, non-flammable and contains no allergens. ESMC does not contain synthetic chemicals, animal components, animal by-products, manure or manure byproducts. It fully complies with EPA Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and the rules, orders and regulations promulgated there under. Learn more about this on our Application and Technical Info Sheet. 
• Effectiveness. ESMC works. It quickly attacks, lifts and destroys grease, oil and other stubborn stains from all washable surfaces and is safe to use in hypersensitive environments.
• Flexibility. ESMC is versatile. It can be used for just about any cleaning application where acid-based products are used.
• Safety. ESMC is environmentally safe and is not harmful to animals, plants and humans. It is rapidly bio-degradable, non-ozone depleting and non-carcinogenic. Only common sense safety protection is required when using.
• Certified and approved. ESMC is NOSB certified. It is produced in accordance with NOSB (National Organic Standards Board) guidelines. The materials used in the production process are derived from naturally occurring and sustainable sources and are consistent with organic principals and the National List of Allowed Substances. 
• Packaging. Highly concentrated formulation saves the environment by using less plastic bottles. Reuse your spray bottle, add the concentrated formulation and add water.
• Price. Highly concentrated formulation saves money when it comes to shipping. We let YOU add the water and dilute it. It may be diluted 2 or 3:1 with water for less difficult scale cleaning such as hard water stains off appliances or efflorescence removal. ESMC is $19.95 for 2 litres. Diluted at 2:1 (this would be 4 litres water and 2 liters of product), you get 6 litres of cleaning product for $19.95 Canadian plus shipping. 6 litres for $19.95. When diluted 3:1 (this would be 6 liters water and 2 litres of product), you get 8 liters of cleaning product for $19.95 Canadian plus shipping. This product is also available in a 20 litre size for industrial and commercial uses.
• Plus it is easy to use.

Learn more about ESMC here.

If you have any questions about Earth Smart Solutions and/or our products, please feel free to contact us at 1-866-444-7174 or via email at info@earth-smart-solutions.com 

Sources:

The Eco Friendly Family, 5 Tips for Choosing Safe Cleaning Products

Healthline, The 14 Best Natural and Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

OSF HealthCare, What you should know about natural cleaners