Green Cleaning Products Put to the Test
Dishwashing
What's worse--a sink full of dirty dishes or a dishwasher full of supposedly clean ones with stuck-on food and streaks? A new group of products claims to leave dishes spotless and the environment in good shape. We ran them through the cycle.
Ecover's Automatic Dishwasher Tablets solved a major problem for our tester: the tablet replaced her usual powder detergent that has a tendency to get gunky and clog up the dispenser. "An added bonus," she added, "is that the tablets ensure I'm using the correct amount and not wasting any."
The Electrasol Finish Powerballs worked well but had an awful lot of packaging, our green-minded tester said, feeling guilty.
The Cascade Complete All-In-1 ActionPacs did something one tester thought impossible--made dishwashing fun again. "There was something about putting that little pillow in the compartment before snapping it shut that made me feel oddly excited about seeing clean dishes." It got baked-on lasagna and oatmeal off dishes as well as powder detergents. The tester said she'll keep a bag of packets on hand for long, busy days when she needs all the help she can get.
The packaging of Method Smarty Dish was enough to excite one tester. "It's pink and pretty and really just made me happy." The product's results--squeaky clean dishes--made her happy, too.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
Dishwasher tablets comes in all shapes, textures and sizes. The consistent complaint among testers was that the pre-made packets of dish detergent are pricier than liquid or powder formulations. You decide whether they're wasteful or a small luxury.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
The Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Detergent Concentrated Pacs, in Lemon and Free & Clear scents, got dried-on spaghetti and tomato sauce off plates in one wash. "There was nothing wrong with what I was using," reported our tester, "but considering this may be healthier for the environment and my family, I'll be happy to make the switch."
She also found the new Rinse Aid to be effective. The spots her usual leading-brand rinse had been leaving behind disappeared with the first wash.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
The Green Works Natural Dishwashing Liquid didn't give our tester that "squeaky clean" feeling, because she found that it was watery and didn't lather much.
But the Ecover Ecological Dishwashing Liquid worked well for our tester. He said that a little went a long way and cut grease well. But there's wasn't much lather and the grapefruit scent was very light, issues he calls "a matter of taste."
Dawn Hand Renewal was a perfect product for our tester with sensitive skin. It worked well on the dishes, and her hands were slight dry, but not itchy, after dishwashing.
The Dawn Direct Foam worked well when applied to a sponge, but the tester prefers to use a dishcloth, and reported that the foam only did a few dishes --not the "one pump does a sinkful" promised--with the cloth.
The Seventh Generation Lavender Floral and Mint dish liquid was a winner. The smell reminded our nostalgic tester of gummy bears. Her only complaint was that it's clear and doesn't lather as much as the big-name brands she usually uses, so it took a little getting used to.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
Laundry
It's time to air out your dirty laundry, and we don't mean the neighborhood gossip. Can these green, scent-free cleaners banish that moth ball smell?
Several testers who used new versions of unscented laundry detergents--including Seventh Generation Free & Clear and Arm & Hammer Essentials Free--commented that it was hard to get used to not having a fresh floral or citrus scent on their sheets and towels. After a lifetime of associating a smell with something being clean, our testers had a hard time adjusting.
One tester said sometimes what's billed as no smell is actually a bad smell. "While I like the idea of a 'free and clear' laundry detergent, Tide Free actually has a rather nasty odor to it," he reported. "Something between Elmer's glue and a paint cleaner."
Ecover Delicate Wash was a bright spot. "It's low sudsing, but we haven't had any trouble with stains not washing out," said a new mom who uses it exclusively for her baby's clothes.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
As people in the green living community raise concerns about the environmental and health impact of traditional dryer sheets, eco-companies are coming out with versions of their own.
"Ecover Fabric Softener is my favorite part of doing laundry," the new mom reported. "I often remark how great my clothes smell after using it."
Nathan Ellis Perkel
The tester of the Seventh Generation Natural Fabric Softener Sheets saw both good and bad in them. "I don't like the texture of the hard and stiff dryer sheets," she said, adding, "It is easier to find them stuck inside a t-shirt though!"
Nathan Ellis Perkel
Bathroom
It makes sense that the room that gets the most use would require the most cleaning. It also makes sense that it's hardest to get motivated to even attempt scrubbing the bathroom. We tried a batch of new bathroom cleaning products to see if they could make cleaning fun, or, at least, a little less gross.
Ecover's Ecological Bathroom Cleaner passed muster with a doubtful tester. It cleaned as well as any harsher cleaner she tried and best of all, "I didn't have to open up my window to air out a chemical smell."
"I was surprised to discover that no matter how much I sprayed, I didn't get hit with an overwhelming bleach smell," reported a satisfied tester of the Clorox Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner. Once she got past the expectation of a big layer of foam, she loved that the Green Works product didn't cause her bright pink sponge to bleed color.
The Nature's Source Natural Bathroom Cleaner didn't perform as well. "The product actually made me sick to my stomach," according to one tester. "It smells like a wet dog with a splash of rancid lemon." Another tester had a quite different reaction. She said she lazily sprayed the product on her bathroom surfaces and was pleasantly surprised to see the gunk come off without scrubbing.
The Seventh Generation Emerald Cypress & Fir Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner also got a bad review. "This smelled nice but didn't seem to have any more effect on my pesky shower mold than if I had just sprayed water on it," one disappointed tester said.
The Method Le Scrub abrasive cleaner has an interesting bottle, with a purpose--that's a handy sponge-holder on top. The cleaner itself didn't get grout as clean as a bleach-based product, according to our tester.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
Method's Lil' Bowl Blu toilet bowl cleaner "has a great spout that allowed for ease getting under the rim," even though the bottle itself was a bit heavy, one tester said. The scent was overpowering at first, but later in the day left the bathroom smelling quite nice.
The Clorox Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner left our tester's bowl "squeaky clean." "I will definitely make the switch to Green Works because it actually works!" she raved.
The Nature's Source Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner from Scrubbing Bubbles didn't clean any better or worse than our tester's regular products, but smelled pleasant. "The added bonus is that it's 'green,' but there are an awful lot of funky-sounding chemicals listed on the back," she noted.
Nathan Ellis Perkel
Kitchen
Lasagna. Chocolate cake. Chili. To some, it sounds delicious, while others can only think of the inevitable clean-up. But when clean-up's a breeze, the food tastes so much better.
The Simply Neutral line of products, including the stainless steel cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, and no-VOC glass cleaner, walks the walk. Each bottle is shipped with a small bit of cleaning concentrate inside, and you're supposed to fill it up with cold water and stir. The products are made using corn sugar and palm kernel oil, making them colorless with a light scent--great for people with allergies. While our tester found that the Simply Neutral products weren't as effective on built-up grime as more chemical-laden products, if something is reasonably clean, these items do a nice job of keeping it that way.
Simply Neutral
