For environmentally-conscious people and consumers, seeing and hearing the words eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, green, sustainable, and eco-safe may get them to take notice of a product or service. And this is true for the cleaning industry, where some brands have established themselves as eco-friendly cleaning brands.
Eco-Friendly refers to not harming the environment. So an eco-friendly cleaning brand’s product doesn’t harm the environment.
This movement to go green and eco-friendly started in the 1960s, and as it continues, more brands in various industries are putting out eco-friendly products.
But when it comes to a cleaning product, how do you know if it’s genuinely environmentally friendly? Household cleaning product manufacturers are not required to put on their labels the ingredients that are in their products.
In this post, we will address one of the indicators of a product that is safe for people and the environment.
We will also point out four eco-friendly cleaning brands that are doing their part to help the environment and people by creating environmentally friendly cleaning products.
How Do You Know a Brand Is an Eco-Friendly Cleaning Brand?
As mentioned earlier, there are a variety of products and services in different industries that are going green to protect the environment. Below are a few examples.
- Construction – green construction materials
- Pet care – eco-friendly shampoo
- Lodging and Travel – environmentally friendly hotels
- Auto – environmentally friendly cars
- Cleaning – green cleaning services and eco-friendly cleaning products
Regardless of the industry, one of the ways that a product or service gets recognized as truly environmentally friendly is certification.
In the cleaning industry, there are a few different certifications eco-friendly cleaning brands can get for their products. The two universally trusted third-party certifications are the EPA (Safer Choice label) and Green Seal.
Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is a government agency that started in 1970. Under President Richard Nixon, the EPA was put into place to protect the natural environment (air, water, and land) of the United States.
In the early 1990s, the EPA started the Design for the Environment (DfE) program. In the Mid-2000s, the DfE created a certification program based on its Standard for Safer Products and Safer Chemical criteria.
This gave brands and manufacturers a way to differentiate their products in the marketplace and make it easier for consumers and business purchasers to identify products that are safer for families, pets, and the environment.
In 2015, the program was renamed the Safer Choice program. The Safer Choice program has a list of strict requirements and criteria for products and their ingredients that the manufacturer must meet, called the Safer Choice Standard.
The Safer Choice program reviews:
- Ingredients
- Product performance
- Packaging
- pH
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
A product with the Safer Choice label means it’s safer for humans, pets, workers, fish, and the environment.
Green Seal
Green Seal is a nonprofit organization and the nation’s premiere ecolabel that started in 1989. It consists of various people, including scientists, dedicated to the health of people and the planet and is a part of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN).
Like the EPA’s Safer Choice program, there is a set of standards across 500 categories that products must meet to obtain the Green Seal certification. You can see the Green Seal® Standard (GS-8) for cleaning products for household use here.
The Green Seal Certified Mark on products indicates that the product has met or exceeded leadership-level, life-cycle-based criteria for sustainability. It equals environmental and health excellence and guarantees good performance.
4 Eco-Friendly Cleaning Brands
For this list of eco-friendly cleaning brands, these brands have products certified by the EPA (Safer Choice) and Green Seal. To obtain both certifications, these products had to meet the label standards set by both organizations.
By being able to meet these standards, it shows that these brands really do care about people and the environment.
1. Odoban
Odoban started in 1980 with a cleaning product that cleaned, disinfected, and deodorized. Over the years, they have created various products, including a line of Earth Choice cleaning products that are both Green Seal and EPA Safer Choice certified.
Here is a list of their Earth Choice cleaning products below.
- Multi-Surface Oxy Cleaner
- General Purpose Degreaser
- Glass Cleaner
- Bathroom Cleaner
- 3-in-1 Carpet Cleaner Concentrate
Odoban is committed to making environmentally sustainable products.
2. Aqua Chempacs
Aqua Chempacs is the industry leader in 100% dissolvable concentrated liquid chemical pacs. For Chempacs to work, add water to them.
They make this easy by supplying reusable spray bottles for their Chempacs. This prevents one-time plastic spray bottles from being discarded or entering landfills and oceans. Chempacs also reduce the waste of chemicals, packaging materials, and emissions.
Some of the Aqua Chempac products that are both Green Seal and Safer Choice certified:
- Glass Hard Sufrace Cleaner
- Neutral Floor Cleaner
- Heavy-Duty Floor Cleaner
Aqua Chempacs strives to be the delivery system customers want and need by creating a product that eliminates excess waste and spending.
3. Ipax Atlantic
Ipax Atlantic started in 1979. They provide effective and safe cleaning solutions for a variety of large industries, including the auto, oil, and steel industries.
Below is a product by Ipax Atlantic that is both Green Seal and EPA Safer Choice certified.
- Green Unikleen 200
Their goal is to provide innovative and cost-effective chemical solutions that are safe for humans and the environment.
4. Staples
Yes, that’s Staples, the office supply store. You may think of Staples as just an office supply store, but they have also created a line of environmentally friendly products under the name
Sustainable Earth. Sustainable Earth products contain renewable resources and recycled materials. They also include a line of cleaning products.
Below are a few of their cleaning products that are both Green Seal and Safer Choice certified.
- Sustainable Earth by Staples® Glass Cleaner
- Sustainable Earth by Staples® All Purpose Cleaner
Staples has invested in waste reduction and energy efficiency programs for over 20 years. They work with suppliers, businesses, and customers to reduce waste, energy, and carbon emissions, and recycle and provide sustainable and environmentally friendly products and solutions.
Conclusion
The EPA and Green Seal are organizations dedicated to preserving the environment and making products and services safer for people. Products and services must meet their standards to get a certification they can add to their label or website.
Environmentally conscious consumers trust these organizations, so to be certified by them gives eco-friendly cleaning brands credibility and peace of mind for these consumers. It’s great to know that there are companies that care about people and the environment.
Have you heard of these brands or used their products? Tell us in the comments below.
It’s really interesting how you sometimes attract things into your life. As I have been looking for the eco friendly cleaning products for a while, and here I have come across your website with amazing recommendation for eco friendly cleaning products. I will look into the Green Seal.
Thank you so much for helping us out.
Best wishes
You’re welcome Habib. Yes, order some of these eco friendly cleaning products. They’re great for you and the environment.
It’s awesome to see that more companies are moving toward creating eco-friendly products. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of many great changes we’re going to see in the future as well. Thanks a lot for sharing this article and keep up the good work with your site here!
You’re welcome Ivan. It is a awesome to see companies making products that are helping preserve and save the environment instead of harm it.
Thank you for this article. I am pleased to see that more and more companies have eco friendly products. I think you have me convinced after this article. I never thought that my cat can be affected by my cleaning products, but I think I will definitely try to avoid this and use eco friendly products.
I am glad I came across this article.
You’re welcome Yoana and I’m glad you are making the decision to start using eco friendly products.
Marigold and Ivy,
What a great article with lots of good information! I actually always try to buy eco friendly cleaners anyways since I have pets and I worry about them licking the chemicals and getting sick. I actually had a cat once that got really sick from licking bleach.
I lived in Hawaii for some years back when I was 18 and I remember when I first moved there, I always got bugs in my house. Hawaii has a lot of bugs and there’s not much you can do to keep them out. But, a neighbor told me once that bleach keeps out ants and roaches. So, I bought a bottle of spray bleach and sprayed all around my windows and doors. I sprayed everywhere that I always saw bugs coming in, and it kept them out. I was so happy!
A few days later, my cat stopped eating and drinking. I didn’t know what was wrong with her. I tried to force her to drink water at least, but she wouldn’t do anything. So, I called the vet and took her in. The vet told me that she had a burnt tongue. I didn’t understand how that could happen! It’s not like I left the stove on or anything, I told the vet. Then she asked what kinds of cleaners I used. I told her bleach. It’s the only thing that keeps the bugs out.
Then she asked if I used it indoors, or strictly outdoors. I told her both! I hated the roaches coming in!! She said that pets love bleach. It tastes sweet to them, just like antifreeze. They lap it up, even though it can kill them. I blamed myself and asked if she was going to die. The vet said, “No, I gave her fluids, that’s this large bubble on the side of her here. Don’t squeeze it, it’s IV fluid to help re-hydrate her.”
The bubble was massive of course, but I was happy she had fluids in her then. The vet said I would also have to force feed her with a wooden tongue depressor and a pate style food she said I needed to buy.
It took 3 weeks for my cat to get better. I never used bleach inside the house after that. Always afraid my pets would lick it again. I even worry about the Lysol wipes that I use very sparingly, and I wipe up the residue with a wet cloth to be sure.
I still worry about this happening with my pets, so I’m always looking for natural cleaners that are mainly lemon, vinegar, or baking soda based. It’s hard though, honestly, especially in Alaska. We get very limited items up here on our shelves.
Anyway, thanks for the great information!! I loved this article!
Wow, sorry to hear about your cat Katrina but I’m glad to hear it recovered. That is one of the problems when you use cleaners with toxic chemicals, a pet or even a young child can consume it. Thanks for sharing your story, and I hope others learn from it.
It is wonderful that more and more companies are going green now. I have a natural and organic pet shampoo which smells fresh like apples, and a few weeks ago I bought an eco-friendly, organic, and natural bug spray to keep bugs off the plants (It’s grasshopper season where I live) I hate pesticides and I never use them, I was using tobacco as a deterrent and it helps too, but when I saw that organic product in Costco I bought it to try it out.
I did not know that Staples went green as well, that is great! Companies that go green will definitely get more customers, since more people are now inclined to buy more eco-friendly products, I think. At least, I am 🙂
Yes, I agree Christine and it’s great to hear you’re buying eco friendly products. Keep buying them!