Reviews of Top Green Spray Cleaners
Cleaning Green Magazine spotlights five of the top eco-friendly/nontoxic spray cleaners on the market. See the reviews in this article and decide for yourself which one best suits your needs.
Name of Product: Attitude Eco Cleaner All Purpose
What it is
Attitude’s All Purpose Eco Cleaner is a vegetable-based and biodegradable general spray cleaner for the household. Following Attitude’s environmental mission, this cleaner is certified eco-friendly, contains natural ingredients, and is CO2 neutral.
Size: 27.1 fl. Oz.
Price: $6.49
Ingredients: Water, Coco glucoside, Lauryl glucoside, Alcohol, Essential oils (lavender and grapefruit)
Website: Attitude Eco Cleaner All Purpose
The Good
• A great roundup of non-concerning ingredients
• Certified EcoLogo, an Environment Canada program
• A CO2 neutral product
• Made with essential oils that smell natural, not artificial like some other cleaners
• Works very well to clean a variety of surface types, including countertops, tile, slate, walls, finished hardwood floors, and porcelain
The Bad
• The larger, non-shaped bottle design is bulky and slightly heavy to handle
The Verdict
Attitude’s All Purpose Cleaner is an excellent multi-use spray cleaner that works well on a variety of surfaces. It boasts a natural, non-carcinogenic roster of ingredients that are disclosed on the product packaging.
The Ingredients
This effective cleaner has a list of generally non-concerning ingredients, much of which is vegetable-based. It is free of concerning ingredients that are found in many conventional cleaners, such as ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. It is also free of color dyes and artificial fragrances, which can often have serious health concerns. According to Attitude, its ingredient list is also non-carcinogenic and vegan.
The Results
This spray cleaner works exceptionally well on a variety of surfaces, cleaning up both big and small messes. Each pump of this spray goes a long way; we backed off our normal spray amount and still got the same results. Attitude’s Multi Surface Eco Cleaner leaves tile, marble, and slate shiny without any film or residue. It also worked well on wood surfaces, cleaning (and not marking or staining) both hardwood floors and butcher-block countertops. It leaves a pleasant smell that is slightly noticeable and not overpowering like other cleaners tested.
Eco Cred
Attitude’s All Purpose Eco Cleaner is Certified EcoLogo™, which is a third-party certification of environmentally friendly products. Part of the UL global network, the EcoLogo program was founded in 1988 by the Government of Canada but is now a worldwide Type I eco label.
The spray bottle design is bigger, slightly bulkier, and less shaped for handheld use than some other spray cleaner bottles. Our bottle also made a slight, squeaky noise when we sprayed it.
Date of Test: September 17-October 8, 2012
How We Tested It: Three weeks of use on a variety of surfaces, including tile, stone, marble, wood, porcelain, and painted walls
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Name of Product: Ecover Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
What it is
Ecover Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner is a multi-use spray cleaner that contains plant-based ingredients and works on everything from countertops to glass and mirrors.
Size: 16 fl. oz.
Price: $4.12
Ingredients: Aqua, Alcohol, Capryl Glucoside, Candida bombicola/glucose/methyl\rapeseedate ferment, Fragrance Limonene 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol, Citric Acid”
Website: Ecover Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
The Good
• A good, mostly plant-based ingredient lineup, which is disclosed on the product packaging
• Works well to clean a variety of surface types
• Bonus: This product also works on windows, mirrors, glass, and chrome
• Cruelty free, biodegradable, and suitable for septic tanks
• Packaging is 100% recycled and 100% recyclable
The Bad
• Product left a slight film on some surfaces
• The ingredient list contains a few items that may possibly have some health and environmental concerns
The Verdict
Ecover Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner is a good multi-use spray cleaner that works well on an impressively wide variety of surfaces.
The Ingredients
The majority of this spray cleaner’s ingredients are plant-based. Made from sugarcane, its packaging is also 100% plant-based, which equates to 100% renewable and recyclable. According to the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning, however, there is some concern for health effects from this spray cleaner’s ingredient 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol.
The Results
Ecover Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner works well to clean an exceptionally wide variety of surfaces, from tile, marble, and porcelain to glass, mirrors, and windows. It left glass, chrome, and mirrors streak-free but it did leave a slight film on some countertop surfaces. While it does contain fragrance, the pleasant scent from this versatile spray cleaner was almost undetectable.
Date of Test: September 17-October 8, 2012
How We Tested It: Three weeks of use on a variety of surfaces, including tile, stone, marble, porcelain, and painted walls
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Name of Product: Method All-Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner
What it is
Method All-Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner is a versatile household spray cleaner that contains natural ingredients.
Size: 28 fl. oz.
Price: $3.99
Ingredients: Aqua, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Gluconate, Lauryl Ethoxylate, Potassium Citrate, Fragrance (part essential oils and part synthetic ingredients), and Polymeric Colorant
Website: Method All-Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner
The Good
• A good ingredient lineup, which is disclosed on the product packaging
• Works very well to clean a variety of surface types
• Cruelty free and biodegradable
• According to Method, all ingredients are assessed for safety by the private research firm, Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA)
The Bad
• The Cucumber scent tested was very strong and lingered for some time
The Verdict
Method All-Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner is an efficient spray cleaner that works well to cut dirt and grease on a wide variety of countertops and other surfaces.
The Ingredients
This spray cleaner has a good roster of ingredients, most of which are plant-based (corn and coconut). Method also employs the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) to assess its ingredient lineup for safety.
The Results
Method All-Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner works very well to clean dirt, grime, and grease from a variety of surfaces, from tile, marble, and porcelain to finished wood, and walls. It left surfaces shining and streak- and residue-free. The version tested contained a cucumber-scented fragrance (other scents are available), which was quite potent, even some time after cleaning.
Date of Test: September 17-October 8, 2012
How We Tested It: Three weeks of use on a variety of surfaces, including tile, stone, marble, porcelain, and painted walls
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