Experts consider the EPA’s Safer Choice ecolabel the gold standard, so look for certified products while shopping for eco-friendly cleaning supplies.Amazon
The more you cook, the faster your kitchen tends to get dirty. But as long as you wipe down your counters and wash your dishes daily, as well as take out the trash as needed, you can clean your floors, windows and appliances once a week, says Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angi, a network of home service providers. However, if you splatter tomato sauce on your stovetop or spill something inside your microwave, clean it up immediately to avoid stains and attracting pests. Below are some of our favorite eco-friendly kitchen cleaners, all certified by the EPA’s Safer Choice Standard.
You can clean most areas of the bathroom weekly, but be sure to wipe down your sink and countertops more frequently since they tend to see the most splashes and splatters, says Hicks. Glass surfaces like shower doors, windows and mirrors are prone to hard-water and mold buildup if they’re not properly cared for, so cleaning these areas weekly is something you shouldn’t skip, says Jeramy Sibley, president of Glass Doctor, a glass repair, replacement and installation company. Also consider keeping a reusable squeegee in your shower to dry the walls, doors and floors after each use, he says. Below are some of our favorite eco-friendly bathroom cleaners, all certified by the EPA’s Safer Choice Standard.
As a rule of thumb, experts recommend cleaning floors in high-traffic areas once a week and cleaning floors in low-traffic areas every two weeks. You can mop hard floors like hardwood, vinyl and tile with a compatible cleaning solution and use a carpet cleaner for rugs. Plus, be sure to vacuum all floors as needed. It’s also a good idea to keep a stain remover for carpets and upholstery at home in case of accidents that result from spills, pets or kids. Below are some of our favorite eco-friendly floor cleaners, all of which are certified by the EPA’s Safer Choice Standard.
You can make eco-friendly cleaning solutions at home, but they will only work for some things, says Reade. “Homemade cleaning solutions do a really great job of cleaning your home, especially for low-touch or low-traffic areas. But when you should use them depends on what the job is,” she says. “If you’re concerned about disinfecting or sanitizing a surface, I would stick to products on the EPA’s Design for the Environment list.”
You probably have many ingredients you’ll need to make your own eco-friendly cleaning products in your pantry right now. Staples include baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, salt, rubbing alcohol, lemons and oranges, says Hicks. Here’s how to make an all-purpose cleaner, tile floor cleaner and more.
All-purpose cleaner: Mix one part distilled white vinegar and one part water together. Pour the solution into a spray bottle. You can also add lemon or orange peel to naturally fragrance the spray, says Hicks.
Bathroom cleaner: Combine 1 1/2 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 cup liquid dish soap, two tablespoons of white vinegar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice in a jar. Apply the cleaner to surfaces and scrub them with a sponge or wipe them down with a microfiber cloth, says Hicks.
Carpet and upholstery cleaner: Remove odors by sprinkling baking soda over the area you want to clean and letting it sit for a few hours. Then vacuum it up, says Hicks. Note that using your vacuum to clean up ingredients made of fine powders like baking soda could harm the appliance, so read its instruction manual beforehand.
Tile floor cleaner: Mix one cup of distilled white vinegar into a bucket of warm water. Use this solution to clean floors with a mop.
Glass cleaner: Mix water, rubbing alcohol and distilled white vinegar together. Pour the solution into a spray bottle. “This mixture is effective in leaving glass surfaces streak-free,” says Sibley. “The rubbing alcohol facilitates quick-drying, while vinegar tackles grease and grime efficiently.”
Frequently asked questions
According to the EPA, cleaning products are released into the environment in two main ways: through the evaporation of volatile organic compounds into the air and when people wash them down drains.
Volatile organic compounds
The majority of chemical compounds in cleaning products are organic, but volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a subset that more readily evaporate and can negatively impact indoor and outdoor air quality, says Chris Cappa, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis. Indoors, VOCs are released into the air via household cleaners like disinfectants, aerosol sprays, air fresheners and similar products. Outdoors, VOCs enter the atmosphere and the resulting particulate matter can contribute to urban smog or ozone pollution In high concentrations. Ozone and particulate matter are bad for our respiratory and heart health, and can negatively affect plants and crops, says Cappa.
Washing cleaning products down drains
If you use a cloth or sponge to wipe down surfaces with cleaning products and then rinse them in the sink, the residual cleaning product will enter the water system. Chemicals that enter our waterways through drains may contribute to poor water clarity and disrupt the normal biological functions of wildlife, according to the EPA.
“A good way to think about cleaning any space is from the highest point to the lowest point,” says Hicks—for example, clean fans, windows and countertops before the floors. Mock says you should also tackle dry tasks first, like dusting and vacuuming, before moving on to wet tasks like mopping to avoid spreading dirt.
For glass surfaces, dusting first and then applying a cleaning solution helps you get a streak-free finish, says Sibley. Also, work from top to bottom on glass surfaces to prevent drips on cleaned areas.
Any part of your home that you don’t frequently interact with or can’t easily see tends to get overlooked when it comes to cleaning. Many of these areas are “up and under spaces,” like under appliances and beds or the tops of cabinets, window ledges, fans and lighting fixtures, says Hicks. The inside of cabinets and organizers, as well as behind toilets, are also commonly forgotten about.
At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Angie Hicks is the co-founder of Angi, formerly known as Angie’s List.
Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor at NBC Select who writes about home care, including stories on dusting, dish soap and eco-friendly cleaning products. For this article, she interviewed six experts about eco-friendly cleaning products and rounded up options that earned the EPA’s Safer Choice ecolabel.
