12 Toxic Cleaning Brands You Should Never Use (+ Natural Alternatives)

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

are used as antimicrobial and can be found under various names. Usually used in cosmetics, but can also be added to cleaning products. They have a negative impact on your immune system and may lead to respiratory and skin irritation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified formaldehyde as a human carcinogen.

2. A Tiny Lesson in Chemistry

Some ingredients can be safe on their own, but when combined with others can become toxic. For instance, you must never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or any other acids, as these mixtures can create toxic and deadly gases. Not every one is a chemist, so if you have any doubts or if reading labels is not your thing, then you should take a look at the Environmental Working Group’s fantastic Guide to Healthy Cleaning.

This guide should be useful to decode the labels and identify the safest cleaning products to use. Now that you know what you should avoid, we have here many great options to keep your home clean and toxic-free (or at least lessen that exposure). Vinegar is one toxic free option, but we understand that you don’t want your house to smell like a fish.

So here are some brands you can safely use and love :

3. Top 8 Cleaning Brands to Consider

Green Works

Although they’re owned by Clorox (a brand to avoid), they refrain from using some of the harmful ingredients listed on previous pages, so that’s why they made it on this list. However, they still sneak fragrance into their labels and could make more efforts into being green.

Nature Clean

They’ve done great work with their laundry, dishwasher and oxygen bleach, and are able to improve their glass and all-purpose cleaners’ formulations that are still risky for both humans and environment. However, they’re still using the terms cleaning agents and fragrance.

Ecover

This brand is most known for being environmentally friendly. Although their laundry detergents contain some toxic preservatives, they are a much better option and have done excellent work with their cream scrub, zero dish soap, non-chlorine bleach, bathroom cleaner and all-purpose cleaner.

Method

This brand can definitely make you think that they are extremely clean, besides their packaging and colors are very appealing. Many of their products are a lot safer than others. Although they still use some irritation-related ingredients, they claimed on their website that the fragrance is free of many dirty ingredients and carcinogens, and is tested for skin allergies and irritation.