Best green cleaning products in L.A. stores

This week's eco-topic: Green clean

Theoretically, green cleaning is easy. All you have to do is use green cleaning products! But determining what products are really green can be confusing and difficult. To help, the Union of Concerned Scientists put together a shortlist of five ingredients to avoid in cleaning products: petroleum, phosphates, phthalates, antibacterial agents and chlorine bleach.

That sounds simple enough -- except that products with petroleum-derived ingredients aren't marked with a skull and crossbones. In fact, ingredient lists have long, hard-to-remember items, like butyl cellosolve. Try figuring out whether that is or is not a petroleum-derived ingredient while stuck in the laundry aisle at the supermarket!

Eco-companies, however, have managed to make things a bit easier for us: Just look for those that specify that they DON'T contain these dangerous ingredients. True green cleaners often sport labels that proudly announce that they are NOT petroleum-based, contain NO phosphates or chlorine bleach, etc.

And to make it even easier for you, below are some of the major eco cleaning brands -- in order of my own preferences -- as well as where to find them in the L.A. area:

• Seventh Generation. This super-green company has even put together a great collection of educational info to help people avoid inadvertently bringing toxic substances into their homes. Find their whole line at Whole Foods stores or Co-opportunity.
• Earth Friendly Products. I'm especially a fan of the Oxo Brite stain remover, which even takes out wine stains! Find their products at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Co-opportunity.
• Begley's Best. Ed Begley Jr. has been keeping busy taking out stains, greenly. Find the actor's cleaning line at Whole Foods and Co-opportunity.
• Planet. [update] Reader Kate loves Planet's laundry detergent; my friend Summer loves Planet's dishwasher powder. Find them at Whole Foods.
• Mrs. Meyers. These products fall low on the list because I discovered the hand soap contains parabens. Some of the products are paraben-free, however. Find them at Whole Foods and Livingreen.
• Method. Some of Method's products contain petroleum-based ingredients. However, they're more widely available than most. Find Method at Long's Drugs, Office Depot and Target.
• Clorox's Green Works line. Clorox, an ungreen company, recently came out with a green line. Find Green Works at most supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as Wal-Mart and Safeway.
• Arm & Hammer Essentials. [update] This baking soda company's come out with a green laundry line. The dye and perfume free laundry detergent worked well for me, but the "Lavender & White Linen" fabric softener sheets were so pungent that I hid them in the back of a kitchen cupboard. I can still smell them -- and I've never even opened the box! Find Essentials at most supermarkets and grocery stores.

Found dud products in any of these lines? Let the rest of us know in the comments so we can avoid them. Know of other brands, or other locations where these brands are available? Share in the comments, and I'll update this list.

Yes, I know there are many other green cleaning product lines out there that aren't readily available in L.A. area stores.  However, I just don't think most people are going to buy green cleaning products online to get them shipped to their homes. I don't. Do you?

Photo courtesy of Seventh Generation

Comments

[m]

Sometimes Ed Begley, Jr is at the Studio City Farmers Market selling his Begley's Best products. It's on Sunday morning from 8am-1pm on a little street called Ventura Place at the corner of Ventura Blvd and Laurel Canyon Blvd.

[Carey Okrand]

Love all of the "green" clean products, especially Ed's Best but can't find a dishwasher soap that actually cleans the dishes!!! I've tried them all.
Suggestions anyone?

[Stephanie Zhong]

Even better than the store-bought cleaners (and I've been a fan of Method cleaners for two years) is a homemade mix of 1/2 distilled vinegar and 1/2 water. Pour into a spritz bottle. The vinegar scent disappears once dry, and it makes everything sparkle -- stainless steel. Cheap, organic, amazing.

For stuck on dirt, I've become obsessed with pumice stones for the tub. Also sprinkling some baking soda on before the vinegar spritz gets rid of many stains. It's much cheaper and easier to use. Packaging is also recyclable.

[tim1724]

I really like Method's laundry detergent. It works really well, and I particularly like the "free + clear" version which has no fragrances or dyes. (Why do most detergents have dyes in them? It makes no sense whatsoever!)

[Siel]

m -- V. cool that Ed Begley, Jr.'s still doing that! I saw a clip of him selling his stuff at a lil display at Whole Foods on his Living with Ed show, and thought it was great that he literally put himself behind his brand :)

Carey -- I'll do a post re: working dishwasher soap this weekend!

Stephanie -- You're v. hardcore :) I think you'll like this DIY post I did.

I don't get the fragrances either, Tim. Usually, I find them way too pungent!

[Marilyn]

Take a look at the "Get Clean" products from Shaklee. They have no harmful ingredients and are highly concentrated. The automatic dishwasher powder uses a fraction of store brands and really cleans. Same for the liquid for manual washing.

Keep up the awareness. We have removed all toxic cleaners from our home and its great!

[Siel]

Hey Marilyn -- My friend Summer really liked the dishwasher powder too. I used the dishwashing liquid myself -- It worked quite well, though I didn't really notice a marked difference (in terms of the concentration) from the other green dishwashing liquids I tried. Still recommended though :)

[Marie]

I have been using a new line of eco friendly cleaners out of Europe from a company called Norwex. THEY ARE AWESOME! My Fav's are the laundry detergent, liquid dish soap,dishwasher detergent, the polishing cloth, hand sanitizer, & this amazing naturally antibac microfiber cloth that removes and destroys everything from E. Coli , MRSA, Salmonella even H5N1 ( bird flu) using ONLY WATER --- HONEST! It has this special silver stuff embedded in the microfiber that can't be washed out. Very cool. They are FDA and EPA approved and have all the tests to prove their claims. Their mop is THE BEST I've ever used. Their stuff isn't expensive either!! I have loved everything I've tried so far. I've tried nearly every other eco product on the market & nothing works like their stuff does. Check out the website www.norwexgreenclean.citymax.com

[bob]

Take a look at a really cool concept from a company called Wonder Tablitz. They offer 4 products that come in tablet form. What is unique is that the tablets are embedded in the front of the bottle so you have your built in refills right on the bottle. The bottles are shipped empty which saves on fuel, space, and carbon emissions. Also, you don't have to buy big heavy plastic refill jugs that end up in landfills across the country. They are non-toxic and biodegradable. The products work GREAT, especially the Citrus All Purpose Cleaner, I used it on all my countertops, even granite. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond on W. Olympic in LA.

[Nathan Aaron]

I LOVE method cleaning products! They are just so awesome! So much so, in fact, I've created a new blog: http://www.methodlust.blogspot.com, featuring sneak peeks, news, and just my overall unsupressed love for method home products! Thanks!

[Ethan]

Good to see the "Earth Friendly Products" ranked so high, our family has been using them for over a decade. We buy 5 products every month: ECOS, Dishmate, Furniture Polish, Vinegar Glass Cleaner and EcoBreeze. We haven't tried the Oxo Brite, maybe we should.

-Ethan & Family

[Mary Beth Keenan]

Has anyone found effective strategies for getting public entities, including public schools, to get rid of the hand soaps with dye, perfume, triclosan, and other untoward (irritant, allergen, pollutant) ingredients?