What Are Natural, Safe Cleaning Products?
Natural cleaning products — aka green, sustainable or eco-friendly — are products that don’t contain chemicals harmful to people or the environment.
It’s important to research product claims before buying. The definitions of “natural” and “green” are vague, and there are a lot of misleading marketing claims out there.
“The use of greenwashing terms is rampant in the industry,” says Samara Geller, Environmental Working Group (EWG) senior director of cleaning science. “These terms don’t have a regulatory or legal definition [and so they] don’t necessarily mean the formulation is free from hazards to human health or the environment.”
Also, terms like “natural” can be deceptive even when they’re true. Lead is natural, but that doesn’t mean you want it in your product, says Taryn Tuss, vice president of marketing and communications at Green Seal.
“Even ‘free of’ claims can be misleading,” Tuss says,” because a product that is free of one group of hazardous chemicals that is on consumers’ radar – such as phthalates – may still contain other chemicals that are equally harmful but lesser known.”
To help sort safety from marketing hype, look for an eco-label certification from a reputable third-party testing organization like EWG (and its Guide to Healthy Cleaning), Green Seal and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice. Each applies rigorous standards to evaluate product ingredients, packaging and performance.
For companies without eco-label certifications, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not also safe. Check their websites to see if they substantiate their claims with scientific evidence.
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