10 Favorite Eco-Friendly Household Products

When you survey the aisles and behold the plethora of green cleaners now available, does it make you feel as though you’ve inhaled too much bleach?  Of course, it does! Some of the eco cleaners are more pricey than their environmentally hazardous counterparts and why would anyone want to save Earth if it’s going to cost double and work half as well? Good news: Ex/Urb has done some tough research for you. We’ve slogged through the eco-cleaner duds and whittled down this list to 10 easy-to-find, effective, not-cost-prohibitive favorites.

Green before green was cool, Simple Green has been around for something like 30 years. Dilute the concentrated formula and use it to mop tile or laminate. Also good for patio furniture. Simple Green Concentrated is available absolutely everywhere (grocery stores, Do-It Center, etc., etc.)

Trader Joe’s Multi-Purpose Cleaner is the natural solution to Windex. It promises no streaks but performs about as well as it’s less enviro-friendly counterpart (which means it does streak sometimes). Hurray, though, because your streaks will be so much less toxic.

We tried them all, Bright Green makes a nice dish soap. The big bottle lasts and smells divine to boot. Bright Green Dishwashing Liquid is available at Vons/Pavillions.

Again, a Bright Green pick. Believe us on this one, MANY other eco-friendly dishwasher detergents fail miserably. They often leave food and other strange residues behind, in fact. Bright Green Dishwasher Powder Detergent works beautifully. Available at Vons/Pavillions.

We were going to pick Trader Joes’s Liquid Laundry Detergent but, you know, it just doesn’t work at well as Charlie’s Soap. Harder to find but worth it, Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid is available at Tri-Valley Supply on Thousand Oaks Blvd. Or go online to Charlie’s Soap and find a retailer near you.

Initially, guilt ensued because we were using disposable wipes. We tried the squirt bottle version of Method’s Wood For Good but it was far, far less satisfying. Then we discovered something very important: these wipes are made from fast-growing bamboo. Besides, one wipe goes a long way. No wax, highly effective and the almond scent is nirvana (as far as cleaning products go, anyhow). Method Wood For Good Squeaky Green Wood Surface Wipes are available at some grocery stores and Target.

This is perhaps more important than the dishwasher soap warning. Many environmentally friendly toilet bowl cleaners are lame. Not Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Toilet Bowl Cleaner, though. You and your guests will be happy with the results. It’s even supposed to be aromatherapeutic (we did not notice any tranquilizing power from the lavender scent but it was pleasant). Available at Lassen’s, Whole Foods and Tri-Valley Supply or go online to  Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day to find a location near you.

Easy to find, fairly priced and 100 percent recycled, Trader Joe’s bath tissue and paper towels win in the paper department. And, no, the toilet paper doesn’t feel like sand paper. It’s good enough even for the guest bathroom.

Strangely enough, most supermarkets don’t carry eco-friendly trash bags.  CVS does, though! Seventh Generation trash bags (available at Lassen’s and Whole Foods) are also fine, but CVS Earth Essentials Tall Kitchen Bags are better.