Lots of brands claim to be natural or green but knowing the difference between products that are truly organic, nontoxic, and better for the environment and those that simply claim to be requires a level of knowledge that’s actually difficult to acquire. Anna Reade, a staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says this is in part because terms like natural, green, and nontoxic are “unfortunately not regulated and are not legal definitions, so they don’t really mean anything.” Indeed, there are still no federal regulations that force manufacturers to list everything found in their products on packaging (though California and New York have passed their own disclosure laws). This makes it “pretty difficult to be really savvy at reading ingredient labels,” Reade explains.

In order to simplify the process, we consulted with green cleaning experts, from bloggers to #CleanTok stars to eco-conscious cleaning services. We also turned to Environmental Protection Agency guidelines as well as toxicity databases created by independent entities like the Environmental Working Group, which gives products letter grades based on how toxic they are. Below, find recommendations for natural all-purpose cleaners as well as some more specific hero products that you can use in particular areas of your home or workplace.

What we’re looking for

• Ingredients: When shopping for natural cleaning products, it’s a good rule of thumb to look for shorter, simpler lists of ingredients in order to decrease your overall exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. Even better: Look for ingredients that you actually recognize, such as baking soda, quartz and limestone, and distilled white vinegar, all of which our experts told us are known to be effective all-purpose abrasives that will help remove grease and stains in a variety of contexts. When it comes to lessening environmental impact, it helps to look for biodegradable formulas free of dyes and synthetic fragrances.
• Safety rating: Here’s where things get tricky. Even if its formula appears to be natural or plant derived, a cleaning product may still be harmful to either your health, the environment’s, or both. For example, some fragrances can cause skin irritation and allergies as well as polluting waterways. A popular “natural” surface cleaner, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Basil Scent Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner, receives a D rating from the EWG because it contains ingredients like sweet-basil oil (linked to cancer, skin irritation, and reproductive and organ damage) and a fragrance linked to respiratory damage and aquatic toxicity. We prioritized natural cleaners that appear in the EPA’s “Safer Choice” database or received a B rating or higher from the EWG. (The EWG gives an A rating to products of “lowest concern” to personal and environmental health and a B rating to products of “low concern.”) While no single database is going to be comprehensive, Reade says that consulting a combination of them and doing some research of your own can go a long way: “If you’re taking any steps, then you’re lowering your overall exposure to chemicals, and that’s good.” Even if you can’t find a certain cleaning product in its database, it’s possible to search for specific ingredients to find out how safe they are.
• Cleaning power: There’s no use in purchasing a natural cleaner with incredible environmental credentials if it’s not going to, well, work. We looked for all-purpose natural cleaners that can be used across a variety of surfaces and that come recommended by people who use them all the time or that we tested out for ourselves. In assembling a final list, we took note of the context in which each of our recommendations would work best.
• Sustainable packaging and refill options: Going green, as many of our experts note, doesn’t only mean using natural, nontoxic products but also limiting wasteful packaging. While single-use plastic still abounds even in the natural-products space, we looked for all-purpose surface cleaners that can be used around the home, concentrated formulas that will go a long distance, and large refill sizes.

Best overall natural cleaner

Bon Ami Powder Cleanser – 5 ingredients | EWG A rating | Multipurpose | Recycled packaging

Bon Ami, known as an effective yet gentle “scratch-free” household scrub, was recommended by two experts — Saudia Davis of “Best of New York” GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning and Cindy DiPrima, co-founder and former chief creative of CAP Beauty — who use it as a scrubbing powder for everything from countertops and bathtubs to floor tiles and kitchen sinks. “I use Bon Ami, which has been around forever and has a very simple ingredient deck,” DiPrima says. That brief list of biodegradable, hypoallergenic ingredients includes limestone, feldspar mineral powder, soda ash, baking soda, and a surfactant called alkylbenzene sulfonic acid. You can use this powder cleanser all over your house: It fights both kitchen grease and weird bathroom gunk, will polish up your cookware, and is safe to use on stainless steel, copper, brass, granite, and porcelain, plus ceramic tiles. For the sustainably minded, all of Bon Ami’s packaging is made from 65 percent postconsumer recycled materials. The EWG gives the cleanser an A rating.

Best concentrated natural cleaner

Dr. Bronner’s — Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner (32 Oz.) – 11 ingredients | EWG A rating | Multipurpose | Concentrated formula, refill sizing

As anyone who has ever read a Dr. Bronner’s label knows, its line of liquid Castile soaps are truly all-purpose. Of all the brand’s products, Micaela Preston of mindfulmomma.com recommends Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner. Containing plant-based surfactants and essential oils for fragrance, it’s powerful enough to clean your floors, dishes, furniture, and even your car — although it does contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which won’t agree with everyone. Though the packaging is plastic, gallon-size refill bottles are available, and you can dilute this (cruelty-free and biodegradable) formula as needed, meaning it can stretch out for a while. The EWG gives it an A rating.

Best natural dish soap

Ecover Zero Dish Soap – 8 ingredients | EWG A rating | Kitchen dishes | Concentrated formula

Davis makes a lot of her own household cleaners. But when she does buy something from a brand, it’s Ecover’s simple, fragrance-free dish soap. Jen Brady, chief green mama at Green Baby Deals, also suggests Ecover dish soap, noting that the EWG gives it an A rating and telling us that it’s gentle on hands but tough on dishes. “My kids are getting into the dishwashing stage, and I feel confident letting them use this dish soap,” she says.

Best Natural Floor Cleaner

Bona Hardwood-Floor Cleaner – 10 ingredients | EPA Safer Choice | Hardwood floors | Refill sizing

Another hardwood-floor option is this pH-neutral Bona cleaner, which Davis uses at her cleaning business and recommends to others. It’s EPA Safer Choice certified and doesn’t require any fancy or time-consuming self-mixing methods: Just spray and mop. The water-based, biodegradable, paraben-, phthalate-, and phosphate-free formula is safe for all unwaxed hardwood floors and won’t leave any residue. The company sells large refill sizes so you don’t have to keep purchasing additional plastic spray bottles.

{Editor: This product is a go-to for our listings with wood floors, and in our personal homes! The John Eric + Trevor Moore Team LOVES Bona products!}

Best natural toilet cleaner

Ecover Toilet-Bowl Cleaner – 7 ingredients | EWG B rating | Toilet bowls | Recyclable plant plastic bottle

For tidying toilet bowls, Preston recommends this pine-scented cleaner. Not only does it remove tough stains, odors, and any calcification from your toilet, but the product is also packaged in a recyclable bottle made of plant-based materials. The cruelty-free formula is mostly plant based: water, citric acid to remove limescale, pH-regulating sodium citrate, lauryl glucoside as a surfactant, fragrance, the thickener xanthan gum, and the petrochemical glyoxal. The EWG gives it a B rating.

Best natural odor and stain remover

Biokleen Bac-Out Stain + Odor Remover – 8 ingredients | EWG B rating | Textiles | Refill sizing

Melissa Maker, whose YouTube channel Clean My Space has more than 1.3 million subscribers, recommends Biokleen’s most well-known product, Bac-Out, as a natural cleaner for carpets or any other kind of fabric or upholstery. She says it uses live enzymes to break down odors and remove stains from all kinds of textiles without damaging or bleaching. (She is also a fan of Nature’s Miracle, a Strategist favorite, for pet stains and odors.) The formula contains no ammonia, chlorine, or phosphates, with an ingredients list that is mostly plant derived — with the exception of the preservative phenoxyethanol. While Biokleen as a brand appears in the EPA Safer Choice database, it does not include this specific product. The EWG gives Bac-Out a B rating.

Best natural degreaser

Krud Kutter Original Concentrated Cleaner/Degreaser, 32 Ounces – 6 ingredients | EPA Safer Choice | Greasy surfaces | Refill sizing

If you’re tackling serious grease and grime, whether on kitchen surfaces, tiles, or even carpet, Val Oliveira, the CEO of Chicago-based cleaning company Val’s Services, recommends Krud Kutter. The water-based, nontoxic, odorless product appears in the EPA Safer Choice database and, according to her, is safe for children, pets, and the environment. “It makes our job easier every day, allowing us to cut through the inevitable accumulation of dirt, grime, and grease quickly,” Oliveira says.

Best vinegar-based natural cleaner

White House Lemon-Scent Cleaning Vinegar – 3 ingredients | EWG B rating | Surfaces | Refill sizing

Perhaps the easiest way to ensure that you know what’s in your cleaning products is to make them yourself. Ask any green-living expert or organic devotee and they’ll tell you that the best natural cleaning products are regular white vinegar or baking soda with a little lemon or orange thrown in. “Truly the best way to clean wood floors is with simple white vinegar,” DiPrima says. “Any good white vinegar will do,” agrees TikTok #CleanTok star Ruby Cleans Things. But what if you don’t have the time to do kitchen chemistry right now? This affordable cleaner from White House contains just white distilled vinegar, water, and natural lemon extract, making it a good option for folks who don’t like the smell of vinegar alone but don’t feel like making a mixture of vinegar and essential oils themselves. It gets a B rating from the EWG.

(As published by NY Magazine – March, 2022)