Many traditional cleaning products are as bad for your lungs as smoking cigarettes, according to the EWG. Enter Grove Collaborative, your one-stop-shop for green cleaning products that work.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I had another website almost a decade ago (where does the time go?) where I tried to create exactly what Grove Collaborative* is doing. I'm so grateful I let that one go because otherwise, I might not be writing this now. And this is the perfect space for me. So I’m thrilled to introduce you to Grove if you’re not already using it.
Grove offers all clean and natural products for your home, family and all your skincare needs. Instead of taking a stab in the dark when buying a new, green cleaning product you can read the full description and a whole lot of reviews. Not only that, but everything has been vetted by Grove to meet their standards for green cleaning products that work. And finally, they sell their own branded products that are beautiful, effective and innovative.
Many of their branded products are leaning toward circularity by using materials such as glass and designing out waste by selling concentrates. They still have room for improvement, but here are my favorites.
Green cleaning products: concentrated cleaning pouches
Not only are Grove Collaborative’s cleaning pouches made from healthier ingredients than traditional cleaners, the pouches significantly reduce plastic waste and take up way less space to transport. In a circular economy, the goal is to design away waste, and these green cleaning pouches are a good example of a circular economy product.
Read about more circular economy products and circular economy examples.
You can also purchase the glass spray bottle if you want to look super green while you’re cleaning. I have one glass bottle from Grove that I use for the all-purpose cleaner. However, I got the three-pack of pouches and it seemed wasteful to buy three glass bottles. So I’m re-using old plastic bottles for the rest. I’m still thrifty like that, but I do put a pretty label on those old flimsy plastic bottles to add a little class 😉
But the most important thing is these green cleaning products work as well (I’d argue better) than traditional toxic products. I personally hate cleaning, but when I gather the energy, I can scrub with the best of them. I cleaned the house on Sunday using only these three cleaning pouches* and the bamboo cleaning brush that came free with my first order of Grove. Sparkly clean! Did I mention you get a bunch of free samples and products to try with your first order? Yep, that first box feels like Christmas in September.
Green cleaning laundry system
Whoever created this laundry system* is a genius! There are a bunch of other concentrated laundry detergents on the market, but most require you to pour the liquid into the cap to measure it. That’s all fine and dandy, but nobody in my family (other than me) see’s the “fill to” line. So everyone fills it all the way to the top of the cap. Which is way too much detergent. It wastes a ton, leaves a residue on clothes and it makes the towels smell like mildew.
The Grove laundry system is different. Their system comes with a glass bottle and a plastic refill pouch. The glass bottle releases the exact amount of liquid you need. No cap. No “fill to” line. This keeps you from using more liquid than you need. The refill pouches use less plastic than a traditional plastic container. The glass container can be used over and over again. Just replace the refill pouches.
The only part I don’t love is the laundry liquid is only 96% biobased ingredients. One ingredient in particular that may cause issues for people with sensitive skin is methylisothiazolinone.
“Methylisothiazolinone is a widely-used preservative; has been associated with allergic reactions,” according to the EWG. We have not had any problems, but it's not ideal for super sensitive skin. bamboo toilet paper and paper towels?
Green cleaning products: Bamboo paper towels and toilet paper
“As a replacement for pulp used for paper, bamboo can produce six times as much pulp as a conventional pine plantation,” according to Drawdown.org. It’s also a carbon sink. “Bamboo rapidly sequesters carbon in biomass and soil, taking it out of the air faster than almost any other plant, and can thrive on inhospitable degraded lands.”
Beyond just being better for the planet than traditional paper towels and toilet paper, the Grove Seedling paper collection is soft and also a nice crisp white color that matches my crisp white kitchen and bathroom.
Grove Collaborative
The best part of Grove is knowing that all the green cleaning products work well and give you a safer clean. All the products aren’t perfect for the planet, there’s still a bit of plastic wrap to be found, but it’s leaning toward better. So if you’re looking for a one-stop-shop to find all your green cleaning products and clean personal care products, Grove Collaborative is it.
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