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Gimme the Good Stuff

Home > Safe Product Guides > Safe All-Purpose Cleaner Guide
Young adult woman cleaning kitchen cabinet at home

Safe All-Purpose Cleaner Guide

April 15, 2020 | BY Maia James
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure page.

All-Purpose Cleaner

1. Attitude / 2. Aunt Fannie’s / 3. Branch Basics / 4. CleanWell / 5. Eco-Me / 6. Force of Nature / 7. MamaSuds


Natural all-purpose cleaner is the bottle I reach for most often (besides maybe the wine bottle, hehehe).

My kids are charged with cleaning more and more as they get older, and I love to be able to hand them a spray bottle of natural all-purpose cleaner and a cloth and tell them to get to work on everything from spots on the hardwood floors to the top of the stove.

Best Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

MamaSuds All Purpose

My favorite natural all-purpose cleaner is MamaSuds. It smells amazing, cuts the grease on our stove-top, and even has a blend of oils that have been shown to kill viruses.

With my kids as the cleaners, I have to be extra sure there is nothing concerning in the bottle I hand them. They like a generous spray, and so I need to feel okay about them inhaling lots of it, getting it on their hands, and leaving it all over surfaces.

What’s Wrong with Most All-Purpose Cleaners?

Unfortunately, there is good reason to concerned about the toxicity of most household cleaning products. Ranging from phthalates to chlorine, the ingredients in many all-purpose cleaners are linked to everything from hormone disruption to cancer.

Studies show that long-term exposure to spray cleaning produces increases the risk of lung damage as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day!

Some of the worst ingredients in most all-purpose cleaners include:

  • Neurotoxic preservatives, including ones found in natural all-purpose cleaners, like methylisothiazolinone and benziosothiazolinone.
  • Toxic cleaning agents like 2-butoxyethanol, which is found in many multi-purpose and glass cleaners and is linked to kidney and liver damage.
  • Synthetic fragrance, which usually includes hormone-disrupting phthalates in the undisclosed ingredients.
  • Antibacterial ingredients, which can be totally toxic (such as bleach or triclosan), but which can also be safe. Thyme oil and citric acid, for instance, will kill bacteria and viruses (including coronavirus).

Another issue with cleaning products is the amount of plastic pollution that they create. For that reason, I’m a big fan of refillable options like this one, although I don’t use this kind exclusively.

bucket

Safe Ingredients in Natural All-Purpose Cleaners

Natural all-purpose cleaners, even those with antibacterial properties, can be totally safe. Here are some of the ingredients you’ll see on the labels:

  • White vinegar.
  • Thyme oil.
  • A blend of various essential oils. Look for cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary oils for antibacterial and antiviral properties.
  • A surfactant or soap, of which castille soap is the safest.
  • A coconut-derived detergent, such a sodium laurel sulfate (I’ll call products with SLS Good Stuff rather than Best Stuff only because of the potential for skin irritation).


The Best Stuff

Best Stuff Badge

Aspen Clean All Purpose Cleaner Aspen Clean All-Purpose Cleaner

I’ve never tried this one, but doesn’t contain any ingredients of concern. Comment below if you’ve used it and like it!


Attitude All Purpose CleanerAttitude All-Purpose Cleaner

This affordable, basic cleaner contains only safe, plant-derived ingredients.

Amazon


Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar

This product line is totally safe, but fair warning: unsurprisingly, it smells like vinegar!

Amazon


Branch Basics

TrialKitVignette

I love the concept of this brand, because you can purchase concentrated refills rather than large new bottles when you run out. The fact that the ingredients are legitimately clean makes Branch Basics some of the very best stuff.

Use code GIMME10 for 10% off all Branch Basics Starter Kits.

Buy from Branch Basics


 

CleanWell Botanical Disinfectant Spray

Cleanwell Botanical Disinfectant Spray from Gimme the Good StuffThe active ingredient here is thymol (thyme oil), which is proven to kill cold, flu, and coronavirus germs. I use this one in our bathroom.


Eco-Me All-Purpose Cleanereco-me all purpose cleaner from gimme the good stuff

You’ll always find Eco-Me products in my home, and their natural all-purpose cleaner is one that I feel good letting my kids use.

$5.25 – $5.99 — or subscribe and save up to 10%Buy Now


Force of Nature All Purpose CleanerForce of Nature Cleaning Kit from Gimme the Good Stuff

This is a great earth-friendly option that turns salt, water, and vinegar into a natural all-purpose cleaner that naturally kills germs (including coronavirus).

Get 40% off all bundles through the end of 2021 with code GIMMETHEGOODSTUFF.

Buy from Force of Nature


Lumion All Surface Disinfectant Spray

Lumion Surface Spray from Gimme the Good Stuff

Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) is the magic behind Lumion, which kills viruses and bacteria. Safe to use everywhere in your home, including your baby’s crib.

$16.00 — or subscribe and save up to 5%Buy Now


MamaSuds All-Purpose CleanerMamaSuds All Purpose Cleaner

This is my go-to, and it features an antibacterial essential oil blend to help disinfect during cleaning.

$12.50 — or subscribe and save up to 5%Buy Now


Meliora All-Purpose Cleaner Tablets

Meliora All Purpose 3 Pack from Gimme the Good Stuff

This entirely toxin-free cleaner gets extra points for being extra Earth-friendly. Just add one tablet to an empty spray bottle and fill with warm water.

$4.99 — or subscribe and save up to 10%Buy Now


 

Poofy Home All-Purpose CleanerPoofy Organics All-Purpose Cleaner from Gimme the Good Stuff

Poofy’s natural all-purpose cleaner contains a nice blend of safe ingredients, including some oils with potential antibacterial/antiviral properties.

Buy now from Poofy Organics

 


The Good Stuff

Good Stuff Badge

My Green Fills

My Green Fills Truly Free Every Day Cleaner Gimme the Good STuff

I love how Earth-friendly this brand is. Their products contain sodium benzoate. I’m not particularly worried about this preservative, but it does knock this out of the Best Stuff category.


Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface CleanerSeventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Room Cleaner

This one contains sodium laurel sulfate, but I’m okay with that ingredient in products that are not applied to my skin. I’m putting this as Good rather than Best Stuff in case some of you are trying to avoid that one ingredient. This contains thymol, which kills the novel coronavirus.


Sonett All-Purpose CleanserSonett All-Purpose Cleanser from Gimme the Good Stuff

I transfer mine into a spray bottle to make it easier to use. Note that this contains sodium laurel sulfate.

$13.99 — or subscribe and save up to 5%Buy Now


Whole Foods Market All Purpose CleanerWhole Foods Market All Purpose Cleaner

Like others on this list, this all-purpose cleaner contains SLS.

Amazon


The Okay Stuff

Okay Stuff Badge

Babyganics Multi Surface CleanerBabyGanics Multi-Surface Cleaner

Like many Babyganics products, their all-purpose cleaner contains methylisothiazolinone as a preservative.

Amazon


Better Life All-Purpose CleanerBetter Life All Purpose Cleaner

 

This one also contains the preservative methylisothiazolinone, but all the rest of the ingredients are safe.

Amazon


Earth Friendly Products ECOS All-Purpose CleanerEarth Friendly Products ECOS All Purpose Cleaner

I’d feel fine using this one, but it contains potassium sorbate and limonene, both categorized as moderately hazardous by the Environmental Working Group.

Amazon


Field Day All-Purpose CleanerField Day All Purpose Cleaner

We can’t call this Good Stuff because it’s got methylisothiazolinone and benziosothiazolinone in it.

 


Seventh Generation All-Purpose CleanerSeventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner

This contain sbenzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone (both synthetic preservatives with neurotoxic properties).

Amazon


The Bad Stuff

Bad Stuff Badge

Lysol’s lines of all purpose cleaners, even the ones that sound decent, like “Hydrogen Peroxide All Purpose Cleaner,” contain toxic ingredients like synthetic fragrances. What’s curious is why EWG gives many of the Lysol cleaners a B rating!Lysol All Purpose Cleaner

Other unsurpising bad brands include Mr. Clean, Clorox, and Pledge.

 


The Sneaky Stuff

Sneaky Stuff Badge

 

Citra Solv Multipurpose CleanerCitrasolv Multi Surface Cleaner

 

Contains laureth-7, which is often contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane and the aforementioned methylisothiazolinone.


Biokleen Spray & Wipes All Purpose CleanerBiokleen Spray & Wipe All Purpose Cleaner

This one also contains laureth-7.


J.R. Watkins All Purpose Cleaner

Contains cocamidopropyl betaine, a toxic synthetic preservative, and methylisothiazolinone


Method All-Purpose CleanerMethod All-Purpose Cleaner

Method’s various all purpose cleaners contain synthetic fragrance (although they claim to be free of phthalates). They also contain laureth-1, which may be contaminated with 1, 4-dioxane. I personally think everything made by method smells way too strong and artificial, but I know some people really love it.


Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Everyday Cleaner

mrs meyers everyday cleaner gimme the good stuff

Like all products in this line, the all-purpose cleaner contains synthetic fragrance.

Ology All-Purpose CleanerOlogy All-Purpose Cleaner

Also contains laureth-7.


PuracyPuracy Natural Surface Cleaner

Puracy Natural Multi-Surface Cleaner contains problematic preservative benziosothiazolinone plus several ethoxylates, which are rated moderately concerning by EWG.


Don’t see your all-purpose cleaner in any of the Good, Okay, Bad, or Sneaky categories? Comment below and let us know!

Stay sane,

Maia_signature

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Safe Product Guides, Non-Toxic Cleaning Products Tagged With: cleaning, Safe All-Purpose Cleaner Guide

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Comments

  1. Sumiyah says

    April 20, 2020 at 7:44 PM

    Hey! Thanks for this guide!!
    Was curious about Aunt Fannies Microcosmic line? As well as Counter Culture, and Trinature?

    Reply
  2. Denise says

    April 20, 2020 at 7:49 PM

    Great resource- thank you!
    I love products from Meliora – I’ve tried their laundry powders and all-purpose cleaner. They are really trying to minimize single-use plastics, too, which I love.
    Website: MelioraMeansBetter.com

    Reply
  3. Karen Guzowski says

    April 20, 2020 at 8:16 PM

    I’ve been using Happy Place by Beekman 1802. They have a clean seal from HSN, for whatever that’s worth. It works pretty good.

    Reply
  4. Kel says

    April 20, 2020 at 8:45 PM

    Thanks for the guide!! What about fit organic cleaner and degreaser?

    Reply
  5. Marina says

    April 21, 2020 at 8:52 PM

    What do you think of Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds?

    Reply
  6. Robin J says

    April 22, 2020 at 11:35 PM

    So sad to find Better Life only on the Okay list, had no idea of the bad preservative. Been using it for years, guess it’s time for another switch!

    Reply
  7. Tina says

    May 1, 2020 at 2:45 PM

    Any favorite disinfectant wipes? Right now we use seventh generation. Also for covid-19 what is your favorite epa approved disinfectant?

    Reply
    • Katy Leute says

      May 23, 2020 at 2:02 AM

      The seventh generation lemongrass multipurpose cleaner kills covid19 and we love it. It comes in spray and wipes!!

      Reply
  8. Kim says

    May 5, 2020 at 11:45 AM

    Thoughts on Dr Bronners soap and water as an all purpose cleaner?

    Reply
  9. Leanne Whetstone says

    May 5, 2020 at 3:11 PM

    What do you know about Thieves cleaner by Young Living?

    Reply
  10. Katie says

    May 29, 2020 at 10:57 PM

    Dang! I’ve been using puracy for a while now. Time to switch!

    Reply
  11. Jamie says

    May 31, 2020 at 8:45 AM

    Have you reviewed any cleaning products from Young Living, like their Thieves line?

    Reply
  12. Allison says

    August 5, 2020 at 11:18 AM

    How do you rank Everspring? Also, limonene is a terpene produced by plants and even present in essential oils. It is not particularly concerning as an ingredient.

    Reply
  13. Gina says

    September 11, 2020 at 12:58 PM

    Curious why so many natural minded bloggers, websites, instagram influencers, etc are all recommending Branch Basics? One of their ingredients in the concentrate is rated a D by EWG, sodium phytate. Can you share your thoughts on this?

    Reply
  14. Erika says

    September 20, 2020 at 7:02 AM

    Hi there! I was wondering about Smartclean toy disinfectant spray. It seems to be a saline based product the naturally kills bacteria but I was wondering if it really was ‘good stuff’ and safe to use on baby toys. Thanks!

    Reply
  15. Sophie says

    February 20, 2021 at 10:10 AM

    Any insight on Simple green?

    Reply
  16. SANDRA GOMEZ says

    March 4, 2021 at 6:51 PM

    what about the cleaner soul and molly’s suds?
    Thank you!

    Reply

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