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
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.
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
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 Cleaner
This affordable, basic cleaner contains only safe, plant-derived ingredients.
Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar 
This product line is totally safe, but fair warning: unsurprisingly, it smells like vinegar!
Branch Basics
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.
CleanWell Botanical Disinfectant Spray
The 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 Cleaner
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 Cleaner
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.
Lumion All Surface Disinfectant Spray
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 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
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 Cleaner
Poofy’s natural all-purpose cleaner contains a nice blend of safe ingredients, including some oils with potential antibacterial/antiviral properties.
The Good Stuff
My Green Fills
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 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 Cleanser
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 Cleaner
Like others on this list, this all-purpose cleaner contains SLS.
The Okay Stuff
Babyganics Multi Surface Cleaner
Like many Babyganics products, their all-purpose cleaner contains methylisothiazolinone as a preservative.
Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner
This one also contains the preservative methylisothiazolinone, but all the rest of the ingredients are safe.
Earth 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.
Field Day All-Purpose Cleaner
We can’t call this Good Stuff because it’s got methylisothiazolinone and benziosothiazolinone in it.
Seventh Generation All-Purpose Cleaner
This contain sbenzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone (both synthetic preservatives with neurotoxic properties).
The Bad Stuff
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!
Other unsurpising bad brands include Mr. Clean, Clorox, and Pledge.
The Sneaky Stuff
Citra Solv Multipurpose Cleaner
Contains laureth-7, which is often contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane and the aforementioned methylisothiazolinone.
Biokleen Spray & Wipes All Purpose Cleaner
This one also contains laureth-7.
Contains cocamidopropyl betaine, a toxic synthetic preservative, and methylisothiazolinone
Method 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
Ology All-Purpose Cleaner
Also contains laureth-7.
Puracy
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!
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Sumiyah says
Hey! Thanks for this guide!!
Was curious about Aunt Fannies Microcosmic line? As well as Counter Culture, and Trinature?
Denise says
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
Karen Guzowski says
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.
Kel says
Thanks for the guide!! What about fit organic cleaner and degreaser?
Marina says
What do you think of Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds?
Robin J says
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!
Tina says
Any favorite disinfectant wipes? Right now we use seventh generation. Also for covid-19 what is your favorite epa approved disinfectant?
Katy Leute says
The seventh generation lemongrass multipurpose cleaner kills covid19 and we love it. It comes in spray and wipes!!
Kim says
Thoughts on Dr Bronners soap and water as an all purpose cleaner?
Leanne Whetstone says
What do you know about Thieves cleaner by Young Living?
Katie says
Dang! I’ve been using puracy for a while now. Time to switch!
Jamie says
Have you reviewed any cleaning products from Young Living, like their Thieves line?
Allison says
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.
Gina says
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?
Erika says
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!
Sophie says
Any insight on Simple green?
SANDRA GOMEZ says
what about the cleaner soul and molly’s suds?
Thank you!