Thoughts on Green Works...

Today's post is on some products that I was sent to review...Green Works by Clorox.

I have to be honest and say that I've never purchased these before, even though I've seen them. I assumed they were nasty chemical cleaners packaged in a "green" manner, end of story. With a box of free products on my doorstep, I've decided to give them a try and share the pros and cons. (Disclaimer: I have become a weirdo lady who mostly makes my own cleaners, so this should be interesting!)

So far I've tried out these products:

All Purpose Cleaner:

I like:

*biodegradable

*very mild scent (I really hate overwhelming fragrance)

*recyclable (or refillable!) bottle

*no animal testing (this is a biggie and can be super hard to navigate when you are choosing from products offered at most conventional supermarkets)

*cleans wells

*supports the Sierra Club 

I dislike:

*the addition of colorants. I get it that consumers want a pleasant product, but I'd be happier with a clear spray that leaves out unneccessary things. Overall though, the ingredient list is short, understandable, and without offending stuff!

*pretty sure the sprayer isn't recycylable (refilling would take care of this, though!)

I also used the Compostable Cleaning Wipes.

Yep, I said compostable! How fun is that? At our house, there is usually a cannister of cleaning wipes in the kids' bathroom. It is not the most eco-friendly thing to have, but in the battle of nasty kid-proportion messes, it's one of the few conventional products we still use. I *love* that these wipes are both compostable and made from natural ingredients.

Other plusses:

*recyclable (cannister) & compostable (product)

*great for gross/germy messes that you don't want to use towels on
*no animal testing
*cleans wells

Minuses:

*Again, the use of added fragrance seems unnecessary to me.

*If consumers choose not to compost, it's still a wipe getting thrown in the garbage as opposed to a cleaning cloth that can be washed and reused over and over.

Verdict: I was pleased with how these products worked, and the ingredient listings looked suprisingly simple. Do I still support making your own cleaners in reusable containers? Of course!

 I do think these Green Works products are a great choice when you need a conventional cleaner or can't make your own for whatever reason. It is nice to know that there is an eco-friendlier, healthier choice at conventional stores for when the situtaion arises. I also had the thought that these products might be a nice way to get people interested in an eco-friendlier lifestyle. Baby steps! I prefer homemade, local, and eco-friendly, but I sure appreciate that companies, no matter how big or how destructive they have been, are making efforts to improve their products and their environmental impact.