Checklist For Buying Cleaning Products

I often get asked what we should look out for when trying to buy non-toxic cleaning products.

Of course the first response is to buy our cleaning and laundry products and then you’ll know – all of the ingredients are listed on the label with in depth descriptions on our website.

In New Zealand there is no law requiring producers to list their ingredients on the label, so it can be difficult to know what you are buying.

But some do, so here’s a guide for what to look for when buying cleaning products from Wendyl’s book Recipes For A Cleaner Life: 

Checklist For Buying Cleaning Products

• Must be bio-based and contain no petrochemicals. 

• No petro-dyes (no added colours – blue, red, yellow, etc unless from natural sources). 

• No artificial petro-perfumes (no added fragrances – vanilla fudge, pumpkin spice, coconut mint, etc. unless provided by natural means such as essential oils). 

• Non toxic to human or aquatic life. 

• Not corrosive to skin or eyes. 

• pH level between 2.5 and 12. (you can test this yourself with a home ph tester)

• Does not contain chlorine bleach. 

• Does not contain ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA), or nitrolotriacetic acid (NTA). 

• Does not contain phenolic compounds or glycol ether. 

• Is free of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel and selenium.