The Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products For Your Home

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Doing your bit for the environment, one cleaning product at a time Bedroom Blackout Curtain

We've all been working hard to reduce the number of single-use plastics in our cleaning routines, swapping throwaway spray bottles for refillable glass options and ditching regular sponges for washable ones instead.

But packaging aside, when it comes to your weekly scrub, have you considered the environmental impact of the cleaning chemicals themselves? If not, it might be time to consider switching to more eco-friendly cleaning products.

To state the obvious, they’re simply better for the environment — and us.

Petrochemicals, detergents and chemical disinfectants can be harmful to children or pets if accidentally ingested or cause irritating reactions if they come into contact with skin.

What’s more, some studies have suggested a link between the use of cleaning products and increased air pollution indoors. As they’re washed away, they find their way into Britain’s waterways, where they can affect wildlife and put additional strain on treatment plants to keep our water clean.

The good news is that there are plenty of non-toxic alternatives that work just as well — and in a lot of cases, smell a lot better too. We’ve found 12 of the best natural and eco-friendly cleaning products, so you can enjoy a sparkling home that doesn’t come at the cost of the planet.

Did you know that an average £140 million worth of clothing goes into landfill each year? Clothes Doctor hopes to tackle the issue with its vegan-friendly laundry products, designed to extend the life of garments and therefore help to reduce waste in the long term.

We've tried the bestselling products from the range and were seriously impressed — our clothes have never smelled (or looked) better! Our top pick is the brand’s clothing mists; refreshing clothes with a simple spritz has significantly reduced our laundry pile.

Comprising a reusable aluminium bottle and a powerful cleaning solution, Neat’s multi-purpose spray is designed to tackle every surface in your home, saving you time and faff as well as eliminating plastic from your cleaning routine.

Bower Collective’s subscription services let you choose the reusable bottles you need for your home, then buy pouches of cleaning products for a small cost when needed.

The brand sends a pre-paid envelope with every purchase so that, after you've decanted your supplies, you can post the empties back for the brand to reuse or recycle. Now you've just eliminated all plastic waste from your routine — easy!

Moam’s refillable service offers completely biodegradable and ocean-friendly products, including lovely body care, laundry and cleaning formulas in chic reusable aluminium bottles (they’re also recyclable, so a better option than plastic).

Pouch refills can also be sent back in pre-paid envelopes to ensure they'll be recycled correctly.

CL tip: if you choose one thing to buy, make it the washing detergent. It smells dreamy.

Method is one of the best-known natural cleaning brands — and for good reason. The ingredients in its product range are all naturally derived and biodegradable, using lactic acid rather than chemicals to tackle 99.9% of bacteria.

Smol is one of the UK's most popular refillable cleaning services. While the products are not 100% chemical-free, they have been formulated with fewer chemicals than standard options and the brand is working on reducing this further, so it’s still an improvement on many popular options on the market.

But it's on the packaging front that Smol shines. Its solutions are super-concentrated, meaning a smaller amount of plastic is needed to begin with. It's all 100% recycled and recyclable or can be returned to the brand to deal with.

In 2020, Smol also created the world's first plastic-free laundry and dishwasher capsule packaging.

Delphis products for your kitchen and bathroom have quality eco-friendly, vegan formulations and are made here in the UK. They use only plant-based ingredients, and everything is sent in 100% recycled packaging.

Better still, there are large-size refills available — and as buying in bulk tends to be cheaper overall, this should save you some money.

Finally, this brand has a Royal seal of approval, so if it's good enough for Buckingham Palace, it's good enough for us.

Mr Eco’s scourers and cloths are made from all-natural materials including cellulose and bamboo — a biodegradable material known for its durability. They’re much better for the environment than difficult-to-recycle wire pads, while still effectively cleaning dishes and surfaces.

As well as its range of vegan non-toxic cleaning products for the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room, Ecozone also offers some other innovative products like dry cubes and soap nuts.

Mrs Meyer’s is one of the pricier brands on our list, but we have tried the products ourselves and love them. Bottles come in large sizes that will last you a long time, and they have all-natural formulations packed with quality essential oils that will make your surfaces smell beautiful after a scrub. There are plenty of items in the range, which use vegetable protein rather than detergents to tackle grease and grime.

Say goodbye to greyed-out white t-shirts; this laundry bleach will keep clothes looking bright, clean and fresh without needing any of the petrochemicals found in traditional bleaches. Its oxygen-based formula is biodegradable and created from sustainable raw materials.

You can also use it to banish those stubborn tea and coffee stains in your mugs and keep your toilet clean as well.

Ecover works diligently to ensure its products meet the highest ethical and environmental standards, relying on plant-based ingredients over chemicals wherever they can. It's one of the world's best-known eco-cleaning companies, launching way back in the 1980s.

It has a huge range of cleaners for every room, including the kitchen and bathroom — all at decent price points.

10 beeswax wraps to help you go plastic-free

25 ways to have a green, eco-friendly Christmas

Zero-waste beauty and bathroom essentials to buy

31 quick swaps for every day of Plastic Free July

How to make your bathroom plastic-free

Eco-friendly apps for a greener life

16 ethical Mother's Day cards for 2023

The best plastic-free Easter eggs for 2023

The most common plastic items found in the Thames

England to ban single-use plastic cups and plates

Banish cling film forever with this one easy swap

12 food, beauty and cleaning subscription boxes

Country Living, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.