Cleaning my house…*sigh*….need I say more. I like to have a clean house, but I don’t like to clean. Unfortunately, it is one of those things that has to be done, so I do it! As I strive to live a natural lifestyle, I have to examine the cleaning products I use. Sure bleach may make things really white, but is it worth it to have those nasty chemicals in your home? In my opinion, NO!
I look at ingredients in all products I purchase, not just what I eat. Everything I bring into my house affects everyone in my family, as well as the environment. Chemicals can be inhaled by you or your family and absorb into your skin if it comes into contact. Chemicals don’t magically disappear after your use them, hey exit the home through your water pipes and end up soaking back into the earth. There are also studies that show certain chemicals affecting the human body.
When Robin’s sister learned she had breast cancer at the age of 35, she had no family history, so the sisters decided to look into environmental causes. This is what they found…
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that the air in our homes is 3 to 7 times more chemically polluted than outdoor air, pollution and all! Also, that the average home contains as much as 25 pounds of toxic cleaning products.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that of the chemicals commonly found in homes, 50 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities.
- The Breast Cancer Fund, a non-profit organization, wrote that a substantial and growing body of evidence indicates that exposures to certain toxic chemicals & hormone mimicking compounds contribute to the development of breast cancer.
Together, Robin and her sister replaced all the chemical laced products with natural, eco-friendly alternatives. The one product they found to be most effective in cleaning was vinegar which can eliminate 96% of bacteria. Robin was inspired to create her own line of green cleaning products. Eco-Me was created using the simplest of ingredients, so much that you may think to yourself “I can make that!”. The common ingredients are vinegar, olive oil, and baking soda.
Eco-Me has many awards and certifications praising their use of natural and safe ingredients in their products. They also strive to be a sustainable company by re-purposing their the steel drums their ingredients come in, as rain catchers and composters. Their plastics are PET#1, which are recycled and recyclable.
I was sent three of their natural cleaning products to review: Suzy Dish Soap, Kate Wood Polish and Phil Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Each of their cleaning products has a name! Each product comes to life as Suzy, Kate and Phil share a message regarding how each product cleans. You can also read all the ingredients online. Not only does Eco-Me sell cleaning products, they also sell cat and dog products as well as DIY product kits. I love that Eco-Me uses essential oils in their products. They all smell amazing, not like chemicals at all!
NATURAL & HEALTHIER CLEANING
YES Natural Ingredients
YES PET#1 BPA-Free Plastic
YES Plant Essential OilsNO Chemical Preservatives
NO Dyes or Colorants
NO Sulfates (SLS, SLES, ALS)NO Chlorine
NO Silicon or Petro-Chemicals
NO Animal Testing or Bi-Products
Suzy Dish Soap is for hand washing dishes and should not be used in the dishwasher. Suzy says “Safe dish washing, no Sulfates (SLS), no enzymes, no synthetic fragrances or preservatives. Gentle on hands, tough on dishes and greasy cookware!” The dish soap is made with Water*, Coconut-base Soap (Decyl Glucoside), Vegetable-base Thickener (Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate)*, Xanthan gum*, Pure Plant Essential Oils (Chamomile, Grapefruit, Clary Sage). *Items are GRAS (food-grade). The Dish Soap works really well and gets nice and sudsy to help me clean my dishes.
Kate Wood Polish can be used on wood furniture, cabinets, banisters, doors and floors. Its recommended that you use a microfiber cloth after polishing to remove extra oils. Kate says “No petro-chemcials or silicon. Natural ingredients that protect and shine wood sealed surfaces.” The wood polish is made with Water*, Vegetable Glycerin*, Vegetable-base Thickener (Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate)*, Vegetable-derived Emulsifier (Sorbitan Oleate), Xanthan Gum*, Olive oil*, Pure Plant Essential Oils (Tea Tree, Lavender, Rosemary, Lemongrass). *Ingredients are GRAS (food-grade). The Wood Polish cleans my wood furniture really well and leaves it looking shiny and dust free.
Phil Toilet Bowl Cleaner needs to be shaked before using to mix the essential oils, then just squirt it in the toilet and scrub with a toilet brush. For extra tough stains try a pumice stone or steel wool. Phil says “Sodium Bicarbonate is an effective abrasive free of phosphates. Essential oils and natural soaps clean bathrooms withour chemicals. Safe for septic sysytems.” The toilet cleaner is made with Water*, Coconut-base Soap (Decyl Glucoside), Vegetable-base Thickener (Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate)*, Xanthan Gum*, Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)*, Plant Essential Oils (Lavendin, Clary Sage, Peppermint, Thyme, Sweet Marjoram). *Ingredients are GRAS (food-grade). The squirt bottle is easy to use and effectively sprays in all the right areas of the toilet.
As you can see these cleaners are safe and effective. The essential oils also make them smell really good and that means no nasty chemical smells while you clean. Eco-Me has a wide variety of cleaning products and you should check out all that they have to offer. You can purchase American made Eco-Me products in stores across the US and Canada as well as online. Suzy Dish Soap costs $4.99, Kate Wood Polish costs $5.49, and Phil Toilet Bowl Cleaner costs $6.49. These are not small containers either and will last a while.
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