I am very excited to share with you a new brand line of cleaning products that are very environmentally friendly and probably one of the very few that you can feel safe using around your family. Greener Choice is a line of home cleaning products that was born out of a small company in Ontario, Canada – Oxi Brite Inc.
The mission and vision of the two founders was to provide truly environmentally friendly products, that were truly safe for use by people and also that came at an affordable price
All Greener Choice products are phosphate free, biodegradable, non-toxic, not tested on animals, safe for septic systems, contain no dyes or artificial fragrances and come in bottles that contain 100% post-consumer content.
I have so far had the chance to try the toilet bowl cleaner, the glass cleaner, the bathroom cleaner and their microfiber glass cloth.
The company also offers: laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish-washing liquid, dishwasher detergent gel, multi-surface cleaner, daily shower cleaner and an all-purpose cleaner. Hence, a very diverse line is available to suit everyone’s needs.
What I was most impressed with, where Greener Choice is concerned, was the labeling. Each of the cleaners offers a label that mimics, what we are used to seeing on food packages in terms of details about the product. It is nice to know that there is a company who is open to sharing all the necessary information with their consumers, and does not leave them guessing in terms of what really is in the bottles and how toxic it could be.
The full list of ingredients is clearly written out, including human health information, which I have not yet seen on any other green company’s products, as well as detailed packaging information. This is part of the new Eco Logo program, which includes 3rd party certification of environmentally-preferable products and protects consumers against green-washing. There is a label included in terms of first aid, as this product is still in the alkaline range and hence unfit for any kind of human consumption.
In terms of the products, all worked just as well in terms of cleaning, as any other commercial cleaner and had similar instructions for use. Most of the products come infused with a scent derived from essential oils of lemon, juniper and peppermint. As much as I am against all scents, for the first time I have to say the scent was actual very natural smelling and not grossly overwhelming. It was very pleasant in fact too. However, I still have a preference for scent-free items.
I was most impressed with the toilet bowl cleaner. In the sad old days of “Toilet Duck”, I remember having to hold my breath and run out of the room, as the smell was beyond strong and hideous. In fact after that I simply started washing the toilet with baking soda, because I did not want to waste money on another toxic toilet bowl cleaner. With this one, the scent is very gentle, the liquid is thick and clear and cleans great!
The glass cleaner was excellent and left no streaks and my favorite part was that it was fragrance free. It also worked great with the microfiber cloth, although the cloth can also be easily used with just water. The cloth is very durable and machine washable for many uses.
The bathroom cleaner was good too. I have been using it to clean the sinks, bathtubs and even tiles successfully. Although that blend of lemon, juniper and peppermint is nice, I did find the scent of this one a little too strong, and so would simply prefer a fragrance free option.
In conclusion, if you are not a fan of baking soda and vinegar and would like to have easy to use, conventional cleaning products, then I highly recommend these. Although, they are available online to international customers, I especially recommend them for our Canadian readers, as it is always nice to support the local companies, while getting an excellent product.
Ingredients:
Glass Cleaner:
- Water
- Coconut-based cleaning agent (non-ionic surfactant)
- Corn-based Ethanol
- Skin Irritancy = low
- VOC level = 2.9% (low)
- Carcinogens (IARC) = None
- Toxicity = 13,810 mg/kg
Bathroom Cleaner:
- Water
- Coconut-based cleaning agent (non-ionic surfactant)
- Citric Acid
- Coconut-based Acid
- Corn-based Ethanol
- Essential Oils
- Skin Irritancy = low
- VOC level = 1.0% (low)
- Carcinogens (IARC) = None
- Toxicity = 13,960 mg/kg
Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
- Water
- Coconut-based cleaning agent (non-ionic surfactant)
- Citric Acid
- Xantham Gum
- Sodium Citrate
- Essential Oils
- Skin Irritancy = low
- VOC level = 0%
- Carcinogens (IARC) = None
- Toxicity = 13,645 mg/kg
Packaging
All the bottles come from 100% recycled material and fully recyclable. What makes their packaging even more attractive is that the labels on the bottles are not attached to the bottle with adhesives, which makes both the bottles and the labels easy to separate at the recycling plant and recycle each. The bottles are made of HDPE #2 plastic.
Price (as of this posting)
- $3.99 CAD per bottle of cleaner from GreenCricket.ca
- $4.99 CAD per microfiber cloth from GreenCricket.ca
Availability
- For Canadian residents, find a store near you by clicking here
- For both US and Canadian customers, online from GreenCricket.ca
- Many more stores to come!
The Good
- Safe ingredients for the environment
- Fragrance-free option
- Pleasant Odor
- Excellent cleaning capabilities
- Easy to use
- Biodegradable
- Non-toxic
- Not tested on animals
- Safe for septic systems
- Excellent labeling
- Third Party Certified
- Fair Price
The Bad
- Some sensitive people may still find the scent irritating, and hence should only go for a fragrance-free option