User guide
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Cleaning your home and our planet
With so many cleaning products on the market, many containing harsh chemicals and toxic fumes, which brands offer the best results, but are also environmentally friendly?
For the dishes
Which? has been testing washing-up liquid for more than 60 years, so we’re pretty clued up about which ones cut through the grease effectively. More recently, however, we’ve looked at which brands offer the best cleaning whilst also being environmentally friendly. Tesco and Waitrose have launched ‘eco’ versions to challenge the original Ecover brand.
Find out how the nation’s favourite, Fairy, and other supermarket versions stack up in terms of their eco credentials.
You can also find more maintenance tips to keep your kitchen looking good here.
Does vinegar clean everything?
It’s often touted as the ultimate in sustainable cleaning products – natural, non-toxic and cheap – but in some cases vinegar can do far more harm than good. Vinegar’s acidity is great for breaking down the limescale in your kettle, and it works well for cleaning windows, shower screens and inside ovens, but it can damage other surfaces. For example, it can permanently harm your steam iron by eating away at the protective coating inside and eroding the various plastic, rubber and metal parts. Likewise, vinegar can tarnish the stainless-steel insides of your dishwasher or washing machine, and damage rubber seals, which can then lead to leaking. Read more about cleaning with vinegar.
What is a sustainable cleaning fluid?
In practice, sustainable cleaning products are those that are ethically made from renewable ingredients. Check for the following on the packaging: Is it ‘vegan’? That is, are the surfactants used made from crude oil or vegetable oils? Are both the bottle and cap recyclable? Is the plastic made from virgin plastic or has it been previously recycled? Is there a refillable option from the same brand so you can avoid buying many plastic or glass bottles?
For the laundry
Many laundry detergent subscription brands, such as Smol, Bower Collective and Splosh, claim to offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to products in the supermarket, where the sustainable option is often only Ecover. Many can be ordered online for delivery, so you also need to consider the environmental impact of delivery.
The Which? Investigates podcast explores how to be a more sustainable consumer - and the barriers we often find along the way. Join Greg Foot and a host of Which? experts as they find out how we can all be more sustainable consumers.