February 23rd, 2008 · No Comments

By John DeFore

Our cleaning trials continue…

IN THE SINK

My top choice for liquid dishwashing soap is Planet’s Ultra Dishwashing Liquid, which retails for a little over twelve cents an ounce — well under half the price of the upscale-targeted Mrs. Meyer’s. One good squirt of the soap is plenty for a sink full of sudsy water, and the suds endured through a round of dishes and a couple of greasy pans to boot. The company is also refreshing in its approach to Green marketing hype, avoiding vague terms like “natural” in favor of specific, verifiable ones: “certified biodegradable,” “unscented” — that is, no scents are added beyond those provided by the coconut oil on which the cleaner is based — and “not tested on animals.” Planet spokesperson Elaine Powers says, “companies that label their detergents as ‘natural’ pose a competitive problem to those who don’t, even though the environmental characteristics and formulas may be similar. Making up a new definition for a commonly used word misleads people, which can result in lower consumer confidence in green products and the movement in general. In contrast, making sure ‘green’ product claims are clear and verifiable builds consumer confidence and trust and ultimately contributes to a healthier environment.”

Also very good for hand washing dishes was Ecover’s Dishwashing Liquid, which lists for a bit more than Planet (nearly 14 cents per ounce) but not enough to notice. The package’s assertion that the liquid won’t produce “excessive bubbles” could mislead casual customers — while chemical-watchers may recognize it as a reference to Ecover’s use of non-ionic surfactants instead of phosphates, the soap will still produce a foot-high mountain of bubbles if you leave your tap running full blast — but one squirt made a soapy sinkful that didn’t peter out at the first sign of bacon grease.

IN THE DISHWASHER

All of the machine dishwasher powders tested — from Ecover, Shaklee, and Seventh Generation — performed perfectly well on loads of moderately dirty dishes. All three were phosphate- and chlorine-free, relying instead on plant-based surfactants. Ecover and Seventh Generation make a point of listing all ingredients on their packaging, while Shaklee simply asserts that its components are “natural,” “safe,” and “biodegradable.” Seventh Generation does acknowledge a “non-toxic polymer” that is not “readily biodegradable” sneaked into its formulation a few years ago, so it no longer claims that its dishwasher soap is all “natural” but the company pledges that it is working to replace this problematic ingredient.

Unloading the washer, I saw dishes just as clean as I’d expect when using a conventional detergent. In the interest of creating a level playing field, I used only the powder detergent itself, avoiding the liquid “rinse aids” offered in product lines like Ecover’s; even without using those, I never saw streaking or spotting on glasses. I was put off, though, by the fact that Ecover’s tablets were individually wrapped, adding to packaging use.

ABOUT FRAGRANCES

For both aesthetic and environmental reasons, I typically choose products with no added fragrance whenever possible. So I was grateful that both Planet’s Ultra Dishwashing Liquid and Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear” Dish Liquid are made without added scents. Plenty of people, though, associate crisp scents with cleanliness, and I have to admit that the chamomile/marigold herbal blend in Ecover’s dish liquid was very pleasant. The lemon verbena variety of Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap, on the other hand, was overbearing and lingered on my hands long after the dishes were dry. The use of fragrances appears to be a bone of contention among marketers of green cleaners, but most parties seem to agree that, in low concentrations, naturally derived fragrances will break down adequately in the environment.

KITCHEN COUNTERS AND OTHER SURFACES

For non-dish cleaning in the kitchen, we were underwhelmed by the performance of some concentrated liquids that seemed less than potent when diluted with the suggested amount of water. For countertops and surfaces of many appliances, a quick scrub with the sponge just used on dishes worked about as well. For specialized needs, though, we found that glass and mirrored surfaces responded well to the Green Works Natural Glass and Surface Cleaner made by Clorox, and that Shaklee’s “Scour Off” Heavy Duty paste was great on both stained sinks and stove-top enamel, provided it was applied with some serious elbow grease. We sampled a few other specialized items, like wipes that claim to kill bacteria, that didn’t quite satisfy as stand-alone solutions.

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