Intro + Cleaning Product Recommendation

As hard as I tried to be "green", I never felt quite comfortable with the label until I made the complete switch to all-natural products. Its easy to get frustrated on the search for natural, sustainable alternatives for everyday items, and I found myself frequently saying "screw it" and falling back to harsh chemicals and non-recyclable things, for the sake of convenience.

My New Year's resolution is to go totally green. Thus begins The Green Chronicles. Its not only an experiment for myself, but also for you, dear reader. Let's spend a year together, trying to save the environment, one household at a time.

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Alright, product recommendation time.

I really got into researching green cleaning products during my six month sabbatical in Colorado. At the time, I lived in the middle of nowhere and the closest grocery store was a hippie's paradise known as "Sunflower Market". I've always been drawn to organic and all-natural things, so it certainly wasn't any terrible thing to shop there. I learned a lot about natural products and when I moved back to Florida, I immediately sought out the familiar comforts of whole food stores. The wonderful thing about the green movement is that it has made a lot of natural cleaning products available in regular grocery and department stores. (Regular just sounds so pretentious, but I don't have a better word, my apologies.)

So here's a quick roundup to get your green ball rolling:

Seventh Generation Products - 


Considered the leading brand of green cleaning products, they are the most widely distributed brand at the moment. They have a wide variety of products including bathroom cleaners, all purpose cleaners, dish washing detergents, laundry detergents, paper products and baby items.

Their mission statement is to inspire a revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations. And they are certainly on their way. For their cleaning products, the pros and cons of buying and using Seventh Generation are:

Pros- Pretty much all of their cleaners are safe for pets and are disinfecting. You do not need to rinse areas that come into contact with food after using Seventh Generation products (though it goes without saying that you should make sure its dry). They have an incredible selection of products and they are all reasonably priced - the average bottle of cleaner is less than three dollars.

Cons- Most of their products are scented using natural oils, and if you're sensitive to smells, they can be pretty overpowering.

You can join Seventh Generation Rewards by clicking here. You can also write to Seventh Generation to request coupons here or by sending a letter to Seventh Generation, 60 Lake Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

Method Cleaning - 


Method, like Seventh Generation, provides an incredible selection of different natural cleaning and personal care products. Unfortunately, it is not as widely distributed as Seventh Generation. Target typically carries quite a few Method products, and you can also shop online for products you can't find in store.

Their mission statement is to be the best at getting better. You can look "Behind the Bottle" to see what goes into Method cleaning products.

Pros- They carry an all-purpose cleaner that really is what it says - all purpose. I've used it on glass without streaks. All of their products are lightly scented, so as not to bother those with allergies.

Cons- Disinfecting cleaners require you give a quick wipe-over (with a damp towel) of surfaces that come into contact with food.

You can join Method's People Against Dirty by clicking here. Target frequently has printable coupons available online, and you can contact Method to request coupons here.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day - 


Mrs. Meyers is, like Method, not widely distributed but definitely an up-and-coming contender for Seventh Generation. Target also carries a wide selection of Mrs. Meyer's products, and you can shop online for more products.

Mrs. Meyer is, in fact, a real person, and her good old-fashioned values inspired the creation of the company. Their mission statement is, simply put a better way to clean, inspired by a mother of nine.


Pros- They have a wide variety of lightly scented products for every household task. Almost all of their products are biodegradable, and those that are not will break down into non-harmful decomposition products.

Cons- They do not have any anti-bacterial products.

You can contact Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day to request coupons here. You can also find them on  Facebook.

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