STARTING FRESH: a quick guide to plastic free cleaning brands
My fiancé and I are currently getting ready to move in just a few weeks.
This will be our first home together, so it really feels like a new chapter. Rose tinted glasses off, I know day to day realities will soon set in and I’d like to be prepared.
Laundry, a whip round with the hoover and maybe (a very strong maybe…) a dust have been the extent of my cleaning activities thus far.
I’m not as type-A about it as my mum who, like many, would rather it look like we didn’t actually live at the house but I am keen for my first home to be tidy and clean.
I knew going into this that I wanted to use cleaning products that are just as convenient as mainstream products but without all the synthetic chemicals and plastic.
Here in the UK household cleaning brands aren’t required to disclose the ingredients in their products, and if they do the language can be incredibly vague. Essentially, there’s no way of knowing what they might’ve put in that they don’t want us to know about.
What we do know is that most of the cleaning products in the supermarkets will contain petroleum-based surfactants like SLS, SLES, and LAS which are known to pollute our waterways, irritate our skin, and have carcinogenic potential.
Then there’s the issue of fragrances.
A single fragrance blend can contain hundreds of synthetic chemicals and most will never be listed. The phthalates used to stabilise these scents have been shown to disrupt our hormones in numerous studies, and yet cleaning product companies continue to use them.
Outside of sprays, things like laundry powder is no better.
You’ll often find they include things like optical brighteners that make your laundry look whiter, but don’t be fooled into thinking they’re actually doing anything to clean your clothes. As with so many chemicals in cleaning products they can cling to your skin causing irritation and pollute our waterways.
All of these chemicals will have been sat in their plastic bottles for months. We then spread them around our homes with synthetic cloths and sponges, shedding plastic microfibres into our homes and waterways as we go. We still don’t know the full effect of microfibres on our health, and I don’t really feel like waiting to find out if I can help it.
I knew there must be alternatives.
I was really disappointed to see a lot of cleaning brands labelling themselves as ‘eco’ or ‘non-toxic’ were still using a lot of synthetic, harmful ingredients.
I’ve found keeping an eye out for third-party certifications is key to avoiding this greenwashing. These bodies requires companies to be fully transparent about their ingredients and practices, often having them adhere to strict sets of rules and regular checks.
So, with a little more research I found some fantastic options. I feel the UK is actually a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to non-toxic, low/no plastic cleaning products which is surprising to me as I think we trail behind in other formulation based products (e.g. skincare).
Here’s some of the fantastic brands I’ve found that I will be using in my home.
Fill Refill Co.
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Fill Refill Co. 🧼
Often just referred to as ‘Fill’; An independent, family-run company making cleaning and personal care products using biodegradable ingredients and refillable packaging.
Fill is run by Phil Kalli, a former musician, who transformed the company when he took over the reigns from his chemist dad. I listened to a podcast featuring Phil, where he shared that he was inspired to shake things up at Fill after seeing the giant containers their ingredients came in were returned to be washed & refilled, and wondered why this circular system stopped with the consumer.
In the podcast, Phil said Fill had always had a focus on ingredients and I think this shows.
They’re not organic, but they do fully disclose their ingredients lists on their website and provide a breakdown of why each ingredient has been used. They’re much more affordable than some of the other brands on this list too.
They sell a surprisingly large range of cleaning products - they even make a record cleaner (a.k.a. ‘beat drops’), presumably a fun nod to Phil’s former life as a musician! - and also have a ‘RAW’ range of single ingredients for DIY cleaners, e.g. cleaning vinegar and bicarb. I’ve heard great things about ‘Everything Clean’ in particular, a concentrated ‘all in one’ that can be diluted to different levels for floor cleaning, kitchen spray, and all purpose spray. I’m also planning on getting their rinse aid, dishwasher powder, and cleaning vinegar.
The products come in modern, stylish glass bottles in the hopes they make people want to keep them and use them over & over. They have refill sites around the UK (check their map to see if there’s one near you) and will also post out refills.
They have big pouches for liquids that come housed in their own boxes with a pouring spout and tubs for powders. All the packaging can be sent back to Fill with free postage and they will wash and reuse it all. The whole thing is zero-waste and circular.
I love that they have the ‘Made in Britain’ certification.
I try to support British brands wherever possible, but the truth is many of them turn out to essentially be marketing machines whose products are manufactured abroad.
Fill develops and manufactures all of their products in house here in the UK.
If you’re based in Bath, Fill is stocked in ‘Consciously You’ on Kennington Road.
Greenscents
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Greenscents 🫧
The OGs.
Greenscents is a British cleaning brand whose entire line is certified organic by the Soil Association.
They have full ingredient transparency and all their products contain at least 95% organic ingredients, with the remaining 5% consisting of ingredients approved by the Soil Association. They’re plant-based, biodegradable and free from the usual harmful compounds; e.g. they use plant-based glucosides instead of synthetic surfactants.
Their products come in amber glass bottles as well as 5l or 25l refill bottles that you can send back to be washed and reused.
Greenscents is one of only two cleaning brands in the UK that are certified organic. I couldn’t find much on the other, but sadly it looks like they only offer very limited range that come in plastic bottles.
Greenscents, on the other hand, have a large range that even includes laundry and dishwasher products. I plan on trying out their anti-bac spray, castile soap (hand wash and wool wash), and washing up liquid.
Bonus points for me, they’re based in Somerset.
The only downside I’ve found is that they don’t have a list of stockists or refill locations, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them stocked at one. Still, I don’t mind ordering the refills online.
Eco Living
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Eco Living 💧
Started by Jo , the founder of zero-waste shop ‘Boobalou’.
Struggling to find plastic free alternatives for some of the home products she wanted to sell, she decided she needed to make her own and get them out there for everyone else.
You’ll find her products stocked on practically all plastic free/ low waste shops, so I’d say ‘mission accomplished’. I love that have their own factory here in the UK (I believe they make their ‘tablet’ cleaning and personal care products here) and partners in the EU (brushes etc).
I’m particularly interested in their cleaning brushes. If I’m going to have something out on display in my home, such as a washing up brush, then I have no shame in expecting it to look nice. I don’t think standard washing up brushes look very nice anyway, so the Eco Living dish brushes are a major upgrade.
They are entirely plastic free, have options with rustic wooden handles or pretty silicone (my preference, especially the pink one!), but what makes them really stand out is that the heads are replaceable. You simply slide the old one out, slot the new one in, and keep the handle. The heads are made of tampico bristles in a wooden base that can be composted once you’re done with them.
The also produce a range of DIY cleaning ingredients, e.g. sodas crystals, compostable bin liners (always glamorous…), and various other household bits & bobs.
SEEP
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SEEP 🧽
SEEP, ‘Sustainable Everyday Essential Products’.
Similar to Eco Living, seep make a range of cleaning accessories. Think rubber gloves, copper scourers, and cleaning cloths etc.
Everything is made from sustainable and renewable materials, and once they have outlived their usefulness they are then compostable or fully biodegradable.
Sadly, whilst they’re based in the UK they don’t manufacture their products here. However, they are entirely plastic free, a certified B-corp, and probably the most easily accessible of the brands on this list.
They’re one of the few examples I’ve seen of a genuinely sustainable cleaning brand making it to mainstream suppliers, you can even find them in Tesco. They’ve also just collaborated with the William Morris Society for some really pretty dishcloths (I think William Morris might be rolling in his grave at this to be honest, but they’re cute!).
Allavare
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Allavare 🫧
Allavare are a small, family run Welsh brand offering non-toxic laundry products.
Handmade in small batches and crafted from just a few pure ingredients, they offer just three products: laundry powder, a stain stick, and an oxygen bleach powder for brightening whites and deep cleaning.
Both the packaging and the products themselves are plastic free and completely biodegradable. They’re non-bio and non-toxic, with no synthetic detergents, endocrine disruptors, artificial fragrances, or hidden fillers.
There are a couple of zero waste laundry brands around, but I feel there’s often a lot of greenwashing going on so it’s great to see one that’s genuine and so transparent.
Jangneus
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Jangneus 🧼
Another family-run company, primarily offering Swedish dish cloths.
Think part sponge and part cloth, replacing your synthetic sponges, microfibre cloths, and paper towels for spillages. They’re made from ‘waste’ cotton, which would otherwise have gone to waste because its fibres are too short for use in the textile industry, and FSC certified wood pulp, making them completely plastic free and biodegradable.
The dishcloths are produced in limited runs, all featuring original designs by the founder, Marie Jangneus.
As with the dish brushes, they’re going to be on display so it’s nice thought has gone into this.
I will say, I think their website is a little clunky and lacking in information - I had to email them to find out anything about their sustainability.
However, the cloths are great, the prices are surprisingly reasonable and they arrive beautifully packaged (it’s the little things!).
Redecker
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Redecker 💧
Brushes and more brushes.
Genuinely, that’s pretty much all they’ve made since they were founded in 1935.
Three generations of family ownership later, they make literally hundreds of variations and all of them are made of natural materials.
I spoke in the introduction to this post about my dislike for microfibre cloths and this extends to dusters too. Whether it’s washable or destined immediately for landfill, they’re all essentially micro-plastic super spreaders. Redecker offer a lambswool option with a wooden handle. You simply tap it outside to remove the majority of the dust, run a rug comb through it and it’s ready for the next session.
They also make a cleaning cloth made with copper thread, making it antibacterial and gently abbrasive. Copper doesn’t scratch when wet, so it’s great for your enamel and cast iron cookware.
Lakeland
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Lakeland 🧽
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
I agree they may not be perfect, but Lakeland have some real gems.
They stock a number of environmentally conscious brands, including ‘If You Care’ who make zero-waste kitchen supplies, and have recently been coming out with some low/no plastic products of their own; I’ve picked up a set of wood fibre and cotton cleaning cloths as well as a spray mob with an aluminium tank.
I was a little annoyed that the cloths arrived in a plastic bag (somewhat defeats the point!) so dropped them an email. I never want to make the poor lot on customer services jobs harder, but I’m super polite and ultimately if no one says anything nothing will change.
BONUS MENTIONS
Stainless steel, plastic-free.
You won’t find me using this for actual washing up, but great for soaking stained textiles.
Planetcare microfibre filter
Technically not a cleaning product, but it’s laundry adjacent so I’m including it.
The filter catches up to 98% of any microplastics that shed off your clothes in the washing machine, preventing them from going on to pollute our waterways. Once the filters are full, you simply send them back and Planetcare turn the collected fibres into insulation - so clever!
I understand the thought behind encouraging everyone to only opt for natural fibres clothes, but it would hardly be sustainable to throw away the synthetic things we all already own so I think this is such a great idea. The only downside is you have to replace the filter every 30 washes, which really isn’t that many.
I hope this is helpful.
I’ll look to update this post as I (hopefully!) come across more plastic free, non-toxic British brands.
As always, feel free to drop me an email on rosesandreverieinfo@gmail.com.
