Product Review: All Purpose Cleaner by Ecover
For the last few years I have been using homemade cleaners to assure myself and family that there were no harmful chemicals being used in the household. Many name brand products that Americans clean their house with everyday contain what is called carcinogens. Carcinogens are the chemicals that have the potential to cause cancer, leukemia in children, brain damage and other diseases in humans. Unfamiliar to many people, these carcinogens are what some people use to clean their floors, kitchen countertops and so much more.
Some of these ingredients are ammonia, crystalline silica, alcohol, and et cetera. To view a full list of all the carcinogens that could be in the cleaning supplies that you use everyday take a look at the Cancer Prevention Coalition PDF. By using these carcinogens, humans are finding that they have many symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes, a scratchy throat, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and respiratory infections are all common reactions due to indoor air pollution.
Ecover’s products are all produced in a factory built with a grass roof for insulation, wood beams from sustainable forests and bricks from coal mine wastes. The factory itself is 100% natural and eco-friendly. This is one of the many reasons why the UN has recognized the company in outstanding practical achievements for improvement of the environment and protection of our surroundings.
If this were not enough to make you purchase from this company, the products speak for themselves. The other day when we walked into our natural health foods store, we were drawn to the shelves with the new products. We purchased the Ecover Floor Soap and the All Purpose Cleaner. Each cleaner comes in a 32 fl. oz bottle made up of polyethylene and polypropylene that is 100% recyclable. It is important to note that the cap, bottle and labels are all 100% recyclable – not just the bottle. For a review of the Floor Soap check out a great article by “the inner eye“, my results were the exact same.
The All purpose cleaner was just as perfect as the Floor Soap. It has a fantastic natural scent that reaches above and beyond other lemon cleaners. It is almost like cutting open a real lemon, it smells so fresh and clean. The bottle states that it is “plant based non-ionic and anionic tensio-active surfactants, plant based soap, water, natural lemon fragrance, plant based ethanol and 100% biodegradable preservative.”
To use the all purpose cleaner, the bottles suggests taking one or two capfuls of cleaner and place it in a bucket full of water. Having grown accustomed to using spray bottle though, I used a clean old spray bottle and placed about one tablespoon in the bottle with warm water. I sprayed the liquid on all types of surfaces like the linoleum floor, tile floor, countertop, windows and even our painted wood on the walls of the kitchen. Yes, I went a little overboard however I was not disappointed with the results. Everything got completely clean and nothing had an oily residue afterwards. I noticed though that on the windows, if I took a dry cloth over the clean surface it make the window sparkle even more.
For me, I am not sure I can turn back to making my own concoction of homemade cleaners. For just around $5.00 I was able to purchase a wonderful cleaner that just keeps going and going. Since it is a 32 fl. oz bottle, I believe I will be able to use the cleaner for a few months before purchasing a new bottle; hence it is cheaper in the long run. It is a truly lifesaving and earth saving purchase that I would feel comfortable suggesting to anyone.
