By Megan Prowd

Worried about the effect of those chemical nasties in your cleaning products? Us too. At the start of the pandemic concerns for toxins in cleaning products (and let’s not forget hand sanitiser) made way for an overwhelming desire to fight germs. However, household cleaners can be some of the worst offenders when it comes to hazardous ingredients that impact your health and damage the environment with packaging that pollutes waterways with plastic. As our new normal emerges, considering making the switch (back) to natural (and no less effective) alternatives is an easy way to create a healthier home, while treading more lightly on the planet. Here are our top picks for the best natural cleaning brands. 

Koala Eco

Eco-friendly and ethical is the ethos of this family run company, and with their genuine commitment to sustainability, we have to agree. Koala Eco use only 100 percent recycled and recyclable materials- meaning no new plastic is used in their packaging and they donate a portion of profits to One Percent for the Planet. The beautiful hand-drawn labels highlight their emphasis on good looks as well as effectiveness, and their naturally scented, vegan formulas contain high concentrations of pure Australian essential oils and plant-derived, biodegradable ingredients. 

Pleasant State 

Pleasant State is a new brand redefining the way we think about cleaning products. By educating people on the fact that most household cleaners are made up of 97 percent water, they’ve deconstructed the traditional cleaning product into two parts: water and active ingredients; and then get their customers to do the mixing. The range is a selection of catchily-named, multi-use products, with just three kits to clean your whole home: the Homebody Multi-Purpose Kit, the Stay Glassy Glass & Window Kit and the Tub Scrub Bathroom Kit. You’ll buy these beautifully designed glass and silicone bottles once, and refill forever with tap water and their dissolvable cleaning bars, which come in certified home-compostable sachets.

BONDI WASH 

Native Australian botanicals are at the heart of this local company, and we love the unique blends of 100 percent plant-derived fragrances like Lemon Tea Tree and Mandarin. Their formulas harness the natural antibacterial properties of Australian essential oils, while their trigger sprays and pumps are designed to not over-dispense product, thereby reducing excess usage and waste. The Bondi Wash HOME range includes an array of natural household cleaners and comes in bulk format to refill your bottles. 

Resparkle

Resparkle is a little company with big goals. Specifically, they’re out to disrupt the plastic economy, and boy are we on board with that! With a mission to send two million less plastic bottles to landfill, their target is to get their products into ten thousand Australian homes, which they actively track on their site. They also support One Tree Planted and use a local social enterprise to fill and package their products. Resparkle’s range of waste-free and toxin-free products are sold as kits, with pastel coloured reusable glass and silicone spray bottles, alongside their refillable cleaning powders, which come in home-compostable sachets. 

Zero Co

This Aussie brand is on a mission to clean up our oceans. The Zero Co subscription service delivers household cleaning products to your door and includes a set of colourful dispensers made from ocean-rescued plastic, with recycled plastic refill pouches, which you empty into your dispensers and then return to be refilled again and again (they even include return postage). Their no nasties formulas are Australian-made, plant-based, vegan and palm-oil free, meaning it’s an environmental win-win. 

eco store 

With a full range of naturally derived household cleaners, eco store’s sustainable bottles are made from renewable sugar plastic and recycled plastic, and their formulas are plant-based, vegan and made in New Zealand. They also work on a model of refill stations in supermarkets – which have operated in NZ for years. The brand has begun setting up their first refill stations in Australia – you can use the store locator on the eco store website to find a local station as their network expands. 

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