Spring Cleaning with Green Works

Back in October I ran a cool giveaway for Green Works were you could win an eco-friendly professional home cleaning. The idea was that a professional cleaner would come in and use Green Works products to clean your house, and then leave the cleaners behind for you to continue using.  The reality was I was too timid to set up a professional house cleaning for myself. I felt like I would need to clean the place before I would want to let a cleaner in. Awkward. So instead I took the Green Works products they sent me and I used them myself, and they quickly became my new household standard.

Green Works products:
… are made with plant- and mineral-based cleaning ingredients.
… come from biodegradable ingredients that are naturally derived.
… are not tested on animals.
… are acknowledged by the EPA’s Design for the Environment program.
… don’t stink.

Yeah, notice that last one. It’s a biggy for me. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I absolutely hate the scent associated with cleaning.  Most household cleaners make me nauseous. Cleaning the toilet or the shower often makes me physically ill. I simply can not stand the smell. On the one hand, it’s great because it means my husband steps up and does most of the dirty work. But the stench still lingers. It’s something I dread.

I read on the Green Works website that their cleaners provide “extraordinary cleaning power without harsh chemical fumes or residue”. Bang on. Sounds great. So let’s test this out shall we: I tried their all purpose cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, multi-surface cleaner, glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner and dish soap. Overall the biggest thing for me was I do not mind the smell of the Green Works products.  This was a super exciting discovery for me! I am seriously in love. I don’t quite know how to express my excitement over finding cleaning products that don’t make me retch.

My favourites of the bunch are the all purpose cleaner and the dilutable multi-surface cleaner. For the past few months I’ve been using a combination of the two on my hardwood and linoleum floors. My kids are rough on my dining room floors. They need constant cleaning. I’ve been using the Green Works multi-surface cleaner for complete floor washing, and the all purpose cleaner for spot cleaning. Green Works does the job, and it does the job well. It cleans up sticky spills and dried bits of who knows what left from last night’s dinner. I love that it’s gentle on my skin, and that I don’t need to wear gloves while using it.  I’ve also been using the Green Works all purpose cleaner to wipe down my dining room table and my kitchen counters. I love that I don’t’ feel like I then need to “rinse” them off afterwards, to remove chemical residue.

I also like the toilet bowl cleaner, the bathroom cleaner and the glass cleaner. I have to admit I’ve got some mixed feeling here. These products do a good job of cleaning my bathroom, but since they don’t stink or make me nauseous I’ve lost my one great excuse to make hubby clean the toilet and the tub.

My least favourite Green Works product is the dish soap. It works well, but I don’t love the smell. It doesn’t smell awful, I just don’t love it. Now, I’m taking about the original Green Works dish soap. They have a new line-up out, with four different scented dish soaps. I’m particularly eager to try the Tangerine and the Lemon scents. I have a package enroute to me and I’ll let you know what I think of the new dish soaps once I’ve given them a go.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Green Works program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of The Clorox Company of Canada Ltd.