Why I replaced all my cleaning products with Blueland
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Over the past few years, I’ve made small steps to clean up my act (literally). Instead of using parchment paper when I bake my favorite gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, I use a silicone baking mat. And when I have leftovers to put in the fridge or freezer, I use reusable Stasher bags instead of Ziplocs. However, my favorite eco-friendly upgrade by far has been my Blueland cleaning products: The bottles are aesthetically pleasing, the products smell fresh but not overwhelming and, best of all, everything works exceedingly well.
When the world essentially shut down in March 2020, I — like many other people — found myself relying on delivery apps and e-tailers more than ever. But between all my grocery orders, dinner deliveries and Zara clothing hauls, I was caught in an endless cycle of multiplying empty boxes and the process of recycling them. My carbon footprint was increasing, and I wanted to do something about it. So, when my husband and I bought a condo about 10 months ago, I figured that we could use a clean slate in every sense of the word. And after seeing countless ads and rave influencer reviews for Blueland’s Shark Tank-famous cleaning products, I decided to finally invest in them and make our new home a little bit more eco-friendly.
Blueland The Clean Essentials Kit
Blueland’s The Clean Essentials Kit includes three acrylic reusable bottles for the brand’s Multi-Surface Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner and Glass + Mirror Cleaner and a reusable glass bottle for the Foaming Hand Soap. As we reported in our guide to eco-friendly cleaning products, Blueland’s cleaning sprays are Safer Choice-certified, which means that their ingredients meet the environmental and human health and safe criteria set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to Blueland, the cleaners are free of parabens, ammonia, phthalates, chlorine bleach, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
In order to be as eco-friendly as possible, Blueland designed their cleaners as tablets that dissolve in hot water. These tablets are packaged in compostable paper, and they’re easy to store in a jar or container to keep on hand for whenever you run out. (I keep mine in a Bodum storage jar.) All of the products and packaging are certified by Cradle to Cradle, which means they have been shown to have a positive impact on the planet, according to the nonprofit.
Blueland The Clean Essentials Kit
Blueland The Clean Essentials Kit $39.00 at Blueland
One thing I’ve found especially useful with Blueland is the Subscribe & Save option: Instead of having to remember to buy new tablets, I am set up to receive them in the mail every two months. You can customize this to get new tablets every month, every two months, every three months or every four months, and you can cancel or pause any time.
Though I was naturally a bit skeptical about how effective an eco-friendly cleaning product could be — especially one that came as a tablet — Blueland’s cleaners immediately impressed me. My husband and I easily spend most of our time in the kitchen, and the Multi-Surface Cleaner has worked well on our marble countertops and stove top. We also have a glass coffee table that’s used often, and the Glass + Mirror Cleaner easily wipes away any coffee rings without leaving noticeable streaks.
I was just as pleasantly surprised by the Foaming Hand Soap. This is the product I was most worried about originally: If the chalky tablet didn’t dissolve properly, it would be all too noticeable when I went to use the soap on my hands. However, the soap tablets fully dissolve in about 15 minutes and produce a frothy consistency every time.
In the 10 months I’ve been using Blueland’s products, I’ve only had a few gripes, and they have nothing to do with the cleaning solutions themselves. My qualm with the Hand Soap tablets is that you really do need to use them with Blueland’s bottle — I tried using the tablet in my own soap dispenser and it ended up spewing out some sad combination of water and chalk. I’ve also had issues with the reusable bottles: I had to replace two of my reusable bottles — the Foaming Hand Soap dispenser and the Multi-Surface Cleaner bottle — because both of them had issues dispensing product.
Blueland Toilet Cleaner Starter Set
I recently expanded my Blueland collection and invested in the Toilet Cleaner Starter Set, and I’m just as happy with those tablets so far. The foaming tablets make the whole bathroom smell like Lemon Cedar, and once they’ve worked their magic, all I need to do is give the toilet a quick scrub with the toilet bowl cleaner. It really does make a quick job of cleaning the toilet.
Blueland Toilet Cleaner Starter Set
Blueland Toilet Cleaner Starter Set $22.00 at Blueland
Other eco-friendly cleaning products to consider
If you want to compare Blueland’s offerings to other eco-friendly products on the market and explore some other options, we rounded up some other top-rated eco-friendly cleaning products worth considering.
Branch Basics Premium Starter Kit
Like Blueland, Branch Basics offers reusable bottles — however, instead of tablets, the company delivers liquid called The Concentrate for every single product it sells. The Concentrate is billed as a multi-purpose, fragrance-free cleaner, and it’s plant- and mineral-based, according to the brand. Included in the Premium Starter Kit is a 33.8-ounce bottle of The Concentrate, five reusable plastic bottles and the brand’s Oxygen Boost, which is designed for laundry.
Branch Basics Premium Starter Kit
Branch Basics Premium Starter Kit $69.00 at Branch Basics
Cleancult Complete Home Bundle
Cleancult’s products use a coconut oil base that is both environmentally friendly and safe for the skin, according to the brand. Like Blueland, Cleancult sells refillable bottles and dispensers — the refills come in recyclable milk cartons, and you can schedule them to ship every month, every two months, every three months or every four months. When you purchase the starter pack, you can choose from four color options for the reusable bottles and from three scents for the cleaner refills.
Cleancult Complete Home Bundle
Cleancult Complete Home Bundle $89.99 at Cleancult
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