I swear, this is not turning into a review blog! There are just some products that don’t fit the bill over there and if I still want to tell you about them this is my only avenue.

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What do you think of when you hear the name Clorox?

Bleach, right?

A highly toxic and carcinogenic substance that many people still have in their homes. That makes me sad, but it makes me angry when those homes also have children in them. Particularly when vinegar does the same thing and you can eat it without calling poison control.

Thankfully, one of the most popular providers of household bleach has come out with a healthier alternative in the Clorox Green Works series of products. The line include five products that claim to be at least 99% natural and made form ingredients derived from coconuts, corn and lemon oil. The company, however, is not 100% transparent with their ingredient list so I couldn’t confirm this. If you click on the links below for each product, you can see that they do include and ingredient list but it’s the same list for each product and doesn’t contain colours that are obviously in there or reveal what the other 1% is. I emailed the publicist that sent me the samples and she was fantastic - she sent a complete ingredient listing and some additional information:

All of the Green Works cleaners are 99 per cent natural, with the remaining 1 per cent coming from added colour, fragrance, and preservatives.

Research showed that consumers prefer coloured product because it reinforced efficacy and was easier to find on a store shelf and currently, there are no stable natural colorants available. Clorox is currently working with its suppliers to develop natural alternatives in order to convert as soon as one is available.

The preservative is important for keeping the formula stable and preventing micro-organisms like bacteria from growing in the cleaner. For example, if you make your own cleaner by combining lemon juice and water, bacteria will grow over time.

Here’s the full Green Works Ingredient List:

Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner (99.93 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), corn-based ethanol, glycerine, essential lemon oil, biodegradable preservative, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner (99.20 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agents (anionic and nonionic surfactants; alkyl polyglucoside, cocodimethyl amine oxide and sodium dodecyl sulfate), corn-based ethanol, natural alkalinity builders for enhanced performance (potassium citrate and potassium carbonate), fragrance with essential lemon oil, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner (99.99 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), citric acid, lactic acid, essential lemon oil, natural thickener (xanthan gum), blue and yellow colorant

Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner (99.84 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), soda ash, corn-based ethanol, glycerine, and fragrance with essential lemon oil

Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner (99.05 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), glycolic acid (hydroxyacetic acid), and essential lemon oil

I tried all five products and they work really well. They don’t smell overly chemically, which is a nice change from commercial cleaners. (As far as I can remember, anyway. It’s been a long time since I’ve used anything but vinegar and baking soda.) They certainly weren’t gentle on my skin, however. They were nothing like bleach, but as someone who doesn’t clean with rubber gloves these cleaners did a number on me and are listed as an “Irritant” on the bottle. I’m not sure which ingredients are irritants, but there’s something in there that I’m not a fan of.

The Good:
+They’re 99% natural and are working toward 100%.
+The ingredients come from renewable resources.
+They’re biodegradable.
+They’re free of petrochemicals.
+They work.

The Bad:
-The other 1%. Why is colourant necessary? People seriously want that?
-They don’t have a disinfecting product yet (but are “evaluating natural disinfecting ingredients” and hope to add one soon.) (Hello! VINEGAR! THYMOL! You have millions of dollars. I have ten. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.)

The Ugly:
-Whatever irritated my hands.

The Verdict:
I’ll still be using vinegar, but for those of you who spend money on commercial cleaning products I would recommend, at the very least, switching to the Clorox Green Works series. It’s the least you can do for the earth and our children.

The Giveaway:
I’ve got a gift package to give away to one reader! You could win a full sized bottle of all five of the Clorox Green Works products packaged in a reusable shopping bag and a galvanized steel bucket.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I’ll leave it open for a week.

UPDATED TO ADD: Congratulations to commenter #11, Leah! Email me with your mailing address and your Clorox products will be on the way as soon as I get off my fat butt and over to the post office. muchmorethanamom at gmail dot com