Green cleaning products that get the job done

Green cleaning products that get the job done

By Herb Weisbaum

With so many green cleaners on the market now, which do you buy?

The Good Housekeeping Institute tested all types cleaning products to see which get the job done.

Carolyn Forte with the institute says green products are more popular than ever. Forte says these products are made differently from their non-green counterparts.

"Generally the products are made from plant-based ingredients rather than petroleum-based. Plant-based ingredients are renewable, so they're better for the environment," she said.

The institute put nine laundry detergents, seven hand dish-washing liquids and seven all-purpose cleaners to the test.

In the laundry test, the Arm & Hammer Essentials 2x Concentrate cleaned up.

"We tested our laundry detergents on a variety of ingredients, including mascara, wine, grape juice, even chocolate syrup. We are particularly impressed with Arm & Hammer on how it performed in cold water and especially on those stains," said Forte.

At almost half the price per load, Purex Natural worked almost as well.

And when it came to all-purpose cleaners, Sun & Earth worked best, especially on counter tops. Green Works by Clorox came in second.

Good Housekeeping also recommends Simple Green all-purpose cleaner. Because it is concentrated, it can handle heavier jobs, you just dilute it based on what you are cleaning.

In the dish-washing liquid test, Planet's product performed the best, Forte said.

"It cut through greasy grime and on average it cleaned on average 12 plates, which is more than others tested," said Forte.

The Imus GTC hand-washing liquid only cleaned seven plates.

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