Gettin’ Green With Martha
We recently walked into our second home Home Depot and what should we see but a brand new line of cleaning products on display right by the entrance. Apparently Martha has gone green.
Her new line is called Martha Stewart Clean and it boasts 99% plant and mineral based biodegradable ingredients in everything from all-purpose cleaners, wood floor cleaners, laundry detergent, dishwasher liquid, and toilet bowl cleaners. They’re even certified by the EPA Design For Environment program, are 100% non-toxic (which means they’re totally safe for kids and pets) and have no artificial colors or preservatives. Which is definitely a good thing in our book. Especially when you think about how many cleaning products have to be locked away under the kitchen sink thanks to their non-kid-safe warnings.
We love her whole “effective, responsible, and safe” approach to cleaning (even the packaging is 100% recyclable) so we just had to pass it on and see what you guys think.
Have any of you tried these cleaning products on for size yet? We assume they’re pretty close to Dr. Bronner’s line of castille soap available at Target (which we love for its plant-based and all-natural ingredients). And the best thing about our new Home Depot discovery is that they must work really well for big M to put her name on them… which we hope will encourage anti-all-natural peeps (some folks claim they don’t work as well) to give ‘em a whirl and see just how far they’ve come. Who knows, they might be your favorite house-cleaning upgrade of 2010. And since January is all about fresh starts and clean slates it might be the perfect way to kick off the year with a bang. Or a good old fashioned scrub-down…
Psst- Wanna whip up your own all-natural cleaning solutions at home? Here’s a post full of DIY recipes for homemade cleaners that really get ‘er done. And if you’re wondering how we keep Casa Petersik clean, check out this pretty exhaustive post on the subject.
Psssst- Oh and of course we weren’t paid or perk’d by Martha (or anyone else for that matter) to write this little post, we just genuinely thought this new line of cleaning products was of interest and wanted to share it with you!
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
I saw these as well and was wondering how well they’d work. I haven’t tried them yet but I have a feeling people will buy them simply because her name is on them!
I saw these at home depot this weekend too! I wanted to do some reading on them before I bought them as I’m usually a method girl. I can’t wait to hear what people thought of them on here!
I haven’t tried this, nor heard of it! So ill be on the look out for it! :)
I’m interested to see how they compare to Mrs. Meyers stuff. I can’t imagine they could possibly smell any beter!
i too have heard of martha’s green cleaning products. I’m a little skeptical about them (as i usually am with all products claiming to be “green”). Did you happen to take a look at the ingredients?? just wondering what it shows – any crazy, can’t say words i usually look out for! But if these are honestly “green” (and i guess they must at least be better then your toxic cleaners) I’m all for trying them out!
Hey Amelia,
We were totally “suspicious” when we saw that Martha was going “green” but she really went for it! Her new line doesn’t appear to have any of those hard-to-pronounce artificial ingredients or chemicals. It’s full of 99% plant and mineral based biodegradable ingredients and the label proudly boasts: 100% non-toxic, no artificial colors or preservatives. The entire brand is even certified by the EPA Design For Environment program and the packaging is 100% recyclable. It looks like Martha did her research! We can’t wait to hear from people who have given it a whirl.
xo,
s
We also noticed and exclaimed over these on a recent trip to the HD. I’m thinking of giving them a whirl next time we need to stock up on cleaning supplies. Also love that the HD is featuring green products so prominently and I’ve always had a soft spot for Martha.
The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for finding out the true scoop on some of these products. I didn’t see anything up yet about Martha’s cleaners, but I’m sure there will be soon. http://www.ewg.org
Kim- Yeah we love the Environmental Working Group (and their Cosmetic’s Database) for getting the real scoop on products. We have noticed it takes a while for them to pick up something new but we hope Martha gets moved to the top of the list- we’d love to know what they have to say on the subject of her new product line!
Libby- Unfortunately Almost-Doctor Dan only comments on things he has personally researched or experienced in the field himself, so since his concentration isn’t in cleaning products (and he has no in-depth cleaning product ingredient knowledge) he refuses to have an opinion on it. Braniacs are so fair and balanced, eh?! I guess he can’t be an expert on every subject, right?
xo,
s
I love Martha! There I said it.
I would love to hear what “Almost Dr. Dan” has to say about this. There are so many new products like this coming into the marketing and its hard to tell which are using good marketing and which are truly legit.
I’ve heard these are similar in ingredients to the Clorox Green Works line, which I love. Anyone know if this is true? I wrote a review on some of the Green Works products here in case anyone is interested:
http://chateauwhitman.blogspot.com/2009/06/clorox-green-works-reviews-word-on.html
I love your photoshopping. She looks a little Wicked Witch of the West :)
I really like the Clorox green product line, but will have to give Martha’s a try.
I am using the dish liquid now and it works great! It has no scent, which is a nice change after the (overly stinky IMO) Mrs. Meyers. My dishes are completely degreased and shiny!
Hey SarahV,
Thanks for chiming in with your experience after taking Matha’s dish liquid for a spin. We were hoping to get a read on what people think after using it, and it seems as if you like it even better than Mrs. Meyers. Wow!
xo,
s
I think it’s great that Martha came out with her own line of green cleaning solutions. The more stuff like this out on the market, the better! I wonder if it works well?
I would love to try some of those products. Next time my hubby goes to Home Depot, I’m going with!
Martha…she is a wild one!!!! I love the green pic by the way!!! She kind of looks like a witch!!?? I kid, I do love Martha!!!
I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. I’ll have to give them a look next time we’re in HD!!
We’ve used the dish/hand soap and it works great. Doesn’t dry your hands out nearly as much as most of the other hand soaps out there.
“Martha angry! Martha smash!” ahaha.
Thanks for the review Ruth! So far it sounds like the dishwashing liquid and the hand soap is pretty good indeed.
xo,
s
It looks like Home Depot is the exclusive carrier besides her online store. Kinda stinks that I have to go to Home Depot just to get the product. Wish it was available elsewhere. We don’t make a weekly trip to the depot like you guys do… :)
IMO the preachy nature of the labeling on Dr. Bronner’s puts me off a bit. It strikes me as a bit culty…
We use Green Works products for basic household cleaning and I find they work very well. We have tried the Kirkland’s brand of “green” cleaner ( available through Costco) and it did not seem to work nearly as well.
I will definitely be trying the floor cleaner from this new line. Our current floor cleaner is Method and I find it a bit smelly and I don’t think it works that well. Thanks for the heads up on the new product! Do you know if it is available at Lowe’s as well?
Hey Oonafey,
It looks like besides her online store (and places like amazon.com) Home Depot is actually the exclusive carrier of her line. Weird, huh?
xo,
s
Thanks for the heads up about Martha Stewart’s new products. I’m not a big fan of hers normally, but it sounds like these may be something worth checking out. As for Dr. Bronner’s, I wanted to try castile soap this weekend but couldn’t find it at our Target. Which section in Target do you usually find it?
Thanks for all the tips!
Hey Jean,
At our Target it’s always in the organic lotion/shampoo/soap aisle (with the Bert’s Bee’s stuff and the Say Yes To Carrots line). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love Martha and know that she has to continue to watch trends and build her empire. However, the greenest cleaners are vinegar, baking soda and others that you’ve linked to. And they don’t cost $4-$7.
I hate it when marketers take advantage of trends and consumers’ desire to jump on the bandwagon and do good things for the environment. I know they have families to feed too, but I just feel like it’s not right.
Hey Michelle,
We totally agree that the natural homemade cleaning recipes that we linked to are paramount, but we love the idea of ready-made products like these for all the people who would never make their own cleaners (now they can grab something planet-friendly instead of a product that pollutes the air in their homes and even nearby lakes and rivers).
xo,
s
I haven’t tried any of Martha’s stuff, but I’m interested in maybe picking some up. My big problem I’ve run into with all natural cleaners is that no one seems to make a spray cleaner that cuts grease very well. I’ve tried several different ones, and none of them have gotten my stove as clean as the chemical filled Lysol spray has. If anyone has found an eco-friendly spray cleaner that cuts grease, let me know!
Hmm interesting. I’m kind of a “water and vinegar” kinda gal, but maybe I’ll try some of these “green” cleaning products someday.
Can I rant for a sec about our overly clean obsessed society? Yes? Thanks. That’s about it. I think we live in an overly germ-eradicating obsessed society. That’s why I’m a fan of natural and green cleaning, because it generally doesn’t shove down our throats the notion that we must kill 99.9% of germs on every surface of our homes or we will die!
Here’s a pretty hilarious (PG-13) video poking fun at it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDzKad2Q3M
Back to your post about the stamps. I ordered the Kellerman style stamp before Christmas, it arrived last week. Of course, with our address and name. I just love it. I have been wanting one of these for years, so my mother-in-law surprised me with buying one for me. Be prepared for a 15 day wait, and often there are free shipping, and big discount coupons to help with the cost. Thanks!
Becky–have you tried Citra-Solve? It is the best de-greaser I have found, and it has a great orange scent. I get it at Whole Foods, but you can probably find it or something similar at Target.
Unfortunately, most people just don’t have the time or inclination to make their own cleansers, as easy as it is, so the more safe products, the better!
I haven’t heard of these! I would be interested to try the wood floor cleaner. I will get some next time I am O-U-T!
Count me as skeptical. I am a Martha devotee and love everything she deems as stylish. But Martha has a team of people that clean for her – I doubt she has touched a mop since the late 70s. So her seal of approval is pretty meaningless to me on this front.
Now if some old italian lady who keeps her house spotless tells me this stuff works, then I’ll believe it :)
I saw these on my trip to home depot the other day as well! I’m really interested to try them especially the dish soap and toilet bowl cleaner. I hate how scrubbing bubbles and other brands of bathroom cleaner literally knock teh breathe out of me. Something that doesn’t do that (and works well) would be refreshing.
Question: we recently bought a house and the previous owner left a ton of cleaning supplies (non-green). We’re not sure of how to dispose them, so they’re still sitting in our garage two months later! Can someone please let us know what to do to get rid of them properly?
Thanks!!!
Hey Kait,
We actually run into this all the time with a number of things that we just don’t know what to do with. Just take them to your local recycling/garbage center and find the area marked “cleaning chemicals” or ask the attendant where they should go. You’re very smart not to just dump them in the trash!
xo,
s
I’m definitely one of those gals who might try these since I tried the baking soda/ make my own cleaner this weekend but am left with a streaky film on my oven so I’m clearly doing something wrong. Anyway, I’m with you Sherry- since a lot of folks won’t ever get to the stage that they make their own, the more we can help move the industry to non-toxic in the home and not seeping into our soil and rivers,ect– I’m all for it!
Great timing! I saw this at HD last night and picked up a bottle of the bathroom cleaner. One thing of note, none of the products that I picked up had any real fragrance to them. It seems that a lot of the green cleaners (i.e. Mrs. Meyers–which I love) add fragrance, but Martha’s apparently do not, which I find kinda refreshing. We’ll see how they work!
-Alana
http://www.waterspiper.com
hehe, thanks for making Martha green!
i saw these when i was in need of more laundry soap. too bad hers was $18!!! no thanks, martha.
also who is the manufacturer? i mean sure Clorox makes “green” products as mentioned above, but they also make thousands of products that are causing a lot of harm to waterways…. so riding the green trend wave isn’t doing any real good there.
I don’t think any product that comes in a plastic container- even if it is recyclable- such a small percentage of people actually recycle this containers– can really be called “Green”. Even if the product doesn’t have any harsh chemicals, the plastic itself can leech terrible chemicals right into it. And, does is list where the plastic came from? is it 100% post-consumer, recycled plastic? If not, it is simply putting more plastic- plastic that will *never* disappear- into the waste stream.
I saw it advertised on her website the other day. I think it’s great! She really knows her stuff and the line of products doesn’t seem too expensive. By far less expensive than the seventh generation cleaning products. I plan on trying the Martha Stewart cleaning line soon!
For xmas I asked for mrs meyers cleaners as well as some microfiber clothes (you are such a trend setter). So far I love them. I couldn’t find the shower cleaner so instead bought the method brand and have to say I can’t stand the smell. My poor husband refuses to spray the shower down everyday with it. Do you have recommendations on daily shower sprays? Also, on that same topic, do you, or doctor dan, have an opinion on daily shower sprays? If you use them, how often do you really need to scrub your shower down (the bottles always say there is no need to clean your shower if you use it daily but that can’t be completely true right?)
Thanks for the help..maybe if Martha has shower spray I cna test hers out!
Hey Jennifer F,
We actually love Mrs. Meyer’s shower spray (we prefer the Lemon Verbena scent). We definitely don’t spray it down every day but it’s great for quick weekly clean-ups (which keep things shiny enough for us to avoid major scrub downs later (having an exhaust fan and a well ventilated room seems to help). As for Almost-Doctor Dan, he doesn’t have any cleaning product opinions since he hasn’t personally studied the products and ingredients (leave it to a brainiac to be so rigid with his suggestions- haha). Perhaps one day he’ll become more versed in that area and chime in!
xo,
s
So, I phased out my icky cleaners for green ones this past year. My heart is happy and my house is too. I even bought eco-dish towels to celebrate this transition (from TJ Maxx) that says “Live Green”. How cute is my kitchen now!? Answer: Real Cute. Thank you for the green posts – your list of how to make your own cleaners is Incredible and Wonderful. Notice my capitalization, I don’t mess around. YHL is the bomb diggity!
P.S. My Paperwhites flowered yesterday which makes my semi boring life very awesome!
My favorite brand of chemical-free products is Norwex–a company that makes environmentally friendly cleaning and personal care products. It’s big in Canada, but is just starting to come to the US.
Their microfiber cloths are antibacterial and clean wonderfully with nothing but water. They’re supposed to last for 10 years, so it’s way cheaper (and makes less waste) than buying even earth-friendly products over and over.
I recently started selling the products because of how good they are for me, my pocketbook, and the environment. I just started a blog at simplynorwex.wordpress.com to get the word out to my friends and family! You can check out their products under the “Norwex Catalog” tab, if you want.
I like being green when it’s so easy!
I saw these yesterday at Home Depot (while buying paint) and immediately thought of you guys! You read my mind. ;)
Ohh, I’m a sucker for new green lines of anything! I love Mrs. Meyers so I’ll have to give Martha’s new line a whirl.
thanks for sharing! although, the green faced martha is haunting me a bit – no thank you for that. :)
@Becky–I couldn’t believe how well the Norwex All Purpose Kitchen Cloth cleaned up my greasy stove and backsplash and the counters beside my stove.
simplynorwex.wordpress.com/norwex-products-3/kitchen-cleaning/
Hope you find something that works!
For Jolene…If every American household recycled just 1 of 10 HDPE (#2) bottles ( which these are) used, it would keep 200 million pounds of plastics out of the landfills annually. It is not the company’s fault if people are not recycling things that are recycable.
The fact that these products are non-toxic and have no artificial colors or ingredients is a huge plus. As Sherry noted, this is much better than having toxic cleaning products in the house. This is at least a step in the right direction and small steps are what it takes.
Also remember that ANYTHING can be put on a label, nothing is really regulated. This goes for food, beauty products, and cleaning products. It is up to the consumer to be educated about what they buy. In a world where we can be fooled by labels, it is the best we can do to at least try to help.
I saw these over the weekend at our Home Depot – very interesting for sure.
I haven’t used Martha’s green line, but I have used and love Clorox’s Greenworks. And of course, I also love the Method green stuff.
It’s great there are so many options :) I love that you’ve made Martha green. hilarious!
Paula
I’ve done lots of research on cleaning products in the past two years because I’m starting my own line and it’s very disheartening to know that there are no laws regarding labeling or even the chemicals that are being used. I think Doctor Dan should do some research for us! :) And I hate that they make a product for every surface. I think it’s just creating extra waste and a sneaky ploy to make them more money. I developed my line with 5 products that do EVERYTHING regardless of what room you’re in. I try to tell people, think about HOW you need to clean, not WHAT you need to clean. More “green” products is definitely a step in the right direction though! If you’re interested, my line is on Etsy. I don’t want to be cheesy and post the link… just do a search for mrsjonessoapbox and you’ll find me.
I love, love, love (did I mention – love?) the “recipes” for the green cleaners you guys gave! I have a bottle of the vinegar/water window cleaner and the all-purpose cleaner that I use now and they are fantastic!! Super cheap, easy to find (I found Dr. Bonner in the organic section of my grocery store, Giant), and work like a charm!
Going green is all good and dandy, but seriously Martha, those are some expensive cleaning products.
meh…not the biggest fan of Martha. I like though, how more and more companies and businesses are trying to come up with more “green” alternatives. It’s about time!!!
I have two little boys and have switched everything I clean with over to non-toxic products except for the toilet bowl cleaner. I just don’t think that the green products clean well in that situation and with two boys and my husband using that bathroom… well let’s just say we need a heavy duty product. Has anyone found a non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner that really works? Any recommendations?
I know this is a super late reply BUT I just found this post among other things… we use Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner in Emerald Cypress & Fir (it smells AMAZINGLY), and I think it cleans better than Clorox. Granted, I only have one boy (my husband) but he does tend to make quite a mess by himself… Plus I LOVE the way it makes our bathroom smell!
Ooh thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Have it. LOVE it. :)