Shopping at my local grocery store usually proves to be a time of endless label reading frustration. I can’t find products that are easily identifiable as eco-friendly, and this is never truer then when I am attempting to find cleaning products. Luckily, and I have to say to my utter shock and amazement, my grocer carries “Planet” cleaning products.
Now just to be clear, I live in the opposite of a metropolis. There are roughly 25,000 people in my town, and we have a total of 3 grocery stores, all dismal on a good day. The fact that we have cleaning products available specifically developed to be green, available locally makes my life easier as it lessens the requirement of a 60 mile, carbon spewing trip to the nearest large town in addition to saving my eyesight from the tiny lettering on product labels.
Planet, my joyful surprise, makes a line of biodegradable, non-animal tested, non-toxic, hypoallergenic cleaning products including dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent and an all purpose spray cleaner. They biodegrade up to 70% within a single month (28 days actually) but reportedly last for several years if kept in a cool, dry storage area. The dish detergent (my first purchase in the Planet line) doubles as an excellent dog wash (I have 3, spoiled dogs) and cleans dishes as well as Dawn, my former detergent.
The only downside, and it is listed hidden in the FAQ on the Planet website, is that you can’t keep any diluted Planet products around, due to the fact that they biodegrade so quickly. This means that if you use it on the road, camping for instance, you have to pack the whole bottle, which might prove slightly cumbersome.
The joy of not having to drive an hour to find green cleaning products is probably driving this analysis, however, that aside, the Planet line of products is a great way for the average consumer to make a difference in an area that can prove maddening to the uninitiated.
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Josh, how well did this stuff actually clean your dishes? We bought some natural dish soap which, although ‘green’, didn’t do a good job of cleaning and we will therefore not be buying it again.
Rob – It actually did pretty well on most everyday cleaning tasks. I do have to say, I’ve not yet found the natural dish soap that will cut thick grease as well as a chemically based soap (Planet being no exception), but that would only really affect someone who was doing heavy washing frequently. I was most excited, admittedly, that I could even get a product like planet close to me, and impressed that natural cleaning products are gaining more of a foothold. As an added bonus, it did really well cleaning my Dogs!
I used planet automatic dishwasher detergent and it doesn’t do a good job washing the dishes. It leaves a gritty film on my flatware, china, glasses, and pots and pan. Don’t wasted your money on this product.
cluppins
Your post is very valuable, thanks
Greetings from North Georgia.
Most green chemicals like this dish washing soap do not clean or give the same results as Dawn or other main line products. Why, because they are made from so called green materials and most of these materials do not give the performance and need other chemical enhancers that would make them a better product. The main surfactants or soaps are just not as effective as the ingredients in Dawn.
Green is the catch all phrase, but most of these products really go under “Green Washing”. Ever heard of Simple Green. Environmental friendly cleaner and safe for use, not so.
Simple Green contains > 6.0% Butyl Cellosolve, which is an EPA hazardous chemical. Butyl Cellosolve affects the kidneys and causes blood disorders.Simple Green says because of the dilution of the product when being used, it is not hazardous. Well, what about the people who use the product full strength? BC is absorbed through the skin and has a TLV of 25 ppm and us a reportable chemical under SARA 313 EPA guidlines for a hazardous chemical. A green washed product. But the makers of Simple Green will always say product is safe.
Chemically Green sells a few certified green chemicals, but as a rule, green chemical products are more costly and not very effective except for some of the bacterial based products that are heavy sellers for odor control and carpet cleaning.
However, we do offer a environmentally safe tested EPA approved disinfectant that is totally green and safe for home use and around children and pets. Great stuff and it works.
If you would like to check out info: http://www.wacochemical.com
The automatic dish washing material did not work as well because it is not strong enough and needs some heavy duty alkali to make it work better.
The green movement has some good qualities, but mainly its a sales feel good word for increasing sales and marketing. Nothing but the truth and the whole truth, so help me God.
Let us hear from you if you have any questions. Been in the chemical business over 35 years and gimics abound everywhere to get our hard earned money.
Sincerely,
Steven R. Mason
President
Chemically Green
“Green Solutions for Today”
A div. of Waco Chemical & Supply Co.
cg