What’s Really in Your Cleaning Products + Non-Toxic Swaps for the Whole Family
Disclosure: I only highlight companies and products that align with Empower Palette’s values and/or I personally use. This blog may receive a commission from purchases through some or all of the links in this post (affiliate links). To shop some of the brands I love, check out the shop page. To see how much I make, visit the FAQs page.
POV: You clean the whole house so your kids could play on a clean floor. But the spray you used makes the house smell like a chemical factory.
That can’t be good right?
That's not clean. That's just a different kind of mess the commercials didn’t tell us about.
QUICK ANSWER
〰️ Your go-to cleaning spray? It might have VOCs, mystery fragrance chemicals, and bleach byproducts that mess with your lungs and hormones. Soooo we obviously need to talk.
〰️ When a label says “fragrance”, that one word is hiding hundreds of chemicals they don't have to tell you about. Phthalates included. No thank you.
〰️ And “natural”? “Green”? Those words mean nothing. Literally anyone can put them on a bottle. No one checks. 😂
〰️ Look for: EPA Safer Choice, EWG Verified, Leaping Bunny, or B Corp certification
〰️ Clean swaps that actually work: Branch Basics, Grove Co., Dropps, ECOS, Puracy, Aunt Fannie’s
Why Your Cleaning Products Matter More Than You Think
Here's something wild. Researchers tested 30 common cleaning products and found 530 different chemicals and 193 of those were classified as hazardous. Not “maybe a little questionable.” Hazardous.
And the EPA says the air inside your home can be up to 10 times more polluted than the air outside. Not because you live next to a factory. But because of the products you’re using to clean it.
The thing is, you don’t have to inhale a lot of this stuff for it to matter. These chemicals build up in the air and linger. Sometimes for days after you clean. Little kids are on the floor breathing that in. So are you.
Don’t feel bad for not knowing. These companies market their products with words like “fresh” and “clean” and “lemon scented.” Nobody advertises the chemicals. Soooo here we are. 😂
If you’ve been following along since the Vicks post, you already know I have a thing about reading labels on products we grew up with. Turns out the stuff under your sink deserves the same energy.
The Ingredients to Watch Out for
You don’t need to memorize a chemistry textbook. Here are the four things worth knowing before you buy your next cleaning product.
🚫 “Fragrance”
Found in: most sprays, wipes, detergents
One word that can hide hundreds of undisclosed chemicals including phthalates, which disrupt hormones. Companies don't have to tell you what's in their fragrance because it's a “trade secret” If the label says “fragrance” without listing what’s in it, that’s a red flag.
🚫 Quats
Found in: disinfecting sprays, antibacterial wipes
Short for quaternary ammonium compounds. They're the “kills 99.9% of germs” ingredient in a lot of disinfectants. Linked to respiratory irritation and reproductive toxicity in animal studies. Look for: benzalkonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.
🚫 Chlorine Bleach
Found in: bathroom cleaners, mold sprays
When bleach is used indoors, it can produce chloroform and other toxic gases as a byproduct. This is especially concerning in small spaces with limited ventilation like your bathroom.
🚫 2-Butoxyethanol
Found in: glass cleaners, multi-surface sprays
A solvent that absorbs through your skin and into your lungs just from using it. Linked to headaches, dizziness, and liver and kidney damage at high exposure. Often not listed on the label at all.
The most important thing you can do right now? Flip the bottle over. Read the ingredient list. If you see the word “fragrance” anywhere, that's the first thing to swap out.
A Quick Word on Greenwashing
Before we get to the good stuff — real quick. The word “natural” on a cleaning product label means absolutely nothing. It is not regulated. Any brand can put it on a bottle. Same with “green,” “eco,” and “plant-based.”
This is called greenwashing. It’s when a company uses feel-good words to make you think you’re buying something clean when the ingredient list tells a different story. Because gum (ingredient) is unregulated and it’s all about the profit. Shocker. 😂
So instead of trusting the front of the label, look for these certifications on the back:
EPA Safer Choice EWG Verified Leaping Bunny Certified B Corp USDA Certified Biobased
These are third-party verified. The brand didn’t just decide to call themselves clean—someone checked.
6 Non-Toxic Cleaning Brands That Are Actually Clean
These brands meet Empower Palette’s filters: clean ingredients, cruelty-free, and no greenwashing. Every single one has third-party verification to back it up.
1 — Branch Basics
Non-Toxic
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Plant-Based
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Fragrance-Free
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Refillable
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Non-Toxic 〰️ Plant-Based 〰️ Fragrance-Free 〰️ Refillable 〰️
What we love: One concentrate. You dilute it into all-purpose, bathroom, laundry, and dish soap. No synthetic fragrance, no dyes, no synthetic preservatives. The cleaning version of minimalism and it works.
And if you have a new baby or you're pregnant and doing a full home audit right now—I've got you covered. I put together a whole list of gentle brands specifically for mamas and sensitive skin that's worth bookmarking too.
2 — Grove Co.
Plant-Based
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Cruelty-Free
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Plastic-Free Options
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Plant-Based 〰️ Cruelty-Free 〰️ Plastic-Free Options 〰️
What we love: 92%+ plant-based ingredients with zero parabens, phthalates, phosphates, or formaldehyde. Refillable concentrate so you’re not throwing away a plastic bottle every week. Wide product range means something for every room.
3 — Puracy
Plant-Based
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Hypoallergenic
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EWG Reviewed
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Plant-Based 〰️ Hypoallergenic 〰️ EWG Reviewed 〰️
What we love: Strong cleaning performance with a genuinely gentle formula. Great for households where someone has skin sensitivities or allergies. Light natural scent instead of synthetic fragrance.
4 — Dropps
Plant-Based
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Plastic-Free
〰️
Cruelty-Free
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Plant-Based 〰️ Plastic-Free 〰️ Cruelty-Free 〰️
What we love: Laundry and dishwasher pods in 100% compostable cardboard. No plastic bottles ever. No dyes, no optical brighteners. Small but powerful these pods do the work.
5 — ECOS
EPA Safer Choice
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Carbon Neutral
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Made in USA
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Cruelty-Free
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EPA Safer Choice 〰️ Carbon Neutral 〰️ Made in USA 〰️ Cruelty-Free 〰️
What we love: EPA Safer Choice is a rigorous independent standard. This isn't a marketing claim. One of the most accessible and affordable non-toxic cleaning brands. If you're just starting your swap, ECOS is a great entry point.
6 — Aunt Fannie’s
Plant-Based
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Leaping Bunny
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Refillable
〰️
Made in USA
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Plant-Based 〰️ Leaping Bunny 〰️ Refillable 〰️ Made in USA 〰️
What we love: Founded by a dad whose toddler got sick and made it his mission to clean up every product in his home. Such conviction in a founder usually means they are sincere in taking care of their customers. The Leaping Bunny certification. Made in the USA. This brand is for us.
How You Can Swap Everything In 6 Weeks 😍
You don’t have to throw everything out at once. Start here. Swap one thing at a time as products run out.
✅ Multi-surface spray → Branch Basics All-Purpose or Puracy Multi-Surface
✅ Laundry detergent → Dropps pods or ECOS laundry liquid
✅ Dish soap → Grove Co. dish soap or Branch Basics Dish concentrate
✅ Disinfectant wipes → ECOS plant-based wipes (no quats)
✅ Bathroom cleaner → Branch Basics Bathroom or Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar
✅ Dryer sheets → Dropps dryer sheets or wool dryer balls
One swap a week and you’re done in 6 weeks. Easy.
FAQs (6 Questions)
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Yes — and I know that sounds like something a blogger just says, but hear me out. Plant-based surfactants (the cleaning agents in non-toxic products) work the same way as the synthetic ones. The difference is they don’t leave a cocktail of chemicals behind on your surfaces. The EPA actually has a Safer Choice program that certifies products for both safety AND performance. If you see that label, you know it works.
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No and this one trips people up. Fragrance-free means zero fragrance ingredients were added. Unscented can actually mean a masking fragrance was added to cover up what the product naturally smells like — which means there are still undisclosed chemicals in there. For your home, especially with kids, fragrance-free is always the safer choice.
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I personally don’t use it. When chlorine bleach is used indoors, especially in a small bathroom, it can produce chloroform and other toxic gases as a byproduct. That's in addition to the fumes that irritate your lungs directly. For a home with little ones crawling around and touching everything, there are effective non-toxic disinfecting options that don’t come with that risk.
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The ones I trust: EPA Safer Choice (independently verifies safety AND performance), EWG Verified (the Environmental Working Group reviews every ingredient), Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free, independently audited), and Certified B Corp (company-wide accountability, not just the product). The word “natural” by itself means nothing. No one checks that.
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Greenwashing is when a brand uses words like “natural,” “green,” “eco,” or “plant-inspired” to look clean without actually being clean. The easiest way to spot it: flip the bottle over and read the ingredient list. If you see “fragrance,” artificial dyes, or ingredients you can’t pronounce then the front of the label is just marketing. Real clean products will have third-party certifications to back it up, not just pretty packaging.
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VOCs are volatile organic compounds. Basically chemicals that turn into gases at room temperature and hang in the air you breathe. A lot of conventional cleaning products release them when you spray or wipe. The EPA says indoor VOC levels can be up to 10 times higher than outdoors. Some of them linger for days. In a closed-up house, that adds up. Switching to fragrance-free, certified clean products is one of the simplest ways to reduce what your family is breathing in daily. AND open your windows! We may forget how magnificent fresh air is when we spend most time indoors. Fresh air in children’s rooms help improve immunity as well.
What cleaning product have you already swapped out? Drop it in the comments. I love seeing the small wins. 👇🏽
& remember to allow your authentic self to empower the women around you 😘
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Sources: EWG News Release • EPA • American Lung Association
