Cleaning & laundry
Household cleaners with a full ingredient list and an independent safety mark.
How we rank cleaning & laundry
- Ingredients 35%
- Cleans well 20%
- Independent testing 15%
- Trust 10%
- Value 20%
Why, and what each one means
We rank cleaners mostly on what is in them (35%): few, fully named ingredients, no fragrance and no ethoxylated surfactants. Cleaning power (20%) counts only independent tests, because a cleaner that fails gets used twice; in 2026 Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab) rated one fragrance-free enzyme liquid the worst it tested. Contaminant testing (15%), trust (10%) and cost per use (20%) complete the score. Cleaning regularly with commercial sprays is linked to faster lung-function decline in women (Svanes 2018 (opens in a new tab)); see our cleaning products and laundry products guides.
- Ingredients 35%
- Every ingredient named, as few as do the job, unscented or scented only with named essential oils. No dyes, optical brighteners, quats, chlorine bleach or 1,4-dioxane-forming surfactants.
- Cleans well 20%
- Independent tests (Consumer Reports and the like) show it cleans as well as a mainstream product. Maker claims alone count for little.
- Independent testing 15%
- Highest when someone the maker does not pay (a consumer group, journalist, university or regulator) has tested it for the contaminants that matter here and published clean results. A certification the maker pays for, or the maker’s own lab reports, count for less, and claims with nothing published count for little.
- Trust 10%
- Highest when the maker names everything, answers questions, and has no recalls, warning letters, Prop 65 notices or lawsuits over safety or labeling. Points come off for unresolved problems and for paid promoters it does not disclose.
- Value 20%
- Cost per load or use against the other products here that pass.
Each product scores every one from 1 to 5, and its rating is the weighted average. We list only products rated 3 or above that break none of our rules.
We avoid
- Quaternary ammonium (“quat”) disinfectants for everyday cleaning.
- “Fragrance” with no breakdown, and scented candles or air fresheners.
- “Green”, “natural” or “eco” with no ingredient list.
Read the research
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14 products · best rated first
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MelioraMeliora Laundry Powder Detergent, Unscented
Three components (baking soda, washing soda, coconut soap), no enzymes, preservatives or fragrance, packed without plastic. MADE SAFE lists it. About 13 to 16 cents an HE load. We found no independent cleaning test. MADE SAFE certified (directory lists Meliora Laundry Powder) -
MelioraMeliora All-Purpose Home Cleaner, Unscented (Spray Bottle Kit)
A coconut-oil soap tablet that dissolves in a glass spray bottle: one ingredient family, no fragrance or preservative, MADE SAFE listed. Refills cost about $2 per 16 fl oz. A cleaner, not a disinfectant, and no independent cleaning test. MADE SAFE certified (directory lists Meliora All-Purpose Home Cleaner) -
Bon Ami (Faultless Brands)Bon Ami Powder Cleanser, 14 oz can
A scouring powder of five named ingredients: mostly limestone and feldspar with soda ash, baking soda and under 1% detergent. No fragrance, dye or chlorine; EWG grades it A. Consumer Reports tested it, but its result is members-only. -
Dr. Bronner’sDr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner, Fir & Spruce, 32 fl oz
A concentrated cleaner for dishes, floors and laundry, scented only by named fir and spruce oils: 11 named ingredients, no dye or ethoxylated surfactant, EWG Verified. It has SLS, a preservative and only one small independent dish test. EWG Verified (EWG’s cleaning guide lists Sal Suds, Siberian Fir & Spruce; data updated 2025-07-29) -
MelioraMeliora Dish Soap Bar, Unscented
A solid coconut and sunflower oil soap for dishes: six named ingredients, no fragrance in the unscented bar, no preservative, no plastic. MADE SAFE lists it. No independent cleaning test and no number of washes per bar. MADE SAFE certified (directory lists Meliora Dish Soap Bar) -
Charlie’s SoapCharlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid, Fragrance Free, 160 loads (1 gallon)
A four-ingredient, fragrance-free laundry liquid: Safer Choice in EPA’s table and graded A by EWG for this exact product. Two of its three active ingredients are ethoxylated surfactants, and there is no independent cleaning test. Listed by EPA as Safer Choice and fragrance-free (Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid, Sutherland Products; the 1-gallon UPC 757072214018 is in EPA’s record) · Graded A in EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning (Laundry Liquid, Fragrance Free & Hypoallergenic; data updated 2026-06-05) -
Charlie’s SoapCharlie’s Soap Laundry Powder, Fragrance Free, 100 loads (2.64 lb)
A five-ingredient, fragrance-free laundry powder listed by EPA as Safer Choice, about 21 cents a load. Two of its three active ingredients are ethoxylated surfactants, and we found no independent cleaning test of it. Listed by EPA as Safer Choice and fragrance-free (Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder, Sutherland Products; the 100-load UPC 757072417013 is in EPA’s record) -
Branch BasicsBranch Basics The Concentrate
A seven-ingredient, unscented concentrate for dishes, laundry and surfaces. MADE SAFE and EWG list it, and Consumer Reports’ reviewers liked it for the basics. No preservative; its affiliate program pays influencers 5% to 20% commission. MADE SAFE certified · EWG Verified (listing: Branch Basics The Concentrate, Fragrance-Free) -
Seventh GenerationSeventh Generation EasyDose Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear
A fragrance-free, preservative-free laundry concentrate at about 20 cents a load, EPA Safer Choice listed. Its laureth-6 can carry 1,4-dioxane; CR found none in a sister formula. The maker settled a 2017 suit over “natural” claims. EPA Safer Choice, listed as fragrance-free -
ECOS (Earth Friendly Products)ECOS Dish Soap, Free & Clear
A scent-free hand dish soap at about 13 cents an ounce, listed by EPA as Safer Choice, and in CR’s 2026 dish soap test. Nine ingredients, two of them preservatives. The maker has settled three labeling cases, the latest in 2026. EPA Safer Choice, listed as fragrance-free -
BluelandBlueland Dishwasher Detergent Tablets, Fragrance-Free
A film-free dishwasher tablet with ten named ingredients and EPA, Cradle to Cradle and EWG listings. The formula changed after EWG’s 2023 review, and in 2020 Blueland agreed to drop unsupported cleaning claims. No independent cleaning test. -
Branch BasicsBranch Basics Dishwasher Tablets, Fragrance Free
A fragrance-free, PVA-free dishwasher tablet that EWG lists as Verified. Eleven ingredients, one a synthetic polymer, although the page says “no plastic”. About 39 cents a tablet, no independent cleaning test, and a paid influencer program. EWG Verified -
Dirty LabsDirty Labs Bio Enzyme Dishwasher Detergent, Free & Clear
A fragrance-free enzyme dishwasher powder with an 11-ingredient label and an A from EWG. The USDA and Green Seal logos on its page are in neither certifier’s directory, and no lab has tested it. Reviewed.com picked it for hard water. -
ECOS (Earth Friendly Products)ECOS Dishwasher Gel, Free & Clear
A low-cost, scent-free dishwasher gel: eight named ingredients, one mild preservative, an EPA Safer Choice listing. No load count, no independent cleaning test (CR says gels clean worse than packs), and a maker with labeling settlements. EPA Safer Choice, listed as fragrance-free