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NOW CLOSED: Talk to Tesco Naturally Powered about environmentally friendly cleaning products - you could win a £100 Tesco voucher

105 replies

AnnMumsnet · 05/07/2012 20:34

You may have seen in store (or on Mumsnet, thanks to the 1000 odd testers who put two of the products to the test) that Tesco have recently launched a new range of cleaning products, Naturally Powered and they would like to know your opinions on buying environmentally friendly cleaning products.

So, if you buy environmentally friendly cleaning products, why is this? Are all the cleaning products you use environmentally friendly or only certain ones? If so what type of cleaning don't you use environmentally friendly cleaning products for and why? Do you find that they are effective in cleaning your house? Think about both laundry and cleaning products.

If you don't buy environmentally friendly cleaning products, why is this? Is there anything that could persuade you to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products? Is this something you think about when doing your shopping?

Are there any cleaning activities where you don't use cleaning products at all, but choose to use 100% natural ingredients? What would be your top tips for using natural products to clean your house?

All those who add their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive £100 Tesco voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw.
MNHQ

OP posts:
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InMySpareTime · 05/07/2012 20:42

I use water to clean surfaces, but use standard non bio washing powder as DS has eczema which is aggravated by most washing powders so I am wary of switching.
Unfortunately Tesco, I was on the product test, so I noticed the lack of Eco credentials in the "naturally powered" range. It's not enough to sustainably source palm oil, you would do better to use only fairly traded natural ingredients.

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fallingandlaughing · 05/07/2012 23:23

I don't use any marketed environmentally friendly cleaning products as a matter or routine. I have doubts about how different in terms of environmental impact most of these products actually are. I'd make an exception for Ecover on this.

It is mainly a question of cost. I will use bicarb of soda for kitchen cleaning (but also use a spray for quick cleans). Not particularly environmentally driven but glad that it is a planet-friendly choice.

Use vinegar and newspaper for cleaning glass and windows as it really works.

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NaturalNature · 05/07/2012 23:37

I'm completely 100% natural cleaner

I don't use commercial products due to hidden animal testing, damage to the marine environment, using cheap ingredients from abroad which don't always protect the environment/local communities, the lack of investment in british ingredient supply, the lack of recyclability of containers and because my family suffers from eczema

I use natural products like vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and a variety of home grown herbal plants

I am a companies worst nightmare

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RuthlessBaggage · 05/07/2012 23:43

Tesco's pretending to have any eco credentials at all makes me laugh. There are many commercial decisions the company could make today (eg biofuel in their gazillion lorries, quality control/wastage balance) each of which would make more difference than converting all their customers from "chemistry set" products to "naturals".

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choccyp1g · 05/07/2012 23:56

I don't specifically buy environmentally friendly products, most cleaning products make me sneeze and/or come out in rashes, so I choose the ones I can tolerate.
However, I don't clean much, I just have very low standards, so I think I am doing less damage to the environment than most people.

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mama01 · 05/07/2012 23:58

I buy non-branded stuff from the local whole food shop. What's the point of buying eco friendly from a supermarket? Their own brand eco products aren't that Eco friendly really

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zipzap · 06/07/2012 00:03

I buy some environmentally friendly cleaning things but tends to be what is on offer in the supermarket on the day I need to buy cleaner/washing up liquid etc.

I used to buy the Anthony Worrall Thompson eco-friendly cleaners - the bathroom one was really good. but I haven't seen it available for a long time.

I am sometimes more sceptical about how effective the eco cleaners will be - but there again I'm like that with all cleaners I haven't tried before. Which means that if TEsco are introducing a new range and could put a sample or two of other products with all their range then I would be more likely to buy initially and then buy the other product if it worked. Or having a starter kit with lots of small sizes to try would be good too.

I'm also quite sceptical about eco credentials - seem to remember reading the back of the Tesco santitising spray and thinking that it had quite a lot of unnatural sounding ingredients - the addition of a bit of vinegar or aloe etc doesn't make for an eco product! So I'd want some proof of what it didn't have in it as well as the good things in it...

The other thing the ranges tend to forget are things like ecloths and the magic eraser sponges which enable you to do really effective cleaning without the need for any chemicals - a truly eco range ought to have this side of things covered as well as the sprays.

And the thing that nobody does that I would love to see - is a packet of 'dry wipes' that you can add your own chemicals to. I love using wipes in lots of situations - the texture of the wipe makes it more effective than using a kitchen towel or tissue but also has the advantage that I can throw it away rather than mess around having to wash it. But invariably by the end of the packet the last few have dried out or you end up having lots of different packs for different things and having the bottles of stuff too. Having a pack or roll of wipes that I can soak in whatever I want at the time would be fantastic.

natural products - I do tend to use vinegar, lemon juice, bicarb of soda and soda crystals for some cleaning jobs - de-limescaling the shower or kettle, in washing, cleaning microwave and so on.

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steppemum · 06/07/2012 00:08

I like enviro friendly products and would prefer to buy them, as I care about what gets flushed down the drains. But many of them don't do the job, and/or don't smell good.

I am pretty middle of the road, would like to make a difference, but need products to work

washing up liquid: use enviro friendly, works fine, lemon scented smells nice.
washing powder: won't use it, everything comes out grey
loo cleaner: stinks, and works for a couple of cleans, but I have ended up buying bleach to use every 3 or 4 th time because the stains just don't clean away. (maybe because we are in hard water are and get limescale). Really hate having bleach in the house, trying to find an alternative.
general purpose cleaner: use a lot of water with washing up liquid for kitchen etc. use normal flash type cleaner for bath and basins. Just can't get them clean otherwise (are my family just very dirty)
windows: used to use vinegar and newspaper, now I just rarely clean the windows!

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InMySpareTime · 06/07/2012 07:35

Steppemum use cheap cola to clean the loo. It's really good on limescale. Add lemon juice afterwards if you hate the cola smell.
Old clothes cut into squares, or muslin squares are great for cleaning, if you prefer them ready to go, keep them in a sealed Tupperware in a mild antibacterial solution. Keep a spare Tupperware to put used ones in, and bung them in a hot wash regularly.

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ouryve · 06/07/2012 12:31

I buy environmentally friendly cleaning products if they actually work. If I need 5 times as much of the EF product to get anywhere near to the same effect as a regular product, then I suspect the small gains are negated. There's one or two ecover products I like (eg the bathroom and limescale sprays and the delicates detergent) and will buy. Like others, I was a tester for the Tesco kitchen cleaner and it was awful and has sat in my cupboard ever since, proving to be a waste of resources.

I do use natural products regularly. I keep a bottle of cheap basics 13p vinegar for cleaning my limescale prone draining board and mould prone shower head. Yesterday, I degunked my cafetiere with good old bicarb and my coffee tastes so much better and fresher for it.

I do tend to Hmm when people talk about chemical free cleaning, though. Ethanoic acid and Sodium hydrogen carbonate were chemicals last time i checked.

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bagelmonkey · 06/07/2012 12:36

I'm ashamed to say that I buy whatever multi-purpose cleaning product is on offer & use it to clean everything. I'm guided much more by value for money and price than anything else. I need something effective for as cheap as possible.
I love the idea of using only natural products, or using ethical & eco friendly products, but I always take the easiest option & stick with what I'm already doing.
I don't really think about the ethical/eco side of things when I'm picking the product in the supermarket aisle. I think those products are in their own little section, so I've probably never even compared the price. If they were more obvious I might pick one up if I thought they'd do the job.

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steppemum · 06/07/2012 12:38

ooh like the sound of cleaning the loo with cola!

Been inspired to try vinegar again for shower

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PostBellumBugsy · 06/07/2012 12:57

I use commercial envionmentally friendly products when they are on special offer.
I use vinegar & newspaper to clean my windows.
I use regular bleach to clean the loo, as I dont find anything else is as effective.
I use vinegar or citric acid to clean shower-heads.

I try to be environmentally conscious, but I'm always keeping an eye on the money too. I'm always trying to strike a balance. If the price of environmentally friendly products was the same or lower than less environmentally friendly stuff - I would always go for the environmentally friendly one.

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CMOTDibbler · 06/07/2012 12:57

I'd love to use eco products all the time, but generally find that any that are truly eco don't work well enough. And I hate trying different things and finding that they don't work , and then resenting them all the way through the bottle

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EddieIzzardIsMine · 06/07/2012 13:13

Agree with poster above that I too just but whatever is on offer and clean everything with that, although would be maybe a little dubious that a purely natural product wouldnt be as through/effective as less environmentally (bleach ladened) stuff
I do have a young DS though so perhaps in terms of not having those chemicals around it is something we should look at...but then I want things throughly washed/germ free for him too...

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CapuccinoCannoliLover · 06/07/2012 13:15

I'm with CMOTDibbler. One of my very good friends is a really commited 'greenie' and we were discussing this. It is only because she really wants to do her bit so she would rather put up with a less clean house and clothes, whereas I really couldn't cope with that. I really like things to look and smell clean so I feel like I've got results from my housework.

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JustFabulous · 06/07/2012 13:50

I sometimes buy Ecover but if we are feeling skint I just get own brands. I would like to always use "green" products, especially detergent but my washer is on so much it would bankrupt us!

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firawla · 06/07/2012 13:50

i dont normally make a habit of only buying eco friendly or natural stuff, i will buy anything but if its natural then i suppose that is a plus?
i tested out the naturally powered things from here, and on bzz agent too so i tried quite a bit of the range and found it okay so i would probably buy it now and again but wouldnt replace all my normal stuff with it totally cos i do like my bleach and dettol and all of that, but i am happy to alternate

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JustFabulous · 06/07/2012 13:52

I also used to buy AWT spray cleaner but it isn't available in the supermarket I do my main shop in.

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glitch · 06/07/2012 13:58

I use Ecover washing up liquid because it is good and works as well as any other. Do Soda crystals count? I use those regularly to clean my washing machine and dishwasher.
That is as far as I go with environmentally friendly cleaning products through. I've tried some, but they just didn't work as well and seem to cost more.

I'm loving some of the eco tips, I'm going to give some a go.

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CrackedNipplesSuchFun · 06/07/2012 13:58

Sadly, like many of my decisions, I use what is cheapest. I would love to use natural Eco products just as much as I would love to buy organic food but the prices are still rather high in ratio to what I can afford.

That said, I do use natural ingredients to clean, where I can. I.e vinegar, bicarb. Many of these tips have been picked up from the forums on MN (thank you MNers!).

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softpaw · 06/07/2012 15:09

I also use cola in the loo...thought i was the only one! Vinegar and newspaper works for almost everything..including plasma tv screens. Best cleaner? Cillit Bang.

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softpaw · 06/07/2012 15:09

I also use cola in the loo...thought i was the only one! Vinegar and newspaper works for almost everything..including plasma tv screens. Best cleaner? Cillit Bang.

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softpaw · 06/07/2012 15:10

oooops

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maples · 06/07/2012 15:32

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