An Evaluation of Martha Stewart Clean

I'm a big believer in making my own cleaning products (especially with vinegar!) whenever I can.  But I still have a slew of cleaning products under my sink at home.  And what percentage of the population do you think actually makes their own cleaning products?  My guess is that it is quite small.  I also prefer to support small, local businesses (Simply Neutral is a wonderful Minnesota based cleaning line that I love!), but I don't always have time to make an extra trip to the specialty store that carries those products.

That's why I think it's important to have high-quality, reasonably-priced, eco-friendly brands available at mass-market stores as a 'better' choice over scary conventional cleaning products, loaded with toxic chemicals.  Thankfully, there are quite a few great eco-friendly brands out there.  And now, there's a new one...from Martha Stewart no less.  Not that we really need another choice, but it's out there none the less.  I had a chance to review a few products so I thought I'd share my thoughts on Martha Stewart Clean...

My first thought was that this was going to be glorified greenwashing.  I started scouring the label, looking for the signs....

Do they disclose all ingredients of the label? YES - although it would be nice to see ingredients and MSDS info on the website so people could evaluate online.

Are there a ton of ingredients that are impossible to pronounce?  YES and NO.  I was surprised to find that the products contain a minimum number of ingredients and are completely fragrance-free and color-free.  Although the ingredients are 99+% plant and mineral-based (and fully biodegradable), many are still impossible to pronounce.

Do they slap the word natural on there without any backup?  NO - surprisingly, the word natural isn't on the label at all.

Do they have a third-party certification? - YES - the products carry the Design for the Environment label by the EPA.  This means that the products have met stringent guidelines for human health and environmental safety.

In chatting with my Green Moms Carnival friends (who know a heck of a lot about green standards and ingredients), I found that many of them would prefer to see even tougher guidelines because chemical regulation simply has not kept pace.  Also, a product standard that takes the whole product lifecycle (not just the ingredients) into account would be nice.

But the bottom line is that, NO, I don't think this is greenwashing here.

Wait!  We can't forget the most important question - Does the stuff work??  I tested the all-purpose cleaner, the carpet stain remover and the dish & hand soap.  I give the all-purpose spray and the dish & hand soap a thumbs up (I have a thing for dual-purpose products!) but for the carpet-cleaner just a sideways thumb. It's good for immediate stains but for set-stains on white carpet, I think you're gonna need something stronger.

So is Martha Stewart Clean for you?

• probably NOT if the thought of Martha makes you cringe
• probably NOT if you are an ingredient purist who prefers not to use any ingredients that you can't pronounce
• probably NOT if you are loyal to purchasing from small business instead of corporations
   

But for those of you whose day-to-day reality includes picking up affordable, eco-friendly cleaning products as part of a larger shopping trip, I'd say that Martha Stewart Clean looks like a pretty good option to me.  So far it's available only at Home Depot (so don't look for it on your next Target run) and online at Amazon (in multi-packs only). 

What are your thoughts on the Martha Stewart Clean line? 

{full disclosure:  I received 3 Martha Stewart Clean products at no charge for review purposes.}

Comments

[graceonline]

Years ago, I didn't care for Martha Stewart. I had enough on my mind and did not need a wealthy woman with a houseful of servants telling me how to beautify my home. Recently, on days I've been stuck home with the flu and too weak to do anything but flip on the TV when I couldn't sleep any longer, I've caught a few of her shows. Martha Stewart has changed. She seems ... humble. I no longer feel as if she is looking down and holding her nose while she advises me on the best way to fold my towels and prune my orchids (as if I had orchids).

I find her advice useful, although she flips through it all pretty fast these days. One thing I liked about the old Martha was how thorough she was with anything she did. I like thorough.

If you haven't seen Martha in a few years, you might want to give her another shot. You might be as surprised as I was.

As for her cleaning products, when they come in returnable glass bottles, I just may be interested in keeping a few on hand. For now, I'm learning from you how to make my own homemade cleaners. For that, I give a cheery bow in gratitude.

P.S. Your preview button didn't work for me.

[Condo Blues]

I first saw the Martha Stewart cleaning line at Giant Eagle. I haven't tried it though. Bummer about the carpet cleaner. It would save me a trip acrossed the city to buy Seventh Generation's.

[Amanda]

They also have them at our Publix. I'm glad to know that they are a greener alternative, although I am still a huge fan of Seventh Generation it is always good to have a backup in mind. :)

[Janet]

I still prefer to make my own cleaning products. HOWEVER, I am very happy to see more and more green cleaning alternatives available on the market, especially affordable ones.

[Rachel @ the Cozy Green Cocoon]

Disappointed that the carpet cleaner wasn't a thumbs up-I think that there are some cleaning products that are hard to find that are eco-friendly that actually work or that don't cost a fortune. Although I love my vinegar and peroxide, I think most people are still comfortable with buying a product instead of trying out cleaning recipes. I would have to include myself in that for some things. I like to think that everytime a new green product comes out that its at least one more step in the right direction.Yay!!!!

[renaissance costume]

Great post you have here.. Those cleaning materials are kinda scary because many of them really burns our skin. It's better to use some natural cleaners.. Affordable and most especially, safer..

[sparkyd]

I don't have any comment on the Martha products (though I've been wondering about them and was glad to see your review), but I've never quite understood the rule about only using products with ingredients you can pronounce. In cleaning products and otherwise. There are plenty of safe ingredients out there that have names that are hard to pronounce, plant-based ingredients in particular. Likewise something could be easy to say and very nasty. It's a nice idea that you could use that as a rule of thumb, but unfortunately I just don't think it is that simple.

[carpet cleaning services Los Angeles]

It is good to hear that the growth of eco-friendly carpet cleaning materials are expanding more. Usually, we use vacuum cleaners and some chemicals to maintain the life of our carpets. Sometimes, even we use those cleaning materials, they're not enough to clean our carpet well. That's why some of us avail carpet cleaning services. Fortunately, today, there are many carpet cleaning services who use eco-friendly cleaning materials to clean rugs.

[marion]

Home depot must be dropping the line just picked up a ton of products for .96 each, Plastic bottles cost more at home depot. For .96 soap I am sure I will enjoy!!

[Micaela]

Yes, I heard that Home Depot had discontinued the Martha Stewart cleaning line. Sounds like you snapped up some great bargains Marion!