Clorox Green Works Cleaner

When I first read about the new line of natural cleaning supplies produced by Clorox, I scoffed. I couldn’t help it. Clorox going green? It was enough of a stretch for me to accept that the company bought Burt's Bees (yes, sorry to break it to you if you didn't know already, but Clorox owns Burt!).

Why was it such a shock? Let's just say the terms "bleach," "giant corporation," and "green" aren't exactly synonymous (or even distantly related).

The fact that Sierra Club stands behind the line of Clorox Green Works cleaning products—and on the label—made me reconsider my initial guffaws. But still I hesitate.

Sierra Club says it approved the use of its logo on the Green Works packaging after volunteer committees reviewed the cleaners and their environmental claims. But what does Sierra Club stand to gain from it? If Sierra Club is genuinely endorsing a natural cleaning product, it could have picked one that wasn't owned by a giant corporation like The Clorox Company. Makes you wonder how big a chunk of change Clorox is donating to fund other Sierra Club causes ...

And I'm not alone in my thoughts. The Sierra Club decision has raised more than a few eyebrows and certainly isn't without controversy.

Although the Clorox name is being downplayed in recent advertising, the company's logo is still prominent on the bottles along with the Sierra Club logo. Depending on who you ask, one thing Clorox does or doesn’t have going for it is name recognition.

Me? I’m cynical of the Green Works line and how environmentally friendly it really is precisely because it has the Clorox logo on it. Conservative Boy, on the other hand, and likely countless other Americans who otherwise wouldn’t even consider green cleaners because they think they are ineffective or for the hippies, may be willing to give this line of “green” cleaners a try precisely because of the Clorox logo—it’s a cleaning brand that they’ve trusted for years, so it must work.

Another bonus is that Green Works products are easy to find in about any store—right in the cleaning aisle with the rest of the products, unlike other natural cleaners that are often tucked out of sight in organic sections (where not every shopper is willing to tread yet). And it's affordable for the masses—expect to pay about what you would for other conventional cleaning supplies, rather than forking over a couple of extra bucks per bottle as is the case with some natural cleaners.

For these reasons, I decided to test a bottle of the Green Works bathroom cleaner for myself.

Conservative Boy doesn't believe that natural cleaners are effective. But he also recently experienced first-hand the hazards of using toxic cleaning chemicals. So Green Works is the perfect solution for him—he buys its effectiveness much more so than that of my Seventh Generation cleaning products because of the Clorox name, but is excited about the fact that he doesn't go through an intense, chemical-filled experience when he cleans the shower.

My initial reaction? The bathroom cleaner worked well. I liked the "foam" spray option, it got everything clean, and it didn't have a chemical-y scent or make my eyes burn. (Although it did have a bit more of a scent than some of my other natural cleaning supplies.)

I'm still a bit cynical though. Is it really as environmentally friendly as my other cleaning options? According to Clorox, Green Works lists all of its ingredients on the label—something companies aren't required to do (and don't do) with conventional cleaners. And the company says that each of the five cleaners is 99 percent "natural." Of course, the term natural isn't regulated in any way, but according to Treehugger all but two ingredients listed on the Green Works labels can be naturally derived.

Overall, I'd say Green Works cleaners do the trick. Will I continue to buy Green Works cleaners rather than my other natural cleaning supplies? Probably not. But anything that helps the average, budget-conscious consumer clean her home with something healthier than bleach earns points from me.