I reached for the same generic "non-toxic" cleaner to wipe down our counters at the office warehouse one morning. I immediately had a visceral reaction before spraying. My nose curled up and I subconsciously prepared to hold my breath - I HATE the smell of this cleaner....
That's when I realized: why do all "natural" cleaners (spoiler - the cleaner didn't even contain natural ingredients) have the same repetitive scents we've grown to just accept as being standard? If we can create luxe and nuanced aromas with clean scents in out candles, why not our daily cleaners?
The problem with "clean" cleaners
I immediately started researching everything from ingredients in common household surface sprays to popular shelf brands, luxe label brands, formula comparisons, and ingredient quality. A pretty clear trend emerged: brands that did pass the clean-ingredient checkbox were visually sterile and had single-notes, almost forgettable. Meanwhile, brands marketing themselves as "clean" with more distinctive fragrances often turned out to carry fillers, preservatives, and additives that weren't actually clean or safe.
For example, cross-referencing several popular "eco-friendly" and "clean" home fragrance formulas against [EWG's Skin Deep and Healthy Cleaning databases](https://www.ewg.org
Building our own formula
After seeing this common theme, I immediately began researching to create our own version. A version that would excite customers to use. A version that would give curiousity the senses in our already multi-layered scents but also deliver effective cleaning power WITHOUT unnecessary additives. This started nearly a year ago in my own kitchen. I started small and bought a few base ingredients (ex. different types of glucosides AKA surfactants, shelf stabilizers, and more) This quickly turned into an obsession. How would "X" ingredient perform at this percentage? Will this fragrance oil load cloud? How can I get this to breakdown stuck on foods better? Where is my pH landing at? I went through batch after batch, sample after sample, until I landed here with the formula that some of you now have in your own homes.
Our formula
So, what's in our formula, you ask? Let me share:
- Water (of course)
- Caprylyl/Capryl glucoside (plant based surfactant derived from coconuts)
- Gluconolactone & Sodium Benzoate (eco friendly preservative blend)
- Fragrance (several of our fragrances carry the EWG Verified Mark. All are free from parabens, phthalates, organ toxins, acute toxins, and CMR's - also known as carcinogen, mutagen, and reproductive toxins)
- Citric Acid - naturally occurring de-scaler
- Sodium Bicarbonate - naturally occurring abrasive
The result?
A gentle, yet effective, every day cleaner that you won't cover your nose for. Packaging that offers organic color palettes to fit any space and an experience that you look forward to reaching for.
You can shop The Multi-Surface Cleaner in Husk, Herbaria, and Ultra Flora now.
