Gloves Off - Cleaning Solutions

We've known for decades that a lot of the chemicals we've been pouring into the air, water and soil aren't healthy for us or the planet. Fortunately we're now a bit more concerned about what we put into the natural environment (and hopefully into our bodies).

Gloves Off is a newish line of cleaning solutions from Toronto based Planet People. Their motto pretty well sums up what the product line is all about: 'Safer. Tougher, Cleaner.' These products are designed as safer, tougher, cleaner options to traditional cleaners, and are made from safe, non-toxic ingredients. I like that.

I tried two Gloves Off products, their Disinfectant & Cleaner (yellow bottle) and Tough Stain Remover (green bottle).

"So what's in this stuff?" you rightly ask. First off, not ammonia, chlorine or bleach. Instead, they use plant based and biodegradable ingredients. The Tough Stain Remover contains Alcohol ethoxylate and Propylene glycol n-propyl ether. Alcohol ethoxylate is Planet People's proprietary surfactant (wetting agent) that is a coconut oil based ingredient, modified to be a detergent. According to Ami Shad at Planet People, "It's a readily biodegradable surfactant system that delivers low dynamic surface tension, critical to optimum cleaning. It's a classified ingredient under OECD as a non skin sensitizer, and it's also listed on the CleanGredients database (meeting the 10-day biodegradation window) and contains no alkyl phenol ethoxylates." The other fifty cent word, 'Propylene glycol n-propyl ether' is a colorless viscous liquid used as a solvent in the preparation of certain medications, which also inhibits the growth of fungi and microorganisms. Ami assures me that Planet People uses a 'green' glycol ether, which is "green listed on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) TSCA inventory and is not a skin sensitizer. This ingredient also meets the 28-day biodegradation window." It's also helpful to know that the Tough Stain Remover received the EPA’s Design for the Environment designation, which recognizes products that meet stringent criteria for human and environmental health.

The Disinfectant & Cleaner is made from purified water and two key active plant-based oils extracted from Thyme and Oregano. Ami Shad states that "the product is biodegradable, non-toxic and non-corrosive and has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Unlike traditional DIN-registered disinfectants, the product contains no ammonias, chlorines or glutaraldehyes".

The next most relevant question is "Do they work?". In my 'real life testing' both these products worked remarkably well. For the past several decades I've used 'Mr. Clean', and I've been pretty satisfied with it's cleansing abilities. Over the past two weeks I used Gloves Off Disinfectant & Cleaner, and really, I can't tell the difference (apart from the much more pleasant aroma from Gloves Off). Both do a stellar job on all the regular household cleaning jobs. But at least with Gloves Off I feel a lot better about what's going down the drain, and up my sinuses.

Crayon, magic marker (Sharpie), pen and pencil

All gone but the Sharpie

I tried Gloves Off Tough Stain Remover on a range of substances, including, crayon, magic marker (Sharpie), pen and pencil (removed all but the magic marker), roofing tar, fresh un-dried paint and axle grease(remarkably effective). This product is virtually ordure free.

Both come in 946 mL bottles with sprayer.

Reviewed March 2010