Holiday Cleaning with an Eco-Conscience

While we can’tsupply the elbow grease or send holiday elves to help, we can offer up our own brand of effective cleaning products with the added bonus of earth-conscious ingredients opens in a new tab. These cleaners contain no sodium laurel sulfate, phosphates, phthalates or chlorine. What’s more, their containers are made from at least 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials and are recyclable. We’ve tried to think through both our ingredient list and the packaging. In other words, these cleaners are healthier for you and your family as well as the planet, and we’re addressing responsible resource use, too. Plus, most of them just plain smell good! For freshening those poinsettia-festooned table cloths and penguin-print flannel sheets:

• Whole Foods Market^™ 2X CONCENTRATED laundry detergent with enzymes, offered in lavender and unscented. The 100 oz. bottle will wash 100 loads of laundry in a high-efficiency (HE) washer. The mild lavender scent is derived from 100% natural essential oils that won’t compete with the turkey, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie fragrances wafting in from the kitchen.

• Whole Foods Market^™ 2X CONCENTRATED fabric softener in lavender and unscented. The 32 oz. bottle will cozy up a whopping 64 loads of laundry.

• 365 Everyday Value^® fabric softener sheets. These all natural fragrance lavender-scented sheets are recyclable! At 80 sheets to the box, they just might last through Valentine’s Day.

For washing the snowman cookie plate and Spode Christmas china:

• Whole Foods Market^™ liquid dish soap. The 25 oz. bottle will wash hundreds of dishes, bowls, pans and cookie sheets. The spicy ginger mandarin scent is derived from 100% natural essential oils that will blend well with the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg permeating the kitchen. Also offered in unscented.

• 365 Everyday Value® dish soap. The 25 oz. bottle in all natural citrus scent will do a great job washing food storage containers for all the make-ahead sides and the leftovers you’ll want to savor after the feast.

• 365 Everyday Value™automatic dishwasher detergent. This 4.7 lb. box of powerful powder will wash a whopping 75 loads of dishes. That’s enough for several weekends worth of parties and guests. The citrus scent is derived from all natural ingredients.

For wiping up after spilled eggnog on the counter and gravy on the stove:

• Whole Foods Market^® 2X all purpose cleaner. The citrus scent in this spray bottle is derived from 100% natural essential oils that help perk up everyone’s mood with its freshness. The 32 oz. bottle will prove to be your most versatile product of the season (although it isn’t recommended for upholstery—spill that eggnog elsewhere).

• 365 Everyday Value® Hard Surface Cleaner. For those surfaces that get dirty and spotty and for which you never seem to have the right product on hand that actually works. This concentrated, biodegradable spray will help tackle splatters and spots on ceramic tile, marble, porcelain, laminate, chrome, stainless steel and other non-porous surfaces. The foaming action and grapefruit scent will entertain and energize you while you work.

For cleaning the windows before outlining in LED fairy lights or for a quick wipe of the powder room mirror:

• Whole Foods Market^™ glass cleaner. This 32 oz. bottle will be your best friend when you want to clean Fido’s nose prints off the back door, too. The unscented spray won’t compete with the fragrance of snow-dampened dog, either.

Finally, for all those jobs (umm after the New Year’s Eve bash?) requiring a bucket, scrub-brush or refillable hybrid mop:

• Whole Foods Market™ all purpose concentrated cleaner. This 40.5 oz. bottle will clean many a muddy floor or scrub down a neglected basement shower stall. Find it in our favorite, essential oil-based scent of the season, pine.

Do you have a plan to get ahead of your chore list this holiday season? What are your best tips for keeping everything clean—and in perspective?