Green cleaners that actually work?

Last year, Outsource Marketing was recognized by King County as Best Workplace for Recycling. But when we made the decision to become a green business, one of the sticking points was with cleaners–because they seldom work very well, are expensive and are often hard to find.

Well, I’m hoping that’s changed. Clorox has recently released it line of Green Works natural cleaning products that they claim work as well or better than traditional cleaners. Products include a nature all-purpose, toilet bowl, bathroom, glass and surface and dilutable cleaners.

From a marketing standpoint, a job well done. The design, branding and messaging work. I don’t know if they own the phrase “powerful, natural cleaners” but it offers a lot of meaning-per-inch and is a direct hit with this consumer. The web site is simple, very clean and easy to use. It has just enough interactivity to make it interesting but not so much that it gets in the way.

But this ain’t no Clorox lovefest.

Clorox says they aren’t simply jumping on the green bandwagon, that the products have been in the works for five years and they wanted to get them right. Um. Okay.

Their “What natural means” page says all the right things, but a closer read reveals a bit of hedging:

renewable resources
A natural resource qualifies as a renewable resource if it is replenished by natural processes at a rate that’s equal to the rate of consumption by humans. The plant and mineral-based ingredients in Green Works™ cleaners use materials that come from a resource that is renewable.

biodgradable
A biodegradable material is something that has the ability to safely and relatively quickly break down biological into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment. Much of the ingredients used in Green Works™ natural cleaners are biodegradable helping to minimize the impact on the environment.

sustainable
A sustainable product is something made from renewable resources, which means they can grow back quickly and can be harvested with minimal harm to the environment. Our goal with the entire line of Green Works™ natural cleaners is to use materials that are renewable.

petrochemicals
Petrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum. Green Works™ natural cleaners minimize the use of petrochemicals and are 99% petrochemical free.

not tested on animals
Animals were not used to test the safety and efficacy of Green Works™ natural cleaning products.

I’d like all my products to be 100% green, but I’ll settle for a slightly lighter shade for the time being. To me, green is a gradient.

If these products do work as well as traditional cleaners, we’ll buy them.

If they don’t, you’ll hear about it here.

At Outmark, we know that culture matters. We believe that it’s fun to be good, so we pick employees, partners, and clients that are good at what they do and fit our playful culture. Want to learn more about how we can help you make marketing the fun part of running your business? Schedule a free marketing consultation today.