While researching alternative household cleaners, I was surprised to find out, that the majority of the product we purchase, is in fact water. That’s right, that £4 bottle of cleaning solution you and I regularly buy, is in fact, mostly overpriced water. While this may in fact be quite obvious, it’s a bottle of liquid after all, once I digested this fact, it just didn’t sit well with me that the lion’s share of the per unit cost was shared between the cost of the plastic that I would eventually throw away, and water, which I could have sourced from my own kitchen tap.
This led me to investigate whether any clever change-makers out there had come up with an ingenious plastic-free and waterless household cleaning solution that could support my eco ambition, yet perform well enough to be considered a serious replacement.
Enter… Ocean Saver https://www.ocean-saver.com. I happily stumbled across Ocean Saver while mindlessly scrolling Instagram and was immediately drawn to their concept of the “ecodrop”, which is a concentrated, biodegradable capsule that you mix with your very own tap water inside either a repurposed bottle of your own, or by purchasing an Ocean Saver “bottle for life”. I was also impressed with the array of products available all as standalone as, or as a handy dandy Stater Kit, which included x5 bottles, x5 bottle stickers to help identify which bottle contained which product, and x1 ecodrop each of;
- Kitchen degreaser
- Multipurpose cleaner
- Bathroom cleaner
- Floor cleaner
- Antibacterial spray
As I was still making my way through some existing products, I decided to try out only those for which I had run out, which saw me open the bathroom cleaner, kitchen degreaser and multipurpose sprays first.
I duly filled the bottles with cold tap water, leaving enough room to be able to create some friction while shaking up the contents once the corresponding ecodrop had been added. While the process itself was simple, I must admit the initial result was not quite as I expected. The ecodrops took longer to dissolve than I thought they would. I checked the packaging instructions, the Ocean Saver website and Instagram accounts to check if I had mixed them up correctly (should I have used warm water??) however I couldn’t find anything to confirm or deny the approach I had taken. However seeing as I wouldn’t be embarking on my cleaning spree until the following day, I decided to leave the products overnight. I was pleased to see that by the morning, the ecodrops had completely dissolved and my cleaning sprays were ready for their first tests.
The first spray test-driven was the bathroom cleaner. The cleaner itself did a good job of cleaning away soapy residues and even helped to reduce the feel of limescale that had begun to settle on tiles and sink basins, although I have definitely used much more effective limescale removal sprays, and still default to those for their unparalleled results (here’s looking at you https://www.kilrock.co.uk!!). But I couldn’t deny that I was disappointed with the products smell. The bathroom cleaner is marketed as having a pomegranate based scent, so I was expecting a bright, fresh and fruity smell. The scent itself was so weak that in fact I could barely smell anything. I wondered if I’d over-diluted the ecodrop, however, a quick scan across Ocean Saver’s website and social media seemed to confirm that I hadn’t.
Now that my bathroom was clean, it was on to the next tasks, cleaning up my washing line and dining furniture in the garden in preparation for the UK’s first full week of sunny and hot weather.
Grabbing my now very blue, multipurpose cleaner bottle, I went to task, removing dust, dirt and even spider webs (eeeeekk!!). To my pleasant surprise the multipurpose cleaner did a fab job. Not only did it clean well, the scent was more noticeable than the bathroom cleaner, although it could still stand to be stronger for my preferences leaving everything with a light lavender smell, but without leaving any ghastly streaks on my dining tables glass surface. In fact the glass positively sparkled! I think it’s safe to say, that the multipurpose was my favourite product so far.
The last product in my initial test drive was the kitchen degreaser. This was probably the product that left me with the least noticeable impression, and truthfully, without much to comment on. The spray had a light citrus smell and cleaned my countertops and kitchen cupboard doors just fine and does exactly what it says on the box. I think the reason I was once again, slightly underwhelmed, is because I like an intensely fresh and clean smell from my cleaning products, and this just did not provide that.
Before embarking on my Ocean Saver Eco Drops journey, I was a devotee of https://methodproducts.co.uk/products/, which perform really well and have the added benefit of smelling absolutely incredible, leaving my home wonderfully clean and smelling deliciously fresh. For me, I find the scent of products can really help to make an unpleasant job bearable if they smell great, and so for me, Ocean Saver’s Eco Drops don’t compare to my all time Method favourites on that front.
Will I immediately jump ship back to my tried and trusted Method products? I’m not sure my eco-conscious conscience will allow me to. But if the good people at Ocean Saver ever read this… please please please improve your product scents. Otherwise I fear you won’t make much ground against your closest competitors in the market.
If you’ve tried Ocean Saver’s ecodrops, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Top site ,.. amazaing post ! Just keep the work on !