Get powered by nature for a super green clean this spring
It’s coming round to that time of year again when women and men (come on guys) up and down
the country take advantage of the first few warm days of spring by rolling their sleeves up, grabbing the rubber gloves, and preparing to clean their houses from top to bottom.
We all normally reach for the strongest and most convenient products we can find to get the job done. However, cleaning experts Ecover are challenging consumers to say goodbye to unnecessary chemicals as well as grime this spring, by giving their home a great green clean with Ecover’s wide range of effective and ecological cleaning products.
Guaranteed to leave your home sparkling clean, Ecover’s hard-working range is powered by
nature to offer products that are not only as tough on dirt as most leading brands, but also kinder to the environment and your skin. As Ecover only use sustainable plant-based and mineral ingredients in their products, you don’t have to worry about strong chemical smells or about
leaving a residue of nasty chemicals behind after you’ve given your home a good clean. There’s
a product to tackle every cleaning job you need to do around the house, in a convenient format and with great results.
So why not detox when you declutter and clear out the chemicals when you clean up this spring, by putting some of Ecover’s hardworking cleaning products to the test. See below for our top tips and recommendations for every type of household grime.
Grimy oven, bbq, cooker hob, extractor hood or grill?
Try: Ecover Power Cleaner* – RRP ?3.99 (500ml) – Transform your
oven from grimy to gleaming this spring with this powerful degreaser that
consumers have found to be as effective as Cillit Bang Power Cleaner
Degreaser.
Instructions for use: Spray onto surface, leave to work for 1 minute,
wipe with a sponge or cloth and rinse off with water.
Top tip: This powerful spray is also ideal for cleaning up the often greasy and grubby tops of
your kitchen cupboards.
Dull and dirty surfaces and worktops?
Try: Ecover Multi Surface Spray Cleaner* – RRP ?2.84 (500ml) – Guaranteed
to leave all washable surfaces sparkling clean, and twice as powerful as
Ecover’s previous spray surface cleaner, this versatile spray is proven to clean
1as efficiently as Flash Multi Purpose Spray and is safe around food.
Instructions for use: Spray lightly over the surface and wipe clean. No need to
rinse.
Dusty windows, mirrors, glass and chrome?
Try: Ecover Window & Glass Cleaner* – RRP ?2.69 (500ml) – Let the light
of spring shine in and take dirty windows, mirrors, glass and chrome from dull
to dazzling with Ecover’s new Window & Glass Cleaner, found to be better
1than Mr Muscle Window Cleaner on performance and finish in consumer
research.
Instructions for use: Spray directly onto surface and wipe off with a soft dry
cloth.
Top tip: Re-use before you recycle by using scrunched up balls of newspaper once you’ve
cleaned the windows to remove any excess solution and dry the panes. Also, don't clean
windows when they're in direct sunlight, as they'll dry too fast and look streaked.
Stubborn stains on floors and other hard surfaces?
Try: Ecover All Purpose Cleaner* – RRP ?1.59 (500ml) – Give all hard
washable surfaces a new lease of life with this great all purpose cleaner that
1naturally and hygienically cleans as well as Flash All Purpose Dilutable. Great
for removing stubborn marks on floors and making taps and other shiny surfaces sparkle.
Instructions for use: Use 1 to 2 capfuls in half a bucket of warm water. Top tip: For more stubborn stains use undiluted and wash off with a soft wet cloth. For extra sparkle wipe with a dry cloth.
Ground in dirt on fridges, enamel, stainless steel, tiles and chrome?
Try: Ecover Cream Cleaner – RRP ?1.16 (500ml) – Remove obstinate
stains without scratching by giving your fridge and other hard surfaces such
as enamel, stainless steel, tiles and chrome, the once over with this hard
working cream cleaner.
Instructions for use: Apply either directly to the surface or onto a wet
sponge. Clean the surface and then rinse off.
Top tip: A quick scrub of Ecover Cream Cleaner is great for eliminating unattractive stains
around taps as the clay and limestone content provides a gentle scouring action ideal for tackling
stubborn dirt.
Dull limescale covered porcelain tiles and sinks, taps and basins? Try: Ecover Limescale Remover – RRP ?3.51 (500ml) – Use Ecover
Limescale Remover to get your bathroom and kitchen limescale free. It’s
chrome-friendly and is based on citric acid which is rapidly biodegradable. Instructions for use: Spray directly onto surface and wait for a few
minutes depending on limescale build-up. Rinse off with water.
Soap scum in the bathroom?
Try: Ecover Bathroom Cleaner – RRP ?2.34 (500ml) – Take your bathroom from
grubby to gleaming with this powerful bathroom cleaner that’s tough on soap scum
and bathroom dirt. Suitable for all surfaces including glass, enamel, acrylic and
chrome, Ecover Bathroom Cleaner will ensure your bathroom smells great and
sparkles throughout.
Instructions for use: Spray onto surface and wipe with a dry or damp cloth. For
tougher marks, leave to act for a few minutes before wiping. Rinse off with water.
Other top tips for greening your spring clean…
Using Ecover is one way of eliminating unnecessary chemicals from your home, but see below for some other top tips for a green spring clean…
; Unsavoury smells? Save money on artificial air fresheners – open windows to freshen
your home or try Ecover’s Room Fragrances range which are based on plant extracts
and essential oils instead.
; Stale smelling laundry – make the most of the spring weather and dry your laundry
outside for a truly fresh fragrance
; Blocked drains? To keep your drain clear and odour free, mix one cup of baking soda
and one cup of salt in a container. Every so often, tip a quarter of the mixture down the
drain (save the rest for later) and follow with a pot of boiling water.
; Smelly fridge? Remove strong odours from your fridge by placing half a lemon in there
and leaving it in over night.
; Greasy microwave? Try Ecover’s new Power Cleaner
; Dirty kitchen bin? Use a solution of water and a teaspoon of Ecover’s chlorine free
Laundry Bleach (RRP ?1.82). Swill, leave for a while and rinse for a gleaming finish.
; Blocked shower head? Try a few squirts of Ecover’s Limescale Remover; leave
overnight and rinse in the morning
; And finally…don’t think you need a different cleaner for each task. A good All Purpose
Cleaner like ours can be used for all washable surfaces including floors, tiles and painted
woodwork.
* All these products are part of Ecover’s new hard surface cleaning range which launched mid-
2009. This powerful range is accredited by the Good Housekeeping Institute and features
2pioneering ingredients called Eco-Surfactants developed exclusively by Ecover’s ecological
innovators, which mean the new range is proven to clean as well as – or better than - the UK’s
leading conventional brands.
Ecover products are available in major supermarkets and also in health food stores. For a
full list of stockists visit our ‘Where to Buy’ page on www.ecover.com
-Ends-
For further press information or images please contact the Ecover press office on 0117 973 1173 or ecoverpr@brayleino.co.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Ecover’s new products were rated as good as or better than the named market leaders in a
variety of standard industry performance tests carried out by Ecover’s R&D laboratory.
2. Ecover has spent seven years developing a new ecological surfactant for use in its hard
surface cleaning products: the Eco-Surfactant. Surfactants are a key ingredient in cleaning
products as they help lower the surface tension of water which in turn allows dirt to be
removed from the surface it is on. Most conventional cleaning products use petrochemical-
based surfactants rather than the renewable plant-based and mineral ingredients favoured by
Ecover.
About Ecover:
; Ecover is effective - Ecover uses the power of nature to create highly effective and supremely ecological cleaning products.
; Ecover is sustainable - Ecover only uses sustainable plant-based and mineral ingredients. All ingredients are chosen to ensure Ecover’s products are as effective as possible whilst also
achieving the lowest possible toxicity and the most rapid and complete biodegradability. ; Ecover is pioneering - Ecover continually strives to improve its product range and has spent seven years developing a new ecological surfactant for use in its hard surface cleaning products. This new Eco-Surfactant means the range cleans as well as – or better than - the UK’s leading
conventional brands. The products are made with fully renewable plant-based ingredients and produced using a totally biochemical process.
; Ecover is a truly ecological company - Ecover operates from its world-famous ecological
factories in Belgium and France. The company's guidelines for environmental criteria, the selection of ingredients and manufacturing processes are far stricter that those required by EU legislation. Ecover has been recognised by the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP) for their outstanding practical achievements for the protection and improvement of our environment.
; Ecover is closer than you think - Ecover’s ecological factories in France and Belgium are
just 200 and 250 miles from London. This is approximately the same distance between Manchester and London, so although Ecover is not based in the UK, the transportation miles involved in distributing their products are comparable to those of UK based cleaning companies. ; Reuse, Reduce, Recycle - Ecover’s plastic bottles are made from polypropylene and
polyethylene which are 100% recyclable. Both bottles and tops can be recycled together. Ecover offers a refill service through its health food store network which allows consumers to save money and plastic resources. Visit www.ecover.com to find out where your nearest refill station is.
; Ecover: Working with Water – Ecover’s partnership with WaterAid supports a project in
Ethiopia, providing sustainable and ongoing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. For more information visit www.ecover.com/wateraid