When we first began the Cleanery journey, just-add-water products were a new or non-existent concept. Times have changed and it’s great to see a shift towards low waste products. But with so many on the market it can sometimes be confusing figuring out which one is best for you.
The answer is easy: use the one that actually does the job. There’s no point in buying a cleaning product that doesn’t clean. Even if it’s low waste. And unfortunately most of the just-add-water products are pretty average (if you’re being kind). You can see a video comparison between our product and other “just-add-water”s here and to see how they’re better than traditional products too click here.
WHY POWDER?
Great question.
Short answer - because a powder is a significantly better option than tablets, liquid concentrates and pods (and obviously way better for the planet than traditional products packaged in single use plastic). Our formulations are extremely effective, and our sachets contain enough product to actually deliver a proper clean, all contained in safe, effective and low-waste packaging.
The longer answer, and the reason why the others haven’t caught on, took our scientists and engineers years and $m’s to figure out.
WHY IS OUR POWDER BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVES?
Let’s take a look at the other options on the market.
TABLETS
Anyone promoting low waste is a winner in our books, but unfortunately dissolvable tablets aren’t a winner it comes to cleaning tough messes. They don't pack much of a punch. Trust us - when we first set out on the Cleanery journey it was our aim to create a tablet that worked. The concept is great but we quickly realised that effective cleaning wasn’t possible from a tablet and went back to the drawing board.
A tablet is limited by its size. It needs to fit through a bottle neck. Most weigh 6-8g or less, which includes a whole lot of binders, effervescing agents and other stuff that doesn't contribute to a clean - in other words, they simply don't contain enough active product to have much effect. And the tablets take ages to dissolve before they can be used. Who really wants to spend 20 minutes staring at a bottle?
LIQUID CONCENTRATES
It’s theoretically possible to make a liquid concentrate that also cleans well and it’s great to see some of the big companies have a crack at doing just this. Unfortunately there are still some pretty big compromises.
Liquid concentrates don’t solve the problem of excess packaging waste, only reduce it. Almost always, the containers used for liquids are too small to actually be processed in recycling plants, meaning they end up in landfill. Yes, their packaging is small, but it is still significantly bigger than our 1gram Cleanery sachet and there’s still heavy liquid that needs to be carted around.
Liquid concentrates can be messy to transfer and, because they are highly concentrated, the liquids can be highly irritating for skin - or worse. It’s worth checking the ingredients list and warning symbols on concentrates as many of them contain nasty chemicals – low waste doesn’t always mean planet-friendly.
PODS
Pods are like the concentrated liquids but unfortunately, like dissolvable tablets, need to fit in a neck of a bottle and so have many of the disadvantages of both. They lack the volume of ingredients and sometimes try to make up for this with some pretty nasty ingredients. Some of the manufacturers recommend users wear safety googles and gloves when mixing the product and they can get stuck in a bottle neck if used in wet or glass bottles. Yikes.
POWDER FOR THE WIN
Cleanery’s powder format is easily the winner out of all the options.
Exceptional performance - Each Cleanery sachet contains c.17g of our super effective plant and mineral based formulation ensuring the required amount of product for a powerful clean. Our team of scientists and engineers have developed market leading formulations that truly work.
Safe and light weight packaging - Robust and waterproof packaging that weighs less than a gram and is recycling in the soft plastics recycling scheme. Read more about our sachet here [insert sachet blog link].
Naturally formulated – Our powder is plant and mineral based with no nasties. No Solvents, silicones, parabens, phthalates, dyes, phosphate, chlorine, ammonia, or GMO. Naturally formulated but also super effective – this is a no compromise product.
Easy to use – Cleanery products are easy to mix up and are instantly ready to use, requiring no wait time to dissolve.
If you have any questions about the Cleanery range and why we believe it’s the best on the market, please reach out at hello@cleanery.co.nz as we love to hear from you.