Best Product Recommendations

People are always going to buy things.

Here are our recommendations for the BEST products in different categories.

Note: We are not sponsored by any companies, but we have tried and tested these products ourselves unless otherwise mentioned.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Zum Clean Laundry Soap

After extensive research, Zum Laundry Soap is the most SAFE, non-toxic laundry detergent (that actually works!).

We have tried all the scents available, and found the Frankincense & Myrrh and Sea Salt to last the longest. These are great if you are sensitive to fragrances because they are scented with essential oils.

This laundry soap is the only one out there I've found that is genuinely free from all toxins, and doesn't use any artificial fragrance or dyes. It's super concentrated. It's a major upgrade for your health and the environment.

CLEANING SPRAY

Zum Clean All Purpose Spray

The most effective truly natural cleaning spray we've found - it even convinced ? chemical users to convert.

Make sure to get the Lavender or Sweet Orange scent to ensure essential oils only (the Frankincense & Myrrh one uses fragrance, which has unknown and potentially toxic ingredients).

DEODORANT

Net Zero Deodorant

There are so many pros of this deodorant:

1. It actually works! (+Smells so nice!)

2. It's Canadian - and ethically made!

3. It's made with super safe ingredients!

4. It's plastic free!

5. Aluminum free & vegan

They also offer an unscented version if you prefer no scent.

Multiple deodorants from other companies were tested before finding this one (the winner)!

LIQUID / DISH SOAP

Green Beaver Castile Soap

FINALLY - A Canadian and PALM-OIL FREE version of Dr. Bronner's! Green Beaver Castile Soaps (1L) come in four different options - Unscented, Sweet Orange, Peppermint and Lavender, all of which are lovely. These soaps are fully free of toxins, and the essential oils are good quality and make your kitchen, bathroom or wherever smell beautifully fresh. The soaps are multipurpose--effective for cleaning, dishes, hands, and basically anything else you want to use soap for.

REUSABLE FOOD BAGS

Stasher Silicone Bags

Stasher silicone zip-lock bags are a tried-and-true eco staple. Perfect for food storage at home or on the go, Stasher bags are colourful, very durable, easy to wash, and thick to protect the food inside. We have been using the same Stasher bags for over eight years and they are still in perfect condition. Now we rarely use disposable plastic sandwich/snack bags. These bags help limit microplastic exposure for your food, and reduce landfill/ocean waste from plastic bags.

REUSABLE PAPER TOWELS

Net Zero Co.

Great replacement

MANUAL TOOTHBRUSH

Essence of Life Bamboo Toothbrush

It was incredibly hard to find a plastic-free toothbrush--especially an affordable one. Essence of Life (you can purchase online!) offers a bamboo toothbrush made from castor bristles, so it's 100% plastic free (and much less toxic)! On top of that, you can support a wonderful local Canadian small business :)

PERIOD PRODUCTS

Pads

HEAVIER FLOW/OVERNIGHT

Finding a long and absorbent enough overnight pad that is NOT a maxi pad was hard, even from some regular toxic brands. Rael had some of the longest pads I could find, and you can just see the difference in quality compared to the thin, plasticky regular brands. You can feel confident in the organic cotton, thickness and length to prevent leaks and to be good for your health.

REGULAR/LIGHTER FLOW

Natracare offers a great line of unscented pads, good for the medium to lighter days. They use organic cotton, no plastic, no chlorine, and are compostable. These pads are generally overall more sticky than Rael pads, and the wings stick better.

LAUNDRY: DRYER BALLS

Poppy Lane Hemp Dryer Balls

REPLACES FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS

REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS

Net Zero Co. Produce Bags

Net Zero Co. makes lovely, good quality, lasting products. Use these organic cotton produce bags as a replacement to flimsy landfill-bound grocery/bulk food store disposable plastic bags.

The benefit of these cotton muslin bags is they can be used for fruits & veggies as well as items like legumes, beans, nuts, etc. because they have no holes. There are also mesh versions available if you prefer that style.

PHONE

Fairphone (any model)

Fairphone is the only truly ethical cellphone company I have found. They are easily available in Europe.

There are some for sale on eBay as well.

Clove Technology sells them and will ship to Canada, with the new model being stocked in March 2026.

Equal Option: Secondhand Phone (any brand)

FOOD STORAGE (WRAPS/BAGS+)

If You Care Product Line

If You Care sells non-bleached parchment paper, compostable/recycled kitchen/trash bags, unbleached coffee filters, unbleached paper snack and sandwich bags (if you need something disposable), unbleached coffee filters, recycled aluminum foil, reusable paper towels and more.

Not to mention our favourite lovely Fair Trade rubber gloves!

Available at health food stores like Essence of Life, London Drugs, on Amazon and Well.ca.

SHAMPOO

Essence of Life Shampoo Bars

Zero-waste shampoo bars are a lovely alternative to throwing away plastic bottles that won't be recycled.

Essence of Life uses cleansing oils, essential oils and organic ingredients to make this shampoo. NO chemicals! (At least on the ingredients we can see). Comes in 6 different scents (including unscented). Tried and loved by one of our volunteers!

Significantly cheaper in store, you can also purchase online.