Good Chemistry for Some Household Sprays

By JULIE SCELFO
Published: February 10, 2010

It has been nearly a year since S. C. Johnson & Son, the maker of products like Windex, Glade and Drano, agreed to begin disclosing all the ingredients in its home-cleaning and air-care products sold in the United States, giving consumers unprecedented access to information about the chemicals they squirt and spray throughout their homes. And earlier this month, a lawsuit brought by a consortium of health and environmental groups with the aim of forcing other household cleaning-product manufacturers (like Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive) to do the same, inched closer to resolution when a New York State Supreme Court judge announced at a hearing that he will soon rule on whether the case can move forward.

In the wake of all this, Seventh Generation, a company that has made nontoxic cleaners for more than 20 years, is rolling out its first collection of disinfecting products made with thymol, a component of the oil derived from thyme. The products — wipes, a multisurface spray and a bathroom spray — kill germs (including viruses like Influenza A and H1N1) just like other disinfectants but are safe enough that the Environmental Protection Agency allows them to be sold without lengthy first-aid warnings on the labels.

Perhaps the biggest game-changer, though, is Martha Stewart’s first line of cleaning products, which have no added fragrances or artificial colors. Although many Americans have grown to like and even favor products that smell like chemicals or have artificial scents, Ms. Stewart said she wants consumers “to break that habit,” and trust that the absence of a smell can indicate clean. “If you can start eliminating some of the harshness that surrounds us on our planet and get back to nature, that’s what I’m all about,” she said, explaining that she had to “fight against focus groups” to get the products made the way she wanted.

The new Seventh Generation disinfecting products are available nationwide at select retail and grocery stores, starting at about $3 for the 26-ounce multisurface cleaner. Martha Stewart Clean’s 10 new products are sold on amazon.com and at Home Depot and Giant Eagle stores, starting at about $4 for the 17-ounce dish and hand soap. Information: seventhgeneration.com and marthastewartclean.com.
A version of this article appeared in print on February 11, 2010, on page D3 of the New York edition.