All-purpose spray swap to Fragrance-free cleaner

Why make the swap

• Why switch to fragrance-free cleaner

  A fragrance-free cleaner made without glycol ethers cleans counters without the scented mist. Spray it onto the cloth rather than into the air. Or make your own from unscented castile soap, with vinegar for glass.

• What's the concern with all-purpose spray

  Sprays turn quats, glycol ethers and fragrance into a fine mist you breathe in.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Vinegar doesn’t disinfect and etches stone. Never mix it with bleach. Oven too? Most oven sprays are lye, which can burn skin and eyes. A baking soda paste left overnight loosens baked-on grease instead; the recipe is below.

  ATTITUDE All Purpose Cleaner Spray, Unscented, 27 fl oz: Spray it onto the cloth, not into the air.

• Sources (6)

  1. Svanes et al. 2018, AJRCCM: ~6,000 people followed over 20 years (opens in a new tab)
  2. Nazaroff & Weschler 2004: indoor chemistry of cleaners (opens in a new tab)
  3. Maker's listing: ATTITUDE All Purpose Cleaner, 'No added fragrance', 'Made without glycol ether solvents' (opens in a new tab)
  4. Dr. Bronner's dilutions cheat sheet: ¼ cup soap in a quart of water for all-purpose cleaning; half vinegar, half water for windows (opens in a new tab)
  5. UK poison data: 96% of oven cleaners involved contained lye; 44% of skin exposures caused burns (Day 2017) (opens in a new tab)
  6. US poison data, kids under 6: alkaline cleaners, especially oven and drain cleaners, caused the most serious injuries (Pacini 2023) (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.