iQ Cleaning Supplies: The Smarter Clean
When you want to be eco-friendly in your household chores, every little bit helps. Many manufacturers are working to reduce packaging for their products, and iQ cleaning supplies has a simple and innovative approach to reducing packaging and transportation costs, while providing an eco-friendly cleaning product. They sell small cartridges of plant-based concentrate, and all you have to do is fill up a spray bottle with tap water and insert the cartridge.
“In an age of ‘greenwashing,’ where it seems every manufacturer claims to have people and planet-friendly solutions (even if they have skull-and-crossbones on the label), we are committed to bringing truly environmentally-preferable solutions to the market.” — iQ About Page
They base their product on some startling statistics:
- Each year, North Americans throw away over a billion plastic cleaning bottles.
- 1 gallon of crude oil is needed to produce a mere 29 spray bottles.
- Because iQ works with reusable bottles and small cartridges, they reduce the direct and indirect carbon footprint of cleaning supplies by 70%.
Created by Planet People, the products are made with non-toxic and environmentally sustainable ingredients and retail for approximately CAD 6.49, with cartridges going for approximately CAD 2.79. The low price is a result of what they save on packaging and transportation costs, which they pass on to the consumer. They currently offer glass, bathroom, floor and all-purpose cleaner. The company is based in Canada, but products are available through Hannaford and Sweetbay in the U.S.