“Made in Canada” grocery staples are often clearly labelled. Cleaning supplies? Not so much. With U.S. President Donald Trump continually changing his stance on tariffs, many Canadians are looking for domestic alternatives to American products, including those found in our cleaning cabinets.
Quick Overview
There are a ton of homegrown businesses that offer effective — and oftentimes eco-friendly — alternatives to big-name American cleaning brands. If you’re in the habit of buying all-purpose cleaners from U.S. brands like Lysol and Mr. Clean, you might be interested in made-in-Canada alternatives from Guests on Earth or Liquid Earth, for example. Tru Earth and Good Juju are fantastic places to find laundry essentials, and Attitude is home to everything you need to clean your bathroom.
Because big American cleaning brands dominate the market, finding Canadian-made alternatives can sometimes be challenging, which is why we created this resource. If you want to buy Canadian products whenever possible, don’t neglect your go-to home essentials and everyday cleaning supplies.
Click here to jump to our list of Canadian cleaning and laundry brands
There are a ton of Canadian alternatives to American cleaning brands if you know where to look (Getty).
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Made-in-Canada cleaning and laundry brands: Quick shop
Cleaning brands:
Laundry brands:
“Made in Canada” vs. “Product of Canada” vs. “Canadian owned” vs. “Based in Canada”
Unlike at the grocery store, where “made in Canada” labelling is made clear, the origins of fashion, beauty, personal care and home brands can be difficult to decipher. Is “made in Canada” the same as “based in Canada?” What about a Canadian brand no longer 100 per cent Canadian-owned, like Hudson’s Bay and Tim Hortons?
To satisfy a “Product of Canada” claim, Canada’s Competition Bureau requires non-food products to meet a “higher threshold of Canadian content” (98 per cent). “Made in Canada” claims are subject to a 51 per cent threshold of Canadian content “but should be accompanied by a qualifying statement indicating that the product contains imported content.”
When a brand is based in Canada or owned/designed by Canadians, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s made in Canada. Shoppers still choose to support a Canadian-owned or founded business, but its manufacturing may occur overseas. That said, buying from online and brick-and-mortar Canadian retailers can help support Canadian workers, too. Roots, for example, is no longer completely Canadian-owned, but its leather goods are still hand-crafted in Toronto, Ont.
🇺🇸 Popular American cleaning brands
Procter & Gamble (P&G) brands, including Tide, Mr. Clean, Swiffer and Dawn. The Clorox Company brands, including Clorox Bleach, Pine-Sol, Liquid-Plumr and Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. Reckitt Benckiser brands, including Lysol, Dettol, Finish and Woolite. Church & Dwight Co. brands, including Arm & Hammer and OxiClean. SC Johnson brands, including Windex, Glade, Pledge and Scrubbing Bubbles.
Canadian cleaning brands
Attitude
Attitude products are crafted using natural, hypoallergenic and EWG VERIFIED ingredients that adhere to the highest quality and eco-conscious standards. Beyond cleaning products, the brand sells makeup, skincare, hair and body care, plus suncare products. Click here to shop them all.
Guests on Earth
Traditional cleaning products come in single-use plastic bottles and are over 90 per cent water, according to Guests on Earth. The brand’s compact, concentrated refills save 10x the emissions in transportation. How? By combining the concentrated packets with tap water, thus drastically decreasing what’s shipped to you.
Eco-Max
Manufactured in Mississauga, Ontario, this Canadian family-owned company sells cleaning products that are gentle on people and the planet.
FRANK
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Affordable home essentials
Canadian Tire’s in-house brand FRANK sells a wide range of household essentials, like paper products, cleaning supplies and laundry products. It even sells candy and chips, coffee pods and other pantry staples.
Green Cricket
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Hypoallergenic, biodegradable cleaning products
Formulated to exclude ingredients that are known health hazards, Green Cricket personal care products are 100 per cent natural and made in Canada.
Nature Clean
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Hypoallergenic, biodegradable cleaning products
All Nature Clean products are hypoallergenic, biodegradable and created from naturally-derived ingredients. The brand has been around since 1963 and strives to lessen its plastic footprint.
Biovert
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Cleaning products, laundry, hand soap, dish wash
Manufactured in Laval, Quebec, Biovert’s range of low-impact, eco-friendly household cleaning product are free of allergens and carcinogens.
Pink Solution
Since the ’90s, Pink Solutions has been making all-natural, biodegradable, non-toxic, septic-safe, and perfume-free cleaning products in North Vancouver, BC.
WHOOSH!
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Multipurpose screen cleaners
This Toronto-founded brand makes non-toxic, environmentally-friendly screen shine sprays, including one beloved by a Yahoo Canada editor.
Mint
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Eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products
Founded in 2016 in Ucluelet, British Columbia, Mint sells eco-friendly cleaning products, ranging from laundry detergent to glass cleaners.
Royal Sponge
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Food storage, sponges, sink sets and more.
All Royal Sponge products are made at its facility in Ontario.
Myni
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Non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning concentrates
These compact cleaning concentrates are designed to be combined with water in reusable vessels for eco-friendly, plastic-free cleaning.
Liquid Earth
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Non-toxic, natural and eco-friendly cleaning essentials
This made-in-Canada brand elevates your cleaning routine by blending essential oils in natural cleaners.
Nature Bee
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Plastic wrap alternatives and cleaning products made with locally-sourced ingredients
Founded in Victoria, British Columbia, this woman-owned business is a go-to spot for reusable beeswax food wraps and low-waste cleaning products.
Make Nice Company
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Plastic wrap alternatives and cleaning products made with locally-sourced ingredients
Hailing from Vancouver, BC, this handmade soapary specializes in solid dish soaps made with 100 per cent natural and vegan ingredients.
Lemon Aide
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High-performance, pet-friendly cleaning products made without any harsh or toxic ingredients
Canadian laundry brands
Soak
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Eco-friendly, quick-rinse laundry products made for hand- or machine-washing
A fan-favourite for delicates, Soak uses a gentle, no-rinse formulation to hand- or machine-wash your softest sweaters and laciest lingerie.
Buncha Farmers
This Ontario-based laundry brand is the brainchild of, you guessed it, a bunch of farmers. Together with local artisans, the group created eco-friendly laundry products, including its most famous product: the Stain Remover Stick.
Nellie’s
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Planet-friendly laundry, kitchen and bathroom cleaning products
Based in North Vancouver, B.C., this family-run business makes 90 per cent of its products in Canada. The eco-conscious brand uses far less plastic packaging and carbon emissions than traditional liquid detergent.
Good Juju
This all-natural, plastic-free home and body care brand is proudly Canadian and women-owned. It sells hair care, body care and laundry essentials, including eco-friendly and certified biodegradable laundry detergent strips.
The Unscented Company
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Women-owned, B Corp Certified company dedicated to sustainable practices
This female-owned business is B Corp Certified and dedicated to local sourcing, refillable packaging, waterless products, and lessening the dependency on single-use plastics. All home and body care products are unscented.
Simply Clean
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Eco-friendly, hypoallergenic laundry products
Manufactured in Guelph, Ontario, these good-for-the-earth cleaning products are hypoallergenic and free from perfumes, enzymes, and synthetic dyes.
Tru Earth
According to the brand, every 32-load pack of Tru Earth laundry eco-strips eliminates one plastic jug and other single-use plastics from potentially ending up in landfills and oceans. Tru Earth estimates that it’s eliminated roughly 185,792,000 containers thus far.
Aspen Clean
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Non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergent
This family-owned, Vancouver-based company sell a range of eco-friendly products, including laundry pods and bathroom cleaners, that are safe to use for the whole family.
Eucalan
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Non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergent
A Paris, Ontario-based no-rinse laundry detergent that works just as well for hand-washing your clothes as machine washing.
The Bare Home
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Sustainable dish soaps, all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergents and more
All products from The Bare Home are biodegradable, phosphate-free, and dye-free. They’re never tested on animals and only scented with high-quality essential oils.
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