Subcategories
Sustainable Products
Cleaning & Laundry
EcoWarehouse stocks New Zealand's widest range of natural, plastic-free, and low-waste cleaning and laundry products. The range covers laundry detergent, laundry accessories, dishwashing, natural surface cleaners, reusable towels and cloths, and toilet brushes. All products are available online at ecowarehouse.nz with nationwide shipping.
Why switch to natural cleaning products?
Conventional cleaning products are among the most chemical-heavy items in the average NZ home. Most contain surfactants, synthetic fragrances, optical brighteners, chlorine bleach, and preservatives that don't break down cleanly in waterways. Many come in single-use plastic bottles that can't be recycled kerbside. The cleaning aisle is also one of the most aggressively greenwashed spaces in retail: "plant-based" and "natural" appear on labels that still contain synthetic chemicals and non-recyclable packaging.
Switching to genuinely natural cleaning products reduces your household's chemical load, is safer for children and pets, and significantly cuts plastic waste over time.
What we stock and why
Our laundry range centres on soap nuts (dried fruit shells that produce natural soap when wet), laundry detergent sheets, and oxygen bleach made from pure sodium percarbonate. These replace conventional detergent with no synthetic fragrance, no unnecessary plastic, and no compromise on cleaning performance. We also carry natural stain remover bars, bamboo clothes pegs, and cotton washbags.
For dishwashing, we stock wooden dish brushes with natural fibre bristles (sisal, Tampico, and coconut fibre), biodegradable dish cloths, Nawrap cellulose cloths that replace synthetic sponges, plant-based dish soap, and dishwasher detergent sheets. Replacement brush heads are available separately so the handle lasts for years.
Our natural cleaners include Manuka hydrosol spray, soapnut liquid, and oxygen bleach for multi-surface use. For reusable cloths and towels, we carry Nawrap's Japanese biodegradable cloths alongside cotton options. Toilet brushes are wooden with natural fibre bristles.
What to look for when buying natural cleaning products
The most important things to check are ingredients transparency, packaging, and whether the product is genuinely reusable or refillable. A product that lists all ingredients is worth more trust than one that doesn't. Packaging should be plastic-free, recyclable, or compostable. For things you use daily like dish brushes and cloths, look for products where worn parts can be replaced rather than the whole item discarded.
Be cautious of products marketed as "natural" that still contain methylisothiazolinone (MI), sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), or synthetic fragrance.
Frequently asked questions
Soap nuts are widely regarded as the most sustainable laundry option available in New Zealand. They are dried fruit shells that produce natural saponin when wet, require no synthetic ingredients, and compost after use. EcoWarehouse stocks soap nut shells in 250g, 500g, and 1kg sizes, plus soap nut liquid. Laundry detergent sheets are a strong alternative: concentrated, plastic-free, and lightweight to ship.
For most everyday cleaning tasks, yes. Oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) outperforms chlorine bleach on most stains and is safe for colours. Wooden dish brushes with natural fibre bristles clean as effectively as plastic ones and last longer with proper drying between uses. Soap nuts clean laundry well in warm water, though they perform less effectively in very cold water cycles.
The most popular alternatives at EcoWarehouse are Nawrap cellulose and cotton cloths, biodegradable dish cloths, coconut fibre dish brushes, and wooden dish brushes with sisal or Tampico bristles. All are available online at ecowarehouse.nz with NZ-wide shipping.
Yes. Oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) breaks down into water, oxygen, and soda ash. It is completely safe for septic systems and does not harm the beneficial bacteria the way chlorine bleach does. It is also safe for use around children and pets once diluted.
Avoid products containing chlorine bleach, synthetic antibacterial agents (triclosan, quaternary ammonium compounds), and high concentrations of synthetic surfactants. All of these can disrupt the bacterial balance in a septic system. Natural alternatives like oxygen bleach, soap-based cleaners, and vinegar-based sprays are all septic-safe.
The most commonly flagged chemicals in conventional cleaning products are chlorine bleach (corrosive to waterways), synthetic fragrance (can contain hundreds of undisclosed chemicals), quaternary ammonium compounds (persistent in the environment and linked to antibiotic resistance), methylisothiazolinone (MI, a preservative and skin sensitiser), and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS, a skin irritant). Natural cleaning products avoid these ingredients.
Yes. EcoWarehouse ships to Australia by international air. Delivery typically takes one to two weeks. Note that some liquid products may be subject to volume restrictions depending on shipping classification. Check individual product pages for shipping details.
