Why We Stopped Using Shaklee
Let me start this post by saying, I am not here to bash a company. However, I do believe that full disclosure in what we eat, drink, and use on a daily basis is very important. We are an extreme green house cleaning company and we do our absolute best to make sure your family is safe with what we use. Maid to Shine started using Shaklee 6 years ago and I want walk you though how we went from Shaklee believers to informed consumers.
The Back Story
I would like to start with a short story about my life that caused Maid to Shine to be a green house cleaning company. As a child, I would sleep for 10 hours every night. I would eat breakfast then have to go back to bed for a couple more hours. I had several blood tests done and it was found that I was not anemic, diabetic, or have Celtic disease.
I lived sleeping half of my day for 23 years. Coffee was my best friend, but my brain could never wake up. Then I met my husband he took me to a nutritionist. Dr. Peter Petropulos from the Life Center took me off of gluten and dairy and I also went 100% organic. After about 2 weeks, I no longer needed coffee and I did not sleep all day.
So naturally, when I started Maid to Shine it had to be green. I took the word of the Shaklee distributor about how it is made from a coconut directive (which is true) and that it was a safe alternative. Everything was great until I was asked by a Cleaning Tech what was in Shaklee. I started to research the ingredients in Shaklee Basic H.
The Research
The first thing I did was to look on the bottle to see at the ingredients. Well I found there are not any ingredients on their bottles. I discovered that their ingredients list is propitiatory and they do not disclose any of their lists.
With that dead end, I turned to the internet to see if there were answers. I found a couple of sites where a Shaklee Distributor released a letter from Shaklee that states:
“Basic H2 is 99.95% all natural and made from water, Alkyl Polyglucoside (from corn & coconut), Ethyoxylated Fatty Alcohol (from coconut), Xanthan Gum (from vegetables) and Methyl Chloro Isothiazolinone (biodegradable preservative).”
That is all great, but that is just something someone wrote, I wanted some hard facts. I came across a file that listed the rules cleaners must follow in order to get approval from the FDA. https://www.issa.com/data/moxiestorage/regulatory_education/regulatory-reference-library/general-chemical-cleaning-product-regulation.pdf. Then I remembered, all companies are required to submit a Material Safety Data Sheet (called a MSDS).
After some work, I found the MSDS for Shaklee Basic H. Basic_H2_MSDS. Scroll down until you find the section labeled “Hazardous Component.” You will find “Surfactant mixture”
- 110615-47-9
- 68515-73-1
- 68551-12-2
These numbered items refer to specific ingredients. But what do they mean? Trying to find out about these ingredients, I discovered one of the best sites out there on ingredient disclosure http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners.
- 110615-47-9 = Alkyl Polyglucoside (C10-16)
- 68515-73-1 = Alkyl polyglucoside (C8-10)
- 68551-12-2 = ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATES (C12-16)
The original statement from the Shaklee distributor looked to be true. Alkyl Polyglucosides are skin irritants, not a big deal, it will just make me itchy. The last one, ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATES (C12-16), is the one that concerns me. Asthma allergy, skin irritation, developmental reproductive toxicity, cancer agent, and environmental concerns.
So why would I want a chemical that I touch every day to have concerns for cancer from the state of California or the European Union even if the FDA does say that it is safe?
The Results
We knew that Maid to Shine must use a house cleaner that disclosed all of their ingredients and I could feel comfortable with. There are 29 products at Environmental Working Group that scored an “A.” Of course we changed our products immediately and are happy that we did!
-Krista
Did this help you? Post a comment and tell us about it. You can find other time saving house cleaning tips from Maid to Shine here.
Images provide by one of the follow sources unless otherwise noted: Maid To Shine LLC., FreeDigitalPhotos.net, FreeStockPhotos.com, stockfreeimages.com, everystockphoto.com, foter.com, or stock.chng
What product did you switch to? I’m so glad I came across your post!
Nakona, We switched to Dr. Bronner Products. They have zero impact and are organic, we love them!
ok I am late to this ball game. I just realized I didn;t know what was in my Shaklee products and I have no health issues and have a realatively clean home. Well I use Basic H and love it but not happen with the chemicals. It cleans amazing. as well as the cleanest laundry ever. So in sticking with my desire for a clean home are there any other recommendations besides dr. bronners? for a really clean laundry
All I use is liquid castile soap and baking soda. I don’t know how you could get cleaner!
I doubt highly this information about Basic H is true. I sent this link to Shaklee product field support for them to verify this. I am an asthmatic and have used Basic H for the past 15 years. I don’t have cancer. It does not make me itch. It’s the cleanest and purest product I have ever used.
How could that “not be true” since the MSDS FOR THE PRODUCT was pulled for the purpose of this article? Not everyone that smokes gets cancer FYI.
When I was in the Way Ministry, we used to go to a 6 day long Festival called Rock of Ages. They had showers there but you could not use your own soap or shampoo. Instead, the showers were supplied with Basic H to wash your body and hair. I had some hormonal problems in my 20’s that resolved after menopause. I also had endometrial cancer in 2012 and again in 2022 when some small cells escaped during hysterectomy. I wonder now if using Basic H in the shower could have caused these problems?
I have been a distributor with Shaklee Corporation for 21 years and be happy to address all these uneducated accusations. These products saved my life 21 years ago and are completely and totally safe. My health story is on my website
Carol
Hi Carol, I used Shaklee products starting in 1978 but after the company had been sold several times I checked and found the Vita-Lea had changed. I wondered since it did not seem to be working like it once did. Shaklee products now contain soy which in the beginning they did not. And I can not have soy. Dig a little deeper don’t just take your up lines word for it. I have recently gone non-gmo & organic and I am doing much better.
Cindy
Sadly Cindy you are mis informed. Shaklee was sold but ingredients unless they were not good are the same. Shaklee is also non gmo and the soy you speak of as bad is the meat protein made from soy that is super unhealthy. The Shaklee soy protein is super healthy and one of the most solid protein powder products made. Please see on google the Cal Berkeley University 3rd party landmark study”The Landmark Study” that references store bought supplements and vitamins vs people taking no vitamins and those taking Shaklee supplements and I think you will be shocked and have a new trust in a 50 year old company that continues to change lives and keep folks healthy. Anyone who just believes an upline or anyone for example like this blog post is a sheep lol. This post is not truth and actually is doing harm as people believe what they read on the internet without researching. One could say don’t believe everything you read online😳😄
This post is not truth. Unfortunately it list 2 ingredients that sound the same but are in fact different and she even lists them with the different words. One is the alcohol ingredient and the other one that Shaklee uses in basic H is from coconut and Crista lists that fact. Then she notes that “why would she want to use a product that is on the California cancer list” and the fact is, it isn’t. Here in the state of California we have a law called prop 65 and it is required by law to state that it is a prop 65 product and Basic H does not have that listed on the bottle. Its so strict that even a coffee mug from China that could have lead or anything in the paint has to have that on the label so surely a cleaning product would also have to include that. It’s almost as if Crista was trying to show Shaklee bad and Dr Bonner good but the funny thing is that whole foods sells it and supports it but whole foods is owned by Amazon? Think there might be some conflict of interest. People read these blogs and believe them whether there is truth in it or not. I’m sure Crista didn’t mean any harm but there is 2 problems here. This could be considered slander by Shaklee because it is not all truth but also, if I’m a Shaklee family or like the products I would not hire Maid to shine cleaners because they don’t share the truth and they don’t like Shaklee so I wouldn’t want to pay them to clean my house just saying😄 Good luck and be careful what you believe on the internet. Here is the prop 65 law and it is not listed on Shaklee basic H
I don’t like the fact that Shaklee does not post the ingredients on the Basic H bottle. Period. They do on the Basic G bottle. It also disturbs me that I found it difficult to find the ingredients online. I’ve used Shaklee cleaning products for 12+ years; however, I’m ceasing to do so, for the Basic G has Didecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride (10.14%), found to cause infertility & birth defects in mice. I’ve enjoyed using Shaklee, & I’ve been a positive promoter of their cleaning products. Because Shaklee presents a “wild goose chase” to inform the public on its Basic H contents, like many stealth gmo products in the food industry do, I will no longer be purchasing any Shaklee products. If they are as integral as you say, why not disclose the ingredients on the bottle? Who has time to search multiple sites to no avail? As for me, I’ll take my business elsewhere.
Thank you for the link to the EWG website! Great research effort – thank you for sharing your results.
Your welcome Cathy, thanks for the kind words!
I have been using Shaklee for 4+ years and have never had any problems with their products! I have asthma and Shaklee products have never caused me any problems with my breathing. I love their cleaning products and they don’t irritate my shin or make my skin itch. I have eczema on my hands and their dish soap doesn’t make my hands itch. If anything, my hands have gotten so much better. It’s the only liquid dish soap I can use.
Great article and very informative.
[…] to the rescue. When you’re cleaning out the tub, simply spray your liquid cleaner of choice (we prefer green products!) on the bottom and walls of your tub, then sprinkle baking soda (or a mixture of salt and baking […]
You should try products from A Healthy Home Company. All products are Certified Toxic Free (by the Toxic Free Foundation), made in the USA, BPA free, EcoCert, Non GMO, Cruelty Free, & Soy Free, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Vegan Friendly and follow GMP (good mfg. practice). 100% all the way. Every ingredient is listed, they have nothing to hide. The coffee beans are even grown & harvested pesticide free! Try to find that label on a bag of coffee! You can check them out at http://www.toxicfreeliving.org
Very interesting, I will take a look now, thank you!
ive seen people drink it, and the ingredients you talked about are still organic, they list ingredients on their sites, your review was pointless.
Thanks Seth, would you mind linking to a video and/or a picture of where Shaklee posts ALL of their ingredients? Cause if you have it, I would love to see it!
I can’t find the ingredients on their website anywhere!
Thanks for doing this research! I heard of people using Basic H as a more natural fly spray for their horses. I’m looking to use zero dangerous chemicals on my horses and thanks to this article Basic H is not an option.
Mix 1/2 H to 1/2 water. Will even soothe away bumps from fly bites. Quick bath – if you know it is about to rain , spray your horse with above and let the rain rinse it off. Nice soft healthy coat
I total disagree with everything the writer of this blog has said. Show me the physical and scientific backing of the products that you have listed as “A” then you may have an box to stand on. But until then NOT!!! Plus, I don’t trust the FDA for it is nothing but a political money making machine that has lost it was original meaning. Proof is in the pudding.
I am very confused by your post, I think you may have misread it, if you could clarify. EWG does not use FDA ratings, it is an independent research site and pulls data from all over the world. Did you look at the site? For example, one of our products we use is Unscented Dr. Bronner’s Hemp Pure-Castile Soap. http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/2602-DrBronners18in1HempPureCastileSoapBabyMild. Ingredient disclosure is 100% (unlike Shaklee which has 0% disclosure). It only has 7 ingredients, all of which you could have eaten in the past week (water, olive oil, coconut oil, hemp oil, fatty acids, citric acid, and vitamin E). It also shows you where it was green certified. Even in the blog post I said “So why would I want a chemical that I touch every day to have concerns for cancer from the state of California or the European Union even if the FDA does say that it is safe?” I also do not trust the FDA, that was the point!
I don’t mean to sound rude, however, the MSDS lists mode of toxicity. Sounds like the alcohol ethoxylates would need to be inhaled or ingested in sufficient quantity to pose a hazard. Many people don’t realize that our bodies are actually highly resilient (our ‘kind’ being of the hominoid family which has survived many geological epochs, extremely long time periods) and we have coexisted with many (now seemingly toxic depending on the interaction mode) organic compounds (of which alcohols are included).
The ingredient and mode of delivery may have toxicity concerns but please do not regard the end product as having such concerns. That is poor scientific reasoning.
There is far too much misinformation as it stands, and in my opinion it is wrong to spread unnecessary fear. I respect (and appreciate) the information regarding your use of Dr. Bronners but it is not respectful or courteous of others to express so in such a public forum (even though the preferred product was not expressed in the post) at the expense of Shaklee without thorough follow through in rationale. Thank you, Bachelor of Science, Biology, Chemistry, Rena V. F.
Rena, thank you so much for your post, I greatly appreciate it. I can completely agree that the accepted health standards in the US is: there is an acceptable amount of substances the human body can handle; whether it be from amount of acceptable fluoride (natural or not) in our water, or amount of acceptable VOC’s in our house hold, or amount of acceptable bacteria in supermarket chicken. I also understand we live in a world that is not perfect, there is no such thing as 100% “safe” items (safe from germs, safe from chemicals, etc).
In my life, as I pointed out, I went with what the doctor told me was “safe” and “acceptable” but still managed to waste 23 years of my life not being able to wake up (literally sleeping up to 18 hours a day). So what I have found to be acceptable to the FDA and in general is not the case.
The entire point is that I want (and many others want) to get to as close to chemical free as we can get. It is my feeling that if someone implies they are marketing to the non-chemical crowed, they should disclose 100% of their ingredients. The fact that I had to go to the MSDS just to find out some of their ingredients were not as natural as I would expect was a shock to me. What I did not put into the blog, was that myself and 3 of my cleaners were having the exact same health issues while we were using the Shaklee products and after we switched the health issues stopped (you should know that the people we hire are not like me, none of them particularly cares about being chemical free or organic like I do). I did not want to put that story in the blog (it seems pertinent here), because the point was not to bash a company and I have no scientific evidence (just observational) that the H2 was the cause of the problems, the point was the need for full disclosure of ingredients so each consumer could make up their mind. Was it my fault for my situation for not looking into it before hand? Absolutely, I should have looked! Is Shaklee following the law, I am sure they are! If you like them and don’t care they don’t disclose all of their ingredients, keep using them!
Just doing a quick web search (no real research) on skin as an organ and skin absorption, I came across the Center for Disease Control article on skin absorption, which was the mode of of delivery.
I am not a doctor and I am not a chemist, I just live life the best I can. Again I want to thank you for your post and it has been a great read. I look forward to your response if you so choose!
I appreciate your response. Dr. Bronners is a great company (despite the fact that Emmanuel was no doctor, I firmly support all that he believed to be true). My main point is that in science, we veer away from making direct correlations in complex systems without systematic variable elimination. There are many possible reasons for your circadian rhythm symptom(s).
In our society and as our country stands today, with transportation and globalization the way it is, we simply must come to terms that if we choose to live this way, we cannot be entirely ‘chemical free’. We should strive for the best, but the truth is that we are imperfect and such is our world.
Cars need gasoline for now, unless fuel cells are able to meet our extreme needs. The effects of inhaling gases and living so closely to combustion engines (cars, lawnmower, weed whackers) will do far more harm in a year’s time than most any cleaner (harsh oven cleaners included).
Additionally cleaners are not required to list ingredients (see how many at the grocery store do not list their components). In my field proprietary concerns and intellectual protection is a major issue, especially in this ‘homesteading’ era where more and more people are making their own products from reading labels. Shaklee has a right to protect their investment and secure their economic future. This act does not reflect at all on the health and wellness of product use, simply protection of assets (like insurance, so to speak).
However, it’s worth noting that Shaklee has no need for the common caution labels of grocery store cleaners (that have been long trusted for decades) as the ingredients used by Shaklee are in fact, clinically proven as non-toxic.
Everyone has a right to choose for themselves. I simply do not appreciate any scare tactic, be it from big business or on a small blog. I don’t live in fear and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. We all need to strive to make sound, judgement-free, and well thought out choices and oppose those that are rashly based on fear or ill thought out on the basis of a single perspective. That is why solid science is founded on peer review. Thank you and I wish you well in your quest for great health!
It is important to compare apples to apples. You are comparing Shaklee’s Basic-H (Basic H2) to Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap. One is for household cleaning, one is for the body. If you read the label for Dr. Bronner’s household cleaner, the second ingredient listed (next highest concentration after water) is sodium lauryl sulfate.
It is obvious you care about your health and that of others (you would not have wrote the original post otherwise), and because of that you are going to want to research that chemical and its dangerous side effects so you can share with your readers. Shaklee does offer safe products. That is the standard for the company. That standard is what many other nutritional companies set their standards to. My concern would be that you potentially turned your readers away from one product to something that could be worse. I have not invested the $350 million+ in research like Shaklee has to prove this, but the independent studies are out there.
If you need any further information to clarify your understanding, Shaklee is available to answer your questions. Just give them a call or email them. I am confident Shaklee will help you understand this better so you can better inform your readers.
Jamie, thank you for your response.
My greatest concern in your comment is that you state the second ingredient is sodium lauryl sulfate. This is completely untrue. Besides the bottle I have in my hand, you can look at EWG or Dr. Bronner’s website:
Do your soaps contain any foaming agents or detergents like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?
“Absolutely not. Dr. Bronner’s soaps are 100% true pure-castile soaps. The high-foaming lather of our soaps comes from their high coconut oil content, which creates a more luxurious and richer lather than any detergent could ever produce. “Pure-Castile” is your guarantee that what you are using is a genuinely ecological and simple soap – not a complex blend of detergents with a higher ecological impact due to the waste stream created during manufacturing and the detergents’ slower biodegradability. Unfortunately, many synthetic detergent blends are deceptively labeled as “Liquid Soap” despite the fact that they contain absolutely no real soap whatsoever.”
I have never found the ingredients list directly on Shaklee’s website, nor do I expect I will ever see the list.
Dr. Bronner’s is not for just cleaning the body, we use it as a house hold cleaner, as do many people. It is still comparing apples to apples. You can read off their website:
“You can use Dr. Bronner’s soaps for washing your face, body, hands and hair, for bathing, shaving, brushing your teeth, rinsing fruit, aromatherapy, washing dishes by hand, doing laundry, mopping floors, all-purpose cleaning, washing windows, scrubbing toilets, washing dogs, controlling dust mites, and killing ants and aphids. Now, that’s eighteen uses right there, but customers have told us over time about many more uses they have found for our soaps. Let us know what else you use our soaps for!”
I am going to assume that you are a Shaklee person (let me know if I am wrong). And that is okay, if you feel like Shaklee is the product for you, then go for it. I am not here to bash Shaklee, I am here to ask for full disclosure of their ingredients. We are not going to use products that do not have full disclosure on them.
i have been using basic h & h2 for 30 years. Camping I brush my teeth with it. Put 3 drops in cake batter etc. I am 82 years old and last week at my wellness meeting with my doctor he said ” I have never seen such good blood at any age, you could sell your blood. You have anothergood 25 years to live”. Thanks to Shaklee. You did not mention that cleaning products are greatly diluted, in most instances just a few drops in 16 ounces of water so whatever chemical is an infinitesimal amounts. My friends have used basic H in their dogs watering bowls for years and they have old dogs, she rescued. I believe you used fear tactics about something you assume you know but not really educated about. Lack of education is a dangerous thing.
Alice, Thank you for your comment, I greatly appreciate it! I am glad that Shaklee is working so well for you. Looking up your information I see that you are a Shaklee Distributor, so if you believe in it that much, then great, go for it! No where in my blog post did I say to stop using Shaklee products, I did however point out why I won’t use basic H nor any product from any company that does not disclose their ingredients. In fact if you read the blog and comments I stress the need for disclosure of products. The first sentence states: “Let me start this post by saying, I am not here to bash a company. However, I do believe that full disclosure in what we eat, drink, and use on a daily basis is very important.” If you wish to have a discussion on why there is no need to disclose ingredients or how my research is flawed, I would love to have that discussion; however you give no argument to why my research is flawed, only your personal experiences and then personal attacks about my education. Anyway, I hope to see a response from you. Oh, and congratulations on reaching 82 in such great shape, I hope I can do the same. Have a blessed day.
https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/product/SSLI16.html
I was just notified of another post to this thread. That link has the information I mentioned above: “It is important to compare apples to apples. You are comparing Shaklee’s Basic-H (Basic H2) to Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap. One is for household cleaning, one is for the body. If you read the label for Dr. Bronner’s household cleaner, the second ingredient listed (next highest concentration after water) is sodium lauryl sulfate.”
Jamie, you can use castile soap for more than cleaning your body. The link you provided is for Sal Suds which does use SLS. The link to the castile soap is: https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/BABYMILD/OLBA02.html and as described: “Suggested uses Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure-Castile Soaps are good for just about any cleaning task. Face, body, hair – food, dishes, laundry, mopping, pets – clean your house and body with no synthetic preservatives, detergents or foaming agents”
Right… So apples to apples. Basic H2 to Sals Suds, neither of which would be used to wash a human body. Comparing Basic H2 to Castile soap is not a fair comparison.
My Shaklee distributor has recommended using basic h as bubble bath for rashes and poison ivy. She may be the ONLY Shaklee distributor that would suggest that, but it’s quite possible she isn’t. So, I know at least five people who use it for baths.. and I know many more who use it in a pump container to wash their hands… I’ve done it.
Made to Shine.. I found this blog while searching for Shaklee basic h ingredients. Thank you for sharing this information and your experience.
ok. Everybody here has the best of intentions, I believe.
SO Let’s be clear. Apples to Apples.
The Bronner’s housecleaning line, Sal Suds, is different than
the bodycare line product (which you link to).
Here are the Sal Suds ingredients, copied and pasted from their website,
https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/SALSUDSCLEANER/SSLI16.html
in my quotes:
“Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Abies Balsamea (Balsam Canada) Needle Oil, Tsuga Canadensis (Spruce) Leaf Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Hydroxide”
THX ;o)
Ava Anderson is non toxic. They list ingredients, tell where they come from and what purpose that ingredient has in that product. They have household cleaners and body care.
Hi Sharon, I know it has been a long time since you have posted this, but since your post I have looked into Ava Anderson. Thank you for the post!
thank you so much for posting this….as a person with multiple chemical allergies, I too have had to go to the Material Handling Safety Data Sheets, even at my job, just to find out wha the custodial people were using in the building on the floors, etc.Because no one knew what the heck they were using! Wanted to leave positive feedback to balance the obvious Shaklee people on here. I will be throwing out the bottle of Basic H given to me, always did wonder what was in it.
(puzzled look) Why on earth would anyone want to put a cleaning product in their cake mix and dog’s water bowl? Yikes!
The EWG site is a good one although they do not do a good job of risk comparison or risk mitigation and end up being a bit alarmist at times. Consequently, you need to read information there with somewhat a critical eye. An example is their information on sun screens where short term exposure to a substance that may present a hazard with long term exposure is preferable to the damage caused by UV light.
One other thing I would like to mention is that there is nothing inherently safer with natural ingredients. Arsenic is a “green” substance but you wouldn’t want to bathe in it. Most pesticides got their start as natural ingredients (pyrethrum and nicotine). The best pesticide ever made for dealing with human “pests” is a natural substance extracted from castor beans — better known as nerve gas.
Likewise there is nothing inherently more dangerous about “unnatural” man made substances. Some are entirely safe and some are not to varying degrees.
Every substance should be evaluated on its own characteristics. I wish there was more money and less industry interference for studying the safety of various substances. An attitude that something is inherently safer simply because it is natural or “green” is equally disturbing.
Great article1 i was just about to order more basic H! Now i will search on Dr. Bronner products!
So now what can we do about bromine in flour and flouride in water? They are both just as dangerous as basic h compounds!
I am really sensitive to anything. I actually don’t eat gluten and we have an entire house Reverse Osmosis water filtration system (and then add back in minerals). I just hope full disclosure of ingredients will be possible in the future. I think if people knew what they where eating and touching industry would change how they operated. Until then, we will have to do our best!
Have you considered that the extreme reduction of your exposure to chemicals may actually cause you to become even more sensitive to them (especially not knowing where you may come in contact with them)? Allergy doctors give shots to provide exposure to allergens to patients who are allergic to them to reduce sensitivity. Just a thought for everyone who is so overly concerned about exposure to chemicals.
Actually, I have considered it and it is true, I have a reduced immunity to chemicals today than I did 5 years ago; however why would I want to build my immunity to chemicals? I work closely with a several professionals to keep my health to peak levels; my health is Very important to me!
Hi there,
I too use the EWG site constantly. I have been looking up every chemical in all the products in our house! It has been a life saver in helping me to determine what can actually be hazardous, and what ingredients can be trusted.
I just wanted to clarify something. You had said in the article that you were concerned about the ingredient, “ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATES”, correct? When I search for that in the EWG’s Skin Deep database, that ingredient comes up as a “1” with no concerns at all. I’m not sure where your concerns came from, though. Can you help me out with this? From entering all the ingredients that you listed above in Basic H2, it would appear that this product would be rated a “1” across the board. That is hard to find. Here is the link to that ingredient on EWG’s site:
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/700217/ALCOHOL_ETHOXYLATE/
Just want to be sure before I make a decision. Thanks so much for finding the ingredients!! I can’t believe it’s so hard to find out what is in these products – seems so crazy! Now you just let me know if you’ve found affordable, lead-free dinnerware and I’ll be your best friend!
Sorry for the late reply, Here is the link you are looking for: http://www.ewg.org/guides/substances/98575
Thank you for your research on H ingredients, and for making your point about labeling disclosure. I was about to order some H to use on my skin (yikes!) as a mosquito repellent! No endocrine disrupters for me, please.
How do you use Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap as a cleaner? Do you apply it from the bottle or do you dilute it with water and spray it on the surface you are cleaning? Also, what other Dr. Bronner’s products do you use?
Thank you.
Lilly, we have tried several dilutions of the Castile Soap. When we want to just wipe down surfaces real quick a 1 table-spoon to gallon works well. For better scrubbing we use a more concentrated solution. We don’t use any other Dr. Bronner products, but Baking Soda and Tea Tree oil are some wonderful products!
Do you know anything about Shaklee laundry detergent and whether or not it’s safe for cloth diapers? I can find almost no information anywhere and it’s getting frustrating!
No, not in itself. I did search google real quick for “msds Shaklee fresh laundry” but was not able to find any information. You may want to email Shaklee and ask for the MSDS (they must provide it by law). I would be interested in it if you ever get it!
This is a great post! Thank you for researching this for us as ingredients are very important to me! Adding essential oils to my homemade cleaners has been life changing for me! Not only does it help clean your surfaces, but you build up your immune system at the same time! Make sure you buy from a quality company as a lot of essential oils have chemicals in them, which is what we’re trying to avoid here!
Thank you for the information! I am trying to provide my cleaning service with non toxic, artificial fragrance free, and effective products for use in my home. I started looking for something for her to use on my stainless fridge and sink. The Norwex polish seemed to be working on the sink, but she uses too much for the price. I had her use Citrushine (seems to only be available from Lowes) on the fridge, but it looked streaky in about 4 days. So, she posted the question on her fb page and I’ve been following up with most of the suggestions her friends have posted. Several I eliminated immediately b/c I already knew I didn’t want those chemicals and products in my home. I also had a difficult time finding the ingredients in Shaklee cleaner. At this point my only considerations are a norwex cloth and vinegar/water solution, but the fridge streaks even when water is splattered from the water dispenser. Thanks again and I will follow up of a couple of links in the posts
[…] Extreme Green House Cleaning – The Shaklee Story – Do you know what the ingredients are in your Shaklee H2? I found out! Find out the house cleaning ingredients you are allowing your children to touch. […]
Absolutely nothing harmful in Shaklee products. Stop w/ the scare tactics –
I was just stating what I observed and what has happened to me. If soy products do not cause you to have a reaction, as it does for me and you don’t care where the products are made or what is in them, then it will work for you. Also the price was more than I could afford.
How is stating what has happened to me a scare tactic? And the fact that the company has been sold at least 2 times that I know of a scare tactic? If it works for you and you can afford it good for you. I was just stating the facts.
Another reason I no longer use Shaklee products it the cost! And the fact that they do not disclose ingredients.
Another thing I do not like about Shaklee is that they will not tell me where their products are made. Not just the packaging but the actual product. Where is it grown? and packaged? Where are the packages produced? I used Shaklee until 2006 and noticed that I was not getting the same results. That is when I found out the company had been sold at least two times and they changed what went into their products. I was very disappointed. As I posted before, I have now gone to non-gmo, organic and have noticed a real difference.
What cleaning products do you use?
I mostly use baking soda and vinegar, and for bath soap I use Tree tea soap, for toothpaste I use baking soda mixed with coconut oil. I am still looking for shampoo and conditioner for hair that has been colored. I use Mrs. Myers in the kitchen, I do not have a dishwasher. And for my washing machine I use baking soda and vinegar and until I find someone within 100 miles of me that sells Honest products, I am using up my Tide (I only use Tide for stains). I live in a VERY remote area in the mountains of Virginia, my closest grocery store is an hours drive over 2 mountains, and the closest hospital that I TRUST is almost 2 hours away.
Hi Cindy,
I am wondering why you would use chemicals to color your hair but not use chemicals in soap, or toothpaste?
What do you use. I have Chronic slyness problems and react to everything. Thanks.
I’ve been using Shaklee on and off for years. The cleaning products are actually much less expensive than any other cleaner I know of (green or not). A $9 bottle of Basic-H makes about 200 bottles of “windex strength” cleaner, as you only need 2 drops per spray bottle of water! Also, whenever I’ve had a question, I have called or emailed, and Shaklee always provided me with any ingredients or even the source of the ingredients when asked. It turns out that they also test all of their ingredients of for contaminants, pesticides, etc. after they receive them! They actually through out the batch if they find the smallest trace. Who else does that? They even buy batches of products beforehand to ensure they get it sourced from exactly where/who will provide the purity they expect. I love them! The whole company is based on scientific research and integrity. I’m going to look into this tomorrow. They also love input! I encourage you to call them if you think they can make any product better!
I just came home from the hospital with a serious staph infection and I want to make sure everything is properly disinfected. I remember reading somewhere that bleach is not as effective as it was, apparently germs grew back in the petri dish some time after treatment. Lysol and Basic G were pretty much neck and neck for keeping the bacteria re-growth to a minimum. What would you use to disinfect such resistant bacteria?
Thanks for your nice post .Really this post is very helpful and informative
so please keep it up your writing
That is some very interesting research. I much enjoyed reading up on your findings. I only use cleaners that are 100% green for my office cleaning in Bristol
I noticed you reviewed Basic H but the MSDS you linked to iand analyzed s for Basic H2. These products are not the same. Did you ever get an MSDS for Basic H?
Hi Crista! I just stumbled upon this post so I am not sure that you will still get new comments – but I will comment anyway! I can VERY much relate to your story…except I have Lyme’s which is what caused me to sleep All.The.Time. I too researched and vetted healthier products as well as effective (and cost effective!) supplements. The supplements I found were life changing – within 2 mos I had my….life back. I also loved the cleaning products and was SHOCKED when a friend told me my products were listed as “F” on the EWG site. [Disclosure – these were not Shaklee. I have heard of Shaklee but never tried it]. In any case – I had vetted my company and the products and was very happy with the science behind what I was using – but I was still anxious to dive into the EWG findings.
What I found was even MORE disheartening. EWG…which started off as a very credible non profit organization, is now paid by the big manufacturing companies. This immediately put up red flags regarding bias. I looked at the A listed products, and quickly wondered WHY THE HECK “CLR” is rated as an A+ cleaner when the ingredients and warning label say it is toxic if ingested and to keep out of reach of children. That ONE product rating alone has now discredited them in my eyes. It doesn’t make sense…what might be going on? If you look a little further into their own legal disclaimer under “accuracy” that was updated in 2016, they take NO RESPONSIBILITY for the information THEY are providing the public. Yowza! That’s seriously concerning.
Just take a look at the ratings for Lyme Away. Bear in mind that the label on this product says “caustic” which means SKIN EATING. Back in the day I used this product until my hands bled. I thought “wow – I am really scrubbing hard!’ Ahhh…no dummy! You are using a product that is so toxic it is literally eating your skin. Yet….EWG gives it a bees knees rating.
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/5537-CLRCalciumLimeRustCleaner
https://www.ewg.org/disclaimer#.WrpUPL3wbq0
The issue EWG is taking on is words they read into, such as “surfactant”. So they error on the side of worst, and five the rating F. This rating will be on any product they feel they want more info on, calling it non-descriptive (and this is where our proprietary formulas fall into their scheme). When you click on surfactant, one then is given all possible surfactants that are known/ but not the actual one being used. Even when some are rated as “non, low or some concern” – (thus no reason for concern), the product rating is still an F on the EWG site.
EWG has started receiving money from companies and also promotes and sells specific products. This bias is completely apparent in these ratings. I stopped utilizing this reference at that point of “promotion” as it was no longer a credible source. The new system is very misleading and dare I say, slanderous.
The great thing about the World Wide Web is there is massive info out there…the bad thing is there is massive info out there, lol. Nothing has to be accurate or verified so it puts people in a tough spot. What I love about my company is it’s science based, 42 full time scientists on staff testing and developing their products with 3rd party documentation on all of them (HUGE) with over 30 patents! We have as sold millions upon millions of cleaning products with thousands and thousands of accidental ingestions by kids….not one child has been harmed, we have never paid out one penny for any type of harm or injury in 34 years! That says something!
So back to Shaklee. I don’t know the company or its products so I cannot say whether the EWGs site is credible on what it is stating or not. You have long since stopped shopping with them so this is likely a mute point. However – if anyone else stumbles upon this post I urge you to look at the EWG site with a VERY critical eye…if at all. Better yet – find a company that openly states that they do not use toxic ingredients and then goes further to list out all the toxic ingredients that they do not use. This assures peace of mind that nasty chemicals are not “hidden” in words like fragrance. This is exactly what I did – and I am happy to share my information with anyone reading this that may wish to know more. Your health matters !!!
Couldn’t agree more to your post, much greener things we use in our daily lives, better place this world would be to live.
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I have learned huge knowledge from here. I am waiting for your updates.
It’s a fact that a baby’s immune system is not yet fully developed, and babies are more susceptible to infection and illness than an older child or adult. Cleanliness is therefore very important when preparing their bottles. However, there are a few different ways of cleaning the bottles out there. Based on your experience, which one do you think is best?
Chenden recently posted…How Many Baby Bottles Do I Need? [Ultimate Guide for Busy Moms]
Informative article. you have gather some information. But i am also interested to know the chemical reactions.
Thanks for helping me to learn something.
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Some useful information you have provided. It will be helpful for us. As a viewer, we want always such kind of writing by which we can understand something and gather some knowledge.
Thanks
It is great to set up guidelines for people to follow in providing a clear understanding, to the consequences of their actions. There are users that probably should be given a second chance to show they can abide by the new rules.
Thanks a lot for your excellent tips dear. i wish you will keep publishing.
Well written post.
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Hi, I have read so many articles and reviews but this one is really nice, keep it up.
I was reading your article and wondered if you had considered creating an ebook on this subject.
Your writing would sell it fast. You have a lot of writing talent.
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Thanks for sharing, it sounds like an interesting product!
It was really nice to read an article written on this blog.
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I use the Young Living Thieves line of cleaners in my home. I ran across your post because I was thinking about how my laundry doesn’t have a smell and in turn thought back to Basic H of my childhood. My husband misses the scent which in his mind is associated with “fresh” laundry. He has a hard time accepting my use of nontoxic everything (household cleaner, dish soap, handsoap, shower gel, soap, shampoo, conditioner, oral care products, deodorant, lotion, face products). He’s still of the opinion that if we’ve lived this long (54 and 50) how can just using a few things with supposedly harmful ingredients really hurt us. I’ve tried to explain to him that his now deceased father’s cancer was caused by something as well as my father’s prostate cancer (surgery, radiation, and now cancer free). I suffer from some emotional disorders as well as fibromyalgia. I’m always looking for things to help me live my best life for the years I have left on this earth. I’ve used Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap but I find that it sometimes leaves a film on things. I really love Young Living! They’re a 25 year old company and a leader in the essential oils industry. All of their products are naturally sourced and they welcome people to visit their farms throughout the world. It is a multilevel marketing company but is built on a great business plan. I’m a distributor but don’t actually do the business per say; I use my membership to buy all of my many products that I use from this company. Since essential oils evaporate in heat, I’m still searching for a way to get my husband his “fresh laundry” scent on his clothes without using toxic ingredients. I’ll pass Shaklee on by because I want to see on the outside of every product I use a list of organically sourced, natural ingredients. Your post is old by now so I’m not sure you still read comments. If you are interested in Young Living, please contact me. As I said, I don’t do this as a business but I love YL’s products and the company!
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Thank you for writing this article so that we finally have a list of ingredients used in Shaklee H2. I’m switching to the Dr. Bronners Soap that you mentioned and putting away the Shakee H2 that my wife thought was ok to use on cleaning produce.
We used it for over 25 years, but 5 years ago developed prostate cancer and now wonder if it didn’t contribute to it…who really knows.
Thank you very much for this great post.. also check
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