5 Cleaning Product Certifications: What They Actually Mean
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Understanding cleaning product certifications can make it easier to compare household products and look beyond vague marketing claims.
Labels like EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal, UL ECOLOGO®, EWG VERIFIED®, and USDA Certified Biobased Product each tell you something different. The key is knowing what each certification actually evaluates and what it doesn’t.
The good news is that you don’t need to understand every ingredient to make a better choice. Here’s what I look for when comparing laundry detergents, dish soaps, all-purpose cleaners, and other household cleaning products, plus the certifications and claims I pay the most attention to.
Why Cleaning Product Certifications Matter
When you are shopping for laundry detergent, dish soap, all-purpose cleaners, or other household cleaning products, you will probably see labels like EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal, and EWG VERIFIED®. But what do those labels actually mean?
A certification or verification can give you information about a product’s ingredients, environmental impact, manufacturing practices, or use of renewable materials. The important part is knowing what each certification actually covers, because they do not all evaluate the same things.
Which Cleaning Product Certifications Matter Most?
There isn’t one single certification that covers everything.
- EPA Safer Choice evaluates ingredients and products against criteria for human health and environmental safety.
- Green Seal evaluates products against environmental and health-related standards, including product performance and ingredient requirements.
- UL ECOLOGO® evaluates products against environmental criteria that consider impacts throughout a product’s life cycle.
- EWG VERIFIED® focuses on ingredient transparency and avoiding ingredients that EWG identifies as concerning.
- USDA Certified Biobased Product verifies the amount of renewable biological ingredients in a product.
What Certifications Can and Can’t Tell You
Certifications can be a helpful starting point when you are comparing cleaning products, but they aren’t a guarantee that a product is perfect in every way.
What They Can Tell You
- Information about ingredients and substances of concern, depending on the certification.
- Environmental or sustainability standards the product has met.
- Whether certain ingredients or manufacturing practices are restricted.
- Whether a product contains a verified percentage of biobased materials.
What They Can’t Tell You
- Whether the product will work well for your particular cleaning needs.
- Whether you will like its scent or texture.
- Whether it is completely free of chemicals.
- Whether every certification evaluates the product for the same health or environmental concerns.
That is why evaluating certifications alongside ingredients, product performance, brand transparency, and your own household needs provides the best picture.
A Note About This List
This guide explores some of the most common cleaning product certifications and verifications, such as EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal, UL ECOLOGO®, EWG VERIFIED®, and USDA Certified Biobased Product. While these certifications are valuable for understanding ingredients, environmental impact, and sustainability, this isn’t an exhaustive list. Many other certifications and standards exist, each with its own criteria and focus.
Use this guide as a stepping stone to better understand the labels you may encounter and make more informed purchasing decisions.
Certifications To Know
EPA Safer Choice
What Is It?
EPA Safer Choice is a voluntary certification program from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for cleaning and other products made with safer chemical ingredients. To earn the Safer Choice label, products must meet EPA’s criteria for human health and environmental safety, as well as requirements for product performance, packaging, and ingredient disclosure. EPA evaluates each ingredient in a formulation against its ingredient criteria. (EPA Safer Choice Standard)
What Does It Certify?
EPA Safer Choice evaluates:
- Every chemical ingredient against health and environmental criteria.
- Product performance to ensure the product works as intended.
- Packaging and other product-level requirements.
- Ingredient disclosure and transparency.
- Environmental considerations such as aquatic toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation.
What Products Will You See It On?
EPA is commonly seen on: Laundry detergents, dish and dishwasher detergents, all-purpose and surface cleaners, floor care products, degreasers, odor removers, and other household and commercial cleaning products. (EPA Safer Choice Certified Products)
Why Look For It?
EPA Safer Choice is one of the most useful labels to look for if you want a cleaning product made with ingredients that have been evaluated for both human health and environmental safety.
It is also helpful because the certification goes beyond a brand simply claiming that a product is “green” or “non-toxic.” EPA reviews the individual ingredients and the finished product against defined standards. (EPA Safer Choice FAQs)
Good To Know
The Safer Choice label applies to the specific product that has been reviewed and certified, not automatically to every product made by the same brand.
You can verify certified products through EPA’s Safer Choice product search database. EPA also has a separate Design for the Environment (DfE) label for antimicrobial products such as disinfectants. DfE products follow the Safer Choice standard with additional requirements specific to antimicrobial products. (EPA Safer Choice)
Examples Of EPA Safer Choice Certified Products
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Green Seal
What Is It?
Green Seal is an independent nonprofit organization that develops science-based standards for products and services. For household cleaning products, its GS-8 standard evaluates general-purpose, bathroom, glass, and carpet cleaners against requirements related to human health, environmental impacts, packaging, and product performance. (Green Seal GS-8)
What Does It Certify?
Green Seal’s cleaning standards evaluate:
- Safer chemical requirements
- Environmental impacts
- Restrictions on certain chemicals of concern
- Sustainable packaging
- Product performance
- Certain responsible sourcing requirements
What Products Will You See It On?
Green Seal is commonly seen on: All-purpose cleaners, bathroom cleaners, glass and mirror cleaners, floor cleaners, carpet cleaners, certain enzymatic and microbial cleaning products. (Green Seal GS-8)
Why Look For It?
Green Seal can be a useful label to look for if you want a cleaning product that has been evaluated for both environmental and human-health considerations while still meeting performance requirements.
The GS-8 standard addresses the product as a whole, including safer chemical requirements, packaging, and cleaning performance, rather than focusing on a single ingredient or characteristic. (Green Seal GS-8)
Good To Know
Green Seal has different standards for different types of cleaning products. For example, GS-8 covers routine household cleaners, while GS-52 covers specialty household cleaning products such as dish cleaners, furniture polish, oven cleaners, upholstery cleaners, and certain disinfectants. (Green Seal GS-8) (Green Seal GS-52)
You can search Green Seal’s certified product directory to verify a product’s certification and see which standard applies to it.
Examples Of Green Seal Certified Products
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UL ECOLOGO®
What Is It?
UL ECOLOGO® is a third-party environmental certification program that evaluates products against multi-attribute, life-cycle-based sustainability standards.
For cleaning products, the certification is based on UL 2700, the Standard for Sustainability for Cleaning and Cleaning Related Products, which establishes human-health and environmental criteria for consumer, industrial, and institutional cleaning products. (UL ECOLOGO Certification for Cleaning Products)
What Does It Certify?
UL ECOLOGO® evaluates cleaning products against criteria that can include:
- Human health considerations.
- Environmental impacts.
- Restricted or prohibited ingredients.
- VOC limits.
- Packaging and labeling.
- Sustainable sourcing considerations.
- Manufacturing and resource use.
- Product performance.
(UL ECOLOGO Certification for Cleaning Products)
The UL 2700 standard also includes restrictions involving substances such as PFAS and microplastics, along with updated requirements for VOCs, packaging, and ingredient disclosure. (UL ECOLOGO Certification for Cleaning Products)
What Products Will You See It On?
UL ECOLOGO® is commonly seen on: Hard surface cleaners, dish-related cleaners, laundry care products, carpet and upholstery cleaners, odor-control products, disinfectants and disinfectant cleaners. (UL ECOLOGO Certification for Cleaning Products)
Why Look For It?
UL ECOLOGO® can be useful when you want to consider both environmental impact and human-health factors rather than focusing only on whether a product contains a particular ingredient.
It is also a meaningful alternative to vague marketing claims like “eco-friendly” or “green” because certified products must meet defined third-party criteria. (UL ECOLOGO Certification for Cleaning Products)
Good To Know
ECOLOGO® certification applies to products that meet the requirements of a specific UL environmental standard. The certification is not a blanket claim that a product is “non-toxic” or chemical-free.
Instead, it means the product has been evaluated against defined environmental and human-health criteria for its particular product category.
EWG VERIFIED®
What Is It?
EWG VERIFIED® is a certification mark from the Environmental Working Group for products that meet EWG’s standards for ingredient safety and transparency.
For cleaning products, EWG requires products to use safer ingredients, avoid ingredients on EWG’s unacceptable list, and provide full ingredient transparency, including fragrance ingredients. EWG’s science team reviews and updates the criteria annually. (EWG Verified Cleaning Products)
What Does It Certify?
EWG VERIFIED® cleaning products must:
- Avoid ingredients on EWG’s list of ingredients of concern.
- Provide full ingredient transparency, including fragrance ingredients.
- Meet EWG’s health and safety criteria.
- Meet requirements related to manufacturing and product formulation.
(EWG Verified Cleaning Products)
What Products Will You See It On?
EWG VERIFIED® is commonly seen on: Laundry detergents, dishwasher detergents, dish soaps, all-purpose cleaners, kitchen cleaners, stain removers, and other household cleaning products. (EWG Verified Eligible Categories)
Why Look For It?
EWG VERIFIED® can be particularly useful if ingredient transparency is one of your priorities.
Instead of simply looking for a product marketed as “natural” or “clean,” you can use the certification as an additional way to identify products that have gone through EWG’s ingredient review process. (EWG Verified)
Good To Know
EWG VERIFIED® is not the same thing as simply receiving a good rating in EWG’s consumer guides.
Products carrying the VERIFIED mark must meet EWG’s specific certification criteria, including ingredient transparency and restrictions on ingredients EWG considers concerning. EWG updates its criteria as part of its annual science review. (EWG Verified)
Examples Of EWG VERIFIED® Certified Products
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USDA Certified Biobased Product
What Is It?
The USDA Certified Biobased Product label is part of the USDA BioPreferred Program. Unlike certifications that primarily evaluate chemical safety or environmental impact, this label focuses on how much of a product is made from renewable biological materials.
Biobased materials can come from agricultural, forestry, and marine sources. The USDA verifies the biobased content through third-party testing, and the certified percentage is displayed on the product’s label. (USDA BioPreferred Program)
What Does It Certify?
The USDA Certified Biobased Product label verifies:
- The percentage of biobased content in a product.
- That the claimed biobased content has been third-party tested and verified.
- That the product meets USDA requirements for certification.
What Products Will You See It On?
USDA Certified Biobased Product is commonly seen on: Laundry detergents, dishwashing products, surface cleaners, general cleaning products, degreasers, other household and commercial products made with biobased materials. (USDA BioPreferred Catalog)
Why Look For It?
The USDA Certified Biobased Product label can be useful if choosing products made with renewable plant, agricultural, forestry, or marine-based materials is important to you.
It provides a verified percentage rather than relying solely on a brand’s claim that a product is “plant-based” or “biobased.” (USDA BioPreferred Program)
Good To Know
The USDA label tells you about the percentage of biobased content in a product, not whether the product is automatically safer or non-toxic.
The percentage of certified biobased content must be stated on the label, so check that number rather than assuming a product is mostly plant-based simply because it carries the USDA mark. (USDA BioPreferred Label Guidelines)
A product can contain renewable biobased ingredients without that alone telling you whether every ingredient is preferable from a health or environmental perspective.
Examples Of USDA Certified Biobased Products
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Certification vs. Marketing Claims
You’ll often see words like “natural“, “non-toxic“, “eco-friendly“, and “plant-based” when shopping for cleaning products. These terms don’t all mean the same thing, and some have much more specific requirements or verification than others.
- “Natural” → This can be a vague marketing term and can be difficult to evaluate on its own. There isn’t one universal standard that tells you exactly what a company must use or avoid when describing a cleaning product as natural. The FTC’s Green Guides caution marketers against making environmental claims that could mislead consumers. (FTC Environmental Claims: Summary of the Green Guides)
- “Non-toxic” → This is a marketing claim, not a certification. The FTC says companies making non-toxic claims need competent and reliable scientific evidence that the product is safe for both people and the environment. I wouldn’t treat the phrase itself as proof that a cleaning product has been independently tested or certified. (FTC Environmental Claims: Summary of the Green Guides)
- “Eco-friendly” → This is a broad environmental claim. The FTC cautions against unqualified claims like “green” or “eco-friendly” because they can suggest that a product has broad environmental benefits without explaining what those benefits actually are. (FTC Environmental Claims: Summary of the Green Guides)
- “Plant-based” → This tells you that a product or some of its ingredients are derived from plants, but it doesn’t automatically tell you how much of the product is plant-based or whether the ingredients have been evaluated for human health or environmental concerns. If a product carries the USDA Certified Biobased Product label, you can look at the verified percentage of biobased content rather than relying solely on a general plant-based claim. (USDA BioPreferred Program)
This is one reason I find third-party certifications useful. They give you something more concrete to investigate, like who established the requirements, what was evaluated, and what a product actually had to meet to carry that certification.
Certification Quick-Reference Table
| Certification | What Is It? |
|---|---|
| EPA Safer Choice | Evaluates product ingredients for human health and environmental criteria, along with product performance and other requirements. |
| Green Seal | Evaluates cleaning products against health, environmental, packaging, and performance requirements. |
| UL ECOLOGO® | Evaluates cleaning products against multi-attribute environmental and human-health criteria. |
| EWG VERIFIED® | Requires ingredient transparency and compliance with EWG’s ingredient safety criteria. |
| USDA Certified Biobased Product | Verifies the percentage of renewable biobased content in a product. |
Considerations When Shopping for Cleaning Products
Certifications can be helpful, but they’re only one part of choosing a cleaning product.
Before buying, consider:
- Certification: Look at which certifications the product carries and what each one actually covers. More certifications don’t necessarily mean a better product.
- Ingredients: Check the ingredient list when it is available. Consider what ingredients are included, particularly if you are trying to avoid specific substances or fragrances.
- Marketing Claims: Be cautious with broad claims like “natural,” “eco-friendly,” or “non-toxic.” Look for specific information or certifications that support what the brand is claiming.
- Transparency: Consider how much information the company provides about its ingredients, manufacturing, sourcing, and testing. A brand that clearly explains its products gives you more to work with when making a decision.
- Effectiveness: Consider whether the product actually works for the cleaning task you need it for. A product with appealing ingredients or certifications isn’t particularly useful if it doesn’t clean well.
- Packaging: Consider the type and amount of packaging, including whether the container can be recycled, reused, or refilled. Packaging is only one part of a product’s environmental impact, but it can still be worth considering.
- Overall Value: Look at the product as a whole, including its ingredients, certifications, effectiveness, packaging, transparency, and price. A certification can be a useful piece of the puzzle, but it shouldn’t be the only factor.
Final Thoughts
Understanding cleaning product certifications doesn’t have to mean memorizing a collection of logos and acronyms. The important thing is knowing what each certification actually tells you and what it doesn’t.
EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal, UL ECOLOGO®, EWG VERIFIED®, and USDA Certified Biobased Product each look at different parts of a cleaning product’s ingredients, environmental impact, or use of renewable materials. None of them tells you everything about a product, but each can give you useful information that you wouldn’t get from a vague “natural,” “non-toxic,” or “eco-friendly” claim alone.
You also don’t need to find a product with every certification. Start with what matters most to you, look beyond the marketing, and consider the ingredients, effectiveness, transparency, packaging, and overall value too.
The goal isn’t to find a perfect cleaning product. It’s to have enough information to make a choice you feel good about and to be a little more intentional about what you bring into your home.
Commonly Asked Questions About Cleaning Product Certifications
Is EPA Safer Choice better than EWG VERIFIED®?
Not necessarily. They focus on different things. EPA Safer Choice evaluates ingredients against EPA’s human-health and environmental criteria, along with requirements for product performance and other aspects of the finished product. EWG VERIFIED® focuses on ingredient safety, transparency, and avoiding ingredients EWG identifies as concerning. The better certification depends on what you’re looking for.
Does EPA Safer Choice mean a cleaning product is non-toxic?
No. EPA Safer Choice means the product and its ingredients have been evaluated against EPA’s specific criteria for human health and environmental safety. I wouldn’t interpret the certification as a guarantee that a product is completely “non-toxic” or free from every substance of concern. It tells you what the EPA certification has evaluated.
What is the difference between EPA Safer Choice and Green Seal?
Both certifications evaluate cleaning products for health and environmental considerations, but they use different standards and approaches. EPA Safer Choice evaluates every chemical ingredient in a product against its criteria, while Green Seal uses product-specific standards that can address ingredients, environmental impacts, packaging, and performance. A product can carry one certification, the other, or both.
Does USDA Certified Biobased mean a cleaning product is safer?
No. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label verifies the percentage of renewable biobased content in a product. It does not certify that the product is non-toxic or that every ingredient is safer. If ingredient safety is your priority, look for a certification that specifically evaluates those criteria.
What is the difference between Green Seal and UL ECOLOGO®?
Both are third-party environmental certifications that evaluate cleaning products against defined health and environmental criteria, but they use their own standards and certification requirements. Green Seal has specific standards for different types of household cleaning products, while UL ECOLOGO® cleaning products are evaluated under UL’s sustainability standard for cleaning and cleaning-related products.
Does EWG VERIFIED® mean a product is completely chemical-free?
No. EWG VERIFIED® does not mean a product contains no chemicals. Instead, it means the product meets EWG’s specific ingredient safety and transparency requirements. The more useful question is which ingredients are present and how they have been evaluated.
Do cleaning products need to have a certification?
No. Certifications aren’t required for most household cleaning products, and the absence of a certification doesn’t automatically mean a product is poorly made or unsafe. Certifications are simply one tool you can use to learn more about a product. What matters most is understanding what a certification covers and deciding which factors are important to you.
If you found this guide helpful, check out my guide to household textile certifications next: Household Textile Certifications: What They Actually Mean. Learn what certifications like GOTS, OEKO-TEX®, GRS, RCS, and FSC actually mean and what to look for when shopping for household textiles.
Sources and Further Reading
EPA Safer Choice
- https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/standard
- https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products
- https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/frequently-asked-questions-safer-choice
- https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice
Green Seal
- https://greenseal.org/standards/gs-8-cleaning-products-for-household-use/
- https://greenseal.org/standards/gs-52-specialty-cleaning-products-for-household-use/
UL ECOLOGO®
EWG VERIFIED®
- https://www.ewg.org/ewgverified/get-the-mark-cleaning.php
- https://www.ewg.org/ewgverified/eligible-cleaners-categories.php
- https://www.ewg.org/ewgverified/what-is-ewg-verified.php
- https://www.ewg.org/ewgverified/announcements.php
USDA Certified Biobased Product
- https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/pages/AboutLabel.xhtml
- https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/catalog/Catalog.xhtml
- https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/pages/WhyBuyCertifiedProducts.xhtml
- https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/pages/WhatLabelTellsYou.xhtml