“The world is bonkers. Isn’t it time to rethink what’s under our kitchen sink?”
So says Homethings, an eco-friendly cleaning brand and B Corp kicking back on single use plastic around the home.
Starting out as a Kickstarter campaign in 2020, the brand later appeared on Dragons’ Den impressing the Dragons with its range of refillable cleaning products.
Now it offers flexible subscriptions for all your cleaning essentials.
They’re non toxic, single use plastic free, competitively priced and have killer branding to match.
I put Homethings refillable cleaning products to the test to see if it’s worth the hype. Here’s how I got on.
What is Homethings?
Homethings wants to reinvent the way we clean around the home – and how cleaning products reach our cupboards.
The brand took issue with the harmful impact our everyday cleaning products have on the environment.
Not only do they contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals, but the packaging tends to be single use plastic too.
Another thing? Typical cleaning products are made of up to 90% water.
That’s a whole lot of weight and size added to the shipping which increases CO2 emissions in transit.
So Homethings came up with an alternative. The result?
- Vegan
- Cruelty free
- Contain no harmful chemicals
- No single use plastic
- No greenwashing
- No liquids.
All of Homethings refillable products are delivered in dry tablet form and all you need to do is just add water. Easy.
It’s B Corp certified too.
What does Homethings sell?
Homethings offer a range of environmentally friendly essentials that tackle the main cleaning needs around the home. These include:
- General cleaning spray
- Bathroom spray
- Glass and stainless steel cleaner
- Laundry tablets
- Dishwasher tablets
- Floor cleaner
- Sponges
- Reusable spray bottles
You can receive all these products either as a subscription or one time purchase.
Pick the essentials you need or get them as a bundle at a discounted price.
Homethings refillable cleaning products review
I received a Homethings bundle which included one tab each of Allthings, Baththings and Shinythings, and their corresponding spray bottles.
I also got a pack of three Magic Spongethings and a pack of 40 dishwater tablets.
First impressions
My Homethings cleaning bundle arrived in a slim recyclable box.
When I opened it, the branding immediately caught my eye with its bright colours and fun phrases such as “Don’t be a vanilla, be a refilla.”
The cleaning tabs came in their own separate black cardboard sleeve with ingredients listed and easy to follow diagram instructions telling me how to use them.
The only plastics in my bundle were the spray bottles. These are designed to be reusable, however (you can get glass versions if you would prefer too).
If you have empty spray bottles at home already, you can easily use those instead for extra eco points. You just need to remember which one is which!
The tabs do dissolve into different colours (orange for Allthings, green for Shinythings and blue for Batthings) which helps.
The bottles are slim so you can easily stuff them away in your cleaning cupboard without them taking up much room.
They have instructions on the back which is handy if you lose the tab box.
A nice added touch, which I noticed after examining the bottle later, was the QR code inviting you to scan and listen to a Spotify playlist while you clean.
The upbeat hits will certainly keep you motivated!
- Check out how to be greener all over your home with pebble’s Sustainable Home Guide: Download It For Free
How I tested Homethings products
I tested the cleaning products as part of my general cleaning routine. I deliberately made my home a little messy. “If you can’t handle me at my worst…” as they say.
This included dry grime, wet spills and a mirror that needed a thorough wipe down.
I carefully followed the instructions for the spray cleaners, filling up the bottles to the line with lukewarm water and dropping the tab in.
I left them for a few minutes to fizz and dissolve before screwing on the nozzle and getting to work.
Here’s how I got on with:
Allthings
Allthings is a multi purpose cleaner which is designed for everyday use around the home.
It’s a go-to for countertops, high chairs tables and other hard surfaces – just not unsealed surfaces such as natural stone and natural wood.
The first thing I noticed when spraying it over my kitchen countertops was the scent.
While other harsher multi purpose cleaners give off chemical fumes or fake �?floral’ smells, Allthings has a refreshing scent of grapefruit and mandarin. It’s not too overpowering either.
The all purpose spray cleaned my kitchen counters well.
Some of the more stubborn dirt I sprayed with cleaner and left on for a couple of minutes which took care of it pretty smoothly.
What I really liked about Allthings is that its aim is not to completely remove bacteria around the house.
It’s not healthy for homes to be 100% sterile. Nor is it healthy to have cleaning products long after they’ve been sprayed on.
Instead, it uses Citric Acid, a natural antibacterial agent and gentle surfactants that remove bacteria without being biocidal.
Baththings
Baththings is a fetching blue colour and I used it to clean my shower and sink. It left them both sparkling which I was pleased to see.
My shower in particular had some rust-coloured discolouration from the water. I was able to get most of it off with Baththings with a little elbow grease involved.
It managed to clear my slightly blocked shower drain too which was a nice surprise!
The cleaner works well around the sink and loo. I would still recommend putting a more specific cleaner down the loo for more targeted cleaning though.
Baththings had a lovely floral lavender and tonka scent. A nice change from the eye-watering smell of bleach.
Shinythings
Green Shinythings is for mirrors, windows, stainless steel and anything else that needs a shine.
I sprayed it on my bathroom mirror and wiped it down with a dry cloth. It came out well. No smear marks in sight.
The great thing about it is you don’t need very much to be effective so I have almost the whole bottle left. Very economical.
The scent was sweet peony. Again, not too overpowering and it doesn’t linger which makes it great for people who are sensitive to smell.
Magic Spongethings
Probably my favourite product in terms of how it arrived to getting it ready for use. The pack of three sponges come wafer thin in a light cardboard sleeve.
All you need to do is run them under the tap and they blossom into large foamy sponges. They harden when they dry too.
Another plus is that they’re zero plastic, unlike the regular kind.
They’re made from cellulose and can be put in the home compost once they reach the end of their lifecycle.
The sponges have a large surface area so you can easily guide them over every nook and cranny.
They don’t have a rougher side which meant some of the tougher marks were a little harder to remove.
Dishwasher tabs
The all in one eco tabs are made with 96% plant and mineral based ingredients.
They’re vegan, cruelty free and free of chlorine and phosphates so I felt much safer using them on items I eat off of.
The tabs did a good job at cleaning my dirty dishes too.
Again, the tabs come in recyclable packaging and each one is individually wrapped in a biodegradable case (which you dont’t take off).
You can just pop them in the dishwasher as you would normally. Not complicated at all.
Other Homethings cleaning products
The Homethings products I sampled were by no means the extensive list. Other products include:
- Laundrythings pods
- Floorthings
- Washingupthings
I’m sure the range will only keep on growing too.
How does Homethings’ price compare to regular products?
Sometimes, opting for more eco friendly cleaning products comes at a higher price point.
Homethings tabs start from just £5 when you subscribe. That’s three tabs which make three bottles. So less than £2 each.
Considering I still have a lot of cleaning product left after one clean (nearly a full bottle in some cases!) I would say that’s pretty good value.
If you go for a new starter bundle, you can get as much as £10 off the order.
Homethings review: Is it worth it?
It’s a resounding yes from me!
Not only do Homethings sustainable cleaning products do a good job at keeping your home spotless, but they’re also fuss-free, non-toxic, easy to use and affordable.
I was impressed at how well each spray tackled dirt and grime around the home.
The tabs are a real game changer for eco-friendly cleaning. They smell great and last a long time too.
Try it at: Homethings
