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From sachets to sheets, how effective are these eco-friendly cleaners? The GHI found out…

Plastic waste remains a huge global problem, but you can do your bit to help clean up the environment by choosing soluble cleaning products.

These eco-friendly cleaners are most commonly sold as concentrated liquid in mini refill bottles or soluble sachets, but they are also available as tablets or sheets. They all dissolve in water (usually just cold, from the tap), meaning all you have to do is pop one into an empty spray bottle, fill it up, give it a good shake and start cleaning.

Here are our 10 tried and tested favourites to buy now:

Not only is their format far more sustainable than repeatedly buying new plastic bottles, but many soluble cleaning products (including plenty on our list) also have plant-based, biodegradable and/or vegan formulas. The best ones are both ethical and equally as effective as your regular bottled cleaner (90% of which is water!).

Refill bottles, sachets, tablets and sheets are much lighter and more compact to transport, meaning less packaging waste, a lower carbon footprint and less cluttered kitchen storage.

The Good Housekeeping Institute recruited a panel of testers to trial a range of multi-purpose soluble cleaning products at home.

Our stringent testers gave feedback on each product's fragrance, ease of use and ability to shift grease and grime. They noted how long each concentrate, tablet or sheet took to dissolve in water, before using their freshly mixed solution on a variety of surfaces, from granite to glass, and assessing the finish (be it shiny or smeary!).

Because each product we tested has differing eco-credentials, overall scores are based solely on their cleaning performance, and all their claims are listed below so you can find the right one for you.

This multi-purpose cleaner is designed to banish dirt, grease and germs from worktops, sinks, tiles and more. Our panellists were drawn to its “slick and cool” packaging and liked its strong, fresh fragrance. It cleaned brilliantly across all tests, with only a little scrubbing required to remove tough stains, and it left a sparkling, streak-free finish on everything from stainless steel hobs to glass coffee tables.

Everybody praised its user-friendly instructions, complete with pictures, and found it quick to dissolve in basic cold tap water. The opaque metal spray bottle made it tricky to gauge when a top-up was required, but it sprayed finely and evenly.

Overall, it’s an effective and versatile product to add to your cleaning arsenal. Either buy it with the bottle or as a standalone refill (£2.50).

Key specifications Type: Liquid concentrate Instructions: Mix one 30ml refill with 470ml of tap water to make 500ml of powerful antibacterial cleaner Use on: Suitable on most surfaces including wood, glass, stainless steel, sealed ceramic, laminates, sealed stone, granite and marble. It is not suitable for unsealed stone, unsealed granite or unsealed marble, and some paint finishes. Eco claims: Designed to use with the refillable aluminium spray bottle, made in the UK, vegan, cruelty-free, no added dyes, widely recycled packaging

This "clean green" mix claims to use 93% less carbon than traditional pre-mixed cleaning products, which is quite the eco saving. Suitable for use on almost all surfaces, it is both vegan and palm oil free. Performance-wise, it excelled all-round, eroding stubborn stains with minimal scrubbing for gleaming, non-streaky results.

Most testers liked its allergy-friendly orange fragrance and, though pricey, they appreciated that one bottle of concentrate can make a lot of cleaner, and therefore last a long time. Unfortunately, our panellists found it messy to dispense, which would make it time-consuming to use with the small amber glass spray bottle (bought separately for £2).

Key specifications Type: Liquid concentrate Instructions: Mix 10ml (two teaspoons) with 140ml of cooled, boiled water and swirl until dissipated. One refill can make up to 2.25 litres of cleaner Use on: Most surfaces Eco claims: Vegan, free from SLS, parabens, palm oil and chemical preservatives and colourings

Grubby sink or stinky bin? This plant-based cleaning kit will tackle all your household grime. Soft on surfaces and easy on the nose, our panellists found it good value for money and thought it “smelled lovely”. The drops dissolved, mixed and cleaned well, but a lot of elbow grease was needed to lift dried or burnt-on stains, so save it for lighter cleans and everyday spills. It also left some streaks on glass.

Though not very storage-friendly, the bulky included bottle doesn’t require frequent top-ups, which busy folk will appreciate. Refills are available for £1.50 and you can sign up to a versatile subscription service.

Key specifications Type: Liquid concentrate Instructions: Drop one 10ml refill into a 750ml spray bottle, fill with water, screw on top and shake until dissolved Use on: Suitable for most, coated surfaces – they recommend using a small area of the surface you wish to test first Eco claims: Plant-based and non-toxic, zero plastic waste, not tested on animals

This starter kit comes with three sachets of cleaning concentrate, a metal bottle and a glass microfibre cloth – everything you need to get cleaning immediately (sorry!). Made using live, healthy bacteria, the formula claims to remove dirt from deep inside the pores of common surfaces, where viruses like to breed.

Our panellists liked its attractive packaging and pleasant scent and found it fast to dilute. It cut through grease a treat, making it a top pick for cleaning kitchen appliances, but it left our ceramic tiles slightly smeary.

Refills can be bought online (albeit at greater cost than from other brands) and there’s a subscription service available too. Our testers particularly liked the inclusion of a pre-paid envelope for returning empty sachets for recycling.

Key specifications Type: Liquid concentrate Instructions: Pour one 30ml sachet into the 300ml aluminium bottle, top up with tap water and clean. One pack contains three sachets Use on: Most hard surfaces Eco claims: Vegan, natural ingredients, recycled and sustainable materials

If you, or someone in your household, has an allergy or sensitivity, try this antibacterial, fragrance-free cleaner that’s suitable for use on all hard surfaces. This eco-conscious brand purposefully doesn’t supply a bottle to encourage the reuse of one you already have – an ethos you may or may not welcome, depending on your existing bottle supply! 

Our testers found it reliable when tackling grease and light soiling, especially on tiles, but it smeared on glass and failed to lift burnt-on food without some heavy-duty scrubbing. It took a bit of shaking to get it to dissolve, too (tip: try hot water to speed things up, but expect it to look a little hazy). 

Key specifications Type: Liquid concentrate Instructions: Pour one sachet into your own 500ml refillable bottle – drop, fill, shake and repeat. One pack contains five sachets Use on: Suitable to use on a wide variety of surfaces, they'd recommend testing on a small inconspicuous area first Eco claims: Plant-derived and sustainably sourced active ingredients, vegan, cruelty-free, comprised of 99% natural ingredients once diluted

These good-looking, non-toxic refills can be used on most surfaces, including wood and stone. Our panellists loved the clean, contemporary design and felt the metal bottle with its sturdy trigger would last a long time, even if it is slightly tricky to fill up (tip: do so slowly to avoid lots of foaming).

It gave great coverage but our testers had to scrub hard to remove tough stains. The geranium fragrance proved divisive and some testers found the solution best suited to quick, light cleans but a couple of sprays was ample to freshen up everything from our kitchen appliances to our bathrooms.

Key specifications Type: Dry concentrate Capacity: Empty one sachet into the included 500ml bottle, fill with tap water slowly to avoid excess foaming Use on: Tiles, countertops, stone, wood and most sealed surfaces Eco claims: Outer packaging is plastic-free, FSC-certified, printed with biodegradable ink and fully recyclable, all ingredients rated highly on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and European Chemical Agency (ECHA) for human and environmental safety, free from artificial colours, fragrances, palm oil, parabens, pesticides, petroleum, phosphates, SLS and triclosan, cruelty free and vegan

These non-toxic soluble tablets are formulated to be non-toxic for use as general purpose sprays on everything from granite and marble to stainless steel, laminate and sealed wood. Our panellists found the sturdy, attractively designed bottles (available as part of the Keep It Clean kit, £18) comfortable to hold and use, but noted that the tablet failed to dissolve without a good shake. 

Once ready to clean, it rid their hobs of grease but left glass quite streaky. In-house, our testers reported similar results, and found it just as effective as other products at cleaning more stubborn soils. 

Key specifications Type: Tablets Instructions: Dissolve one tablet in lukewarm water, wait for it to fully dissipate before attaching the spray nozzle. For stubborn stains, wait 10 to 15 seconds before wiping clean Use on: Quartz, marble, stainless steel, tiles, laminates, stone, granite and sealed wood Eco claims: Sachets are made with a home compostable material, each refill tablet emits 90% less carbon than a single-use bottle, non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free

This great value starter kit comes with three "bottles for life" and three tablets - multipurpose, bathroom, and glass and mirror. Refills are then regularly posted out according to your chosen frequency (they're also a steal at £6 for six). 

Many of our panellists had to scrub really hard to lift dried or burnt-on stains with this solution, but it proved an effective light cleaner on sinks and around taps, as well as on kitchen appliances. The tablets must be angled just so to fit through the neck of the bottle, which our testers found annoying, and they took a few hours to dissolve fully. 

However, each bottle holds enough cleaner to cover all surfaces thoroughly and its design will please the aesthetically fussy. Its slightly citrus fragrance got the thumbs up too. 

Key specifications Type: Tablets Instructions: Fill bottle with warm water to just below the coloured grip, unwrap tablet (wrapper is home compostable) and drop in, leave to dissolve, top up with warm water to just above the coloured grip, replace the spray head and clean Use on: All water-cleanable surface, treated wood, painted or glazed surfaces, treated stone, plastic surfaces, tiles, and worktops Eco claims: Plastic-free, cruelty free, toxic free, boxes are Forest Stewardship Council-approved and 100% recyclable

Designed to fight kitchen fats, grease and oils, these vegan cleaning sachets have a shelf life of a year once dissolved in water. Made in the West Midlands without any harsh chemicals, its tropical coconut and lime scent proved such a hit with our panellists that one described it as “a fragrance diffuser and cleaner in one”.

It gave a decent cleaning performance on a variety of surfaces, but failed to budge heavy stains and left marks on glass. The soluble sachet took several minutes to dissolve, but once mixed, a bottle of solution offers decent longevity. The spray bottle is on the flimsy side, but that’s a minor niggle.

Key specifications Type: Liquid concentrate Instructions: Drop one sachet into an empty 500ml bottle of your choice and fill with water - check the ‘directions for use’ table on your chosen tablet for the right quantity, as it varies Use on: Kitchen surfaces Eco claims: Vegan, plastic-free, up to 70% natural ingredients, non-toxic and sustainably sourced, recyclable packaging using FSC-certified paper

In an unusual twist, this multi-purpose cleaner comes in the form of soluble, easy to store sheets that must be shaken in hot or cold water for two minutes until dissolved. They can even be used as dishwasher tablets! Once again, this green brand doesn’t sell bottles to encourage the reuse of any you already have at home.

Our testers found the resulting solution surprisingly strong and effective, particularly when cutting through grease, but it disappointed by failing to budge burnt-on stains and leaving glass smeary. Though supposedly scented, most panellists couldn’t smell anything after dilution, which put them off. Still, they appreciated the easy to follow instructions and enjoyed a streak-free finish on kitchen appliances.

Key specifications Type: Sheets Instructions: Pop one sheet into 500 to 750ml of hot or cold water, shake for two minutes until fully dissolved Use on: In the bathroom, kitchen, on windows, floors, they can even be used as dishwasher tablets Eco claims: No harsh chemicals, cruelty-free, vegan, palm oil free, made in the UK