Wondering what is Force of Nature and how does it work? We’ve done a full review of this powerful non-toxic cleaner and outline our results below (spoiler: it’s totally legit!)
If you’re anything like us, before you had kids you weren’t terribly concerned about what kind of cleaners you used around your house. As long as it got the job done quickly and cheaply, it didn’t really matter what fumes and chemicals were involved.
But now you have kids.
Kids that eat directly off the counter. Kids that see Mommy cleaning and want to help spray and wipe. Kids that need their toys “sanitized” after the boy with the runny nose comes over to play. Kids that somehow produce every stain known to mankind (and some that are yet to be classified). Kids that you want to protect, keep safe, and not expose to any of those harsh toxins.
That’s why we set out to review a non-toxic cleaner that wouldn’t cause us to cringe every time our kids asked to help clean (because that should be a happy moment, right?!).
And we’re thrilled to report: we’ve found it!
THE BIG REVEAL
It’s called Force of Nature, and get this, it contains only 3 simple ingredients: water, salt and vinegar. But with the help of a little science magic, this natural cleaner and deodorizer is as effective as bleach. Bleach!
Yet it has zero dangerous chemicals and no dyes, fragrances, preservatives, allergens or skin or respiratory irritants.
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Pin for when you want to detox your home:
It’s safe on skin (no gloves or hazmat suit required), can be used directly on surfaces used for food without rinsing, is environmentally friendly, and has no harsh fumes for you and your family to inhale.
Basically, it’s our cleaning dream come true.
But let’s face it, that all sounds good on paper, but does Force of Nature really work in real life situations? Read on for our full review.
CLEANING
To answer the question: “does Force of Nature really work?” we started our testing in the hub of any family’s home, the kitchen. We’d read that Force of Nature was supposed to cut grease as well (or better) than Formula 409 and Clorox Clean-Up, but were honestly still a little skeptical. But one extended spraaaaay on our food encrusted cooktop, and it wiped effortlessly clean. The inside of our microwave was no match, nor was the greasy film on the cabinets above our stove.
First impression? Amazement (with a hint of skepticism still lingering).
Next, we tested countertops – the surface where our kids will scoop up the inevitable dropped taco filling right off of and place it directly into their scavenger mouths. Force of Nature touts that it is safe to use on any type of countertop including granite, marble, quartz and wood, and we got shiny clean surfaces with all (editor’s note: I have black granite counter tops which always look streaky and not truly clean after I spray them with other cleaners – with Force of Nature there was no film, residue or streaks – I’m still in shock!).
We then moved onto Stainless Steel and glass. That still-lingering skepticism figured this was where we’d hit a downward spiral, but after a few sprays and wiping dry with a paper towel, we got crystal clear, streak-free results.
Our massive we-obviously-purchased-this-before-kids glass top dining room table came out fingerprint and residue-free – no scary ammonia necessary.
As our skepticism was left behind on the dining room table, the cleaning continued – we now felt confident in using Force of Nature to spray down our baby’s highchair tray and cutting boards (our beloved wooden ones with all the cut marks where bacteria lurks have been saved!).
It’s even safe enough to sanitize your baby’s pacifier or your child’s toothbrush (with no rinsing even required!)
HOW IN THE WORLD IS THAT POSSIBLE?!
That’s what you’re thinking, right? (that was certainly our first reaction)
Well, we won’t get into all of the scientific chemistry behind it (we had enough of that in 9th grade), but will simply say that the magic happens because an electrical current is used to change the chemical composition of the salt, water and vinegar molecules into a natural disinfectant.
And making it is really fun and simple. Here’s how to make your Force of Nature cleaner:
Grab your kids and fill up the activator bottle with water. Squeeze in an activator capsule and place the bottle on the base. Press the start button and watch the bubbles magically start to dance (our kids were seriously mesmerized) while all that aforementioned sciencey-stuff happens.
After 6 minutes (it even counts down for you, though we would suggest a beep to signal the end of the cycle – 5 minutes is about as long as we can remember anything these days!) you pour the now chemically modified solution into the spray bottle and voila, you now have a powerful all-purpose cleaner with no added fragrances that smells so, well, clean.
TIME FOR A CLEANING SPREE!
We were sent a Force of Nature Starter Kit to test, and test we did. For over a month we sprayed just about everything that our kids (and pets) could potentially get their dirty paws on, plus plenty of caked-on stains that had been long awaiting some cleaning power (because #momlife).
The spray bottle itself is seriously addicting. It’s not your run-of-the-mill sprayer which just spritzes out solution, this one has an extended-hold spraaaaaay. You can squeeze the lever and move the bottle around to cover a ton of surface area before you need to squeeze again. The kids loved it and we found it strangely cathartic.
But let’s get into the nitty gritty shall we: Where, oh where, can Force of Nature be used?
The simple answer: everywhere.
But we’ll go into detail about some of the incredible ways to use it because they are seriously life-changing for any parent.
To generalize, there are 2 main uses for Force of Nature: Cleaning and Deodorizing. And it does a bang-up job at both.
We then moved into the kid’s bathroom and cleaned our arch-nemesis (the bath tub) and sprayed all the bath toys to kill any mold or bacteria – which can we tell you, felt so dang good!
And you know your kid’s humidifier that is a beast to clean? We opened ours up and gave all the nooks and crannies a good ol’ spray – that’s all you need to do for a completely sanitized unit. No more worrying about your kids breathing in mold from a poorly cleaned unit, or harsh chemicals from toxic cleaners.
We targeted several stains on our rugs next, and saw first-hand how Force of Nature lived up to its claims that it cleans as well as heavy-duty carpet cleaners on food stains, pet (or potty training!) accidents and dirt.
Now there are things that Force of Nature can’t clean, but they are few and far between. As it doesn’t contain a whitening agent, it won’t remove rust stains. And if you have a heavy build-up of stubborn soap scum, you may need to use a scrub brush or baking soda paste to loosen it up…but that can be said for most natural cleaners.
DEODORIZING
Now that our house was looking sparkly clean, we wanted to test out Force of Nature’s deodorizing powers. In 3rd party testing, Force of Nature was found to remove odors more effectively than products like Febreeze, so we were more than ready to start de-stinking.
A few places we tested with major odor-eliminating results:
- Garbage cans and compost bins
- Diaper changing pad and diaper disposal
- Pillows, couch cushions and bean bag chairs
- Carpet and rugs
- Car seats
- Strollers
- Our husband’s rancid running shoes
- Our kids’ sports equipment (editor’s note: my son’s sound-the-alarm-stinky soccer cleats smelt 1000% times better)
- Washing machine (goodbye musty smell!)
- Underarms of undershirts (you know, those lovely yellow stains…while you’re at it, spray the stains to pre-treat in the laundry, it definitely helped!)
- Pet accidents, kitty litter, pet toys and bedding
And our favorite discovery of all – spray your own hands after you cut garlic or onions to neutralize the smell!
Seriously, once you start discovering the major odor eliminating power of Force of Nature, you’ll wander around your house with the bottle armed and ready to fire at any trash can or stinky sock drawer in sight. And did we mention, NO chemicals or fumes!
PLAYING DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
OK, so with all of this good news we were starting to get a bit giddy, but we still had 3 big questions we needed answered before we could throw our arms up in the air claiming victory in our non-toxic cleaner search.
We’re sure a few of them have been going through your head as you’ve been reading, so we’ve addressed all of them here:
1.) If Force of Nature is as good as it claims to be, why isn’t it being used everywhere? And why can’t we buy it at a store?
Turns out that the technology used to make electrolyzed water has been around for years (and is used in hospitals in Japan and the US), but has always required expensive industrial equipment (hello $10,000+!), making it accessible to only large institutions and companies – that is until Force of Nature found a way to miniaturize it for the masses.
And the reason it can’t be bottled and sold in a store? Well, think of the Force of Nature solution like a carbonated drink that’s been opened – it starts to lose its “bubbles” (hypochlorous acid in this case) over time. So if it were sitting on the shelf at a store, it would lose its effectiveness within a few weeks. For this reason, Force of Nature suggests disposing of unused solution after 2 weeks IF you’re using it solely for deodorizing. If you also use it for cleaning (which trust us, you will) you can use every last precious drop.
And if you think you’ll never remember when you made it (we’re totally with you on that one), they’ve provided a solution for #mombrain, a handy counter on the base that counts down from 14 days until 0 (editor’s note: I found this countdown actually inspired me to clean!)2.) How is Force of Nature better than other natural cleaners? Can’t I just make a homemade vinegar solution?
We made the switch to the “natural” cleaners after having kids, and have tried plenty of the major leading brands. But after doing a little research of our own, we were shocked to discover that there are no federal regulations for standards for cleaners claiming to be “natural” – which means many end up containing toxic ingredients like dyes, fragrances, preservatives, skin and respiratory irritants and allergens. Sure, they may be safer than conventional brands, but check those labels and you’ll certainly find ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Now vinegar is a great natural cleaner, but it can’t be used on every surface (it will dull granite and marble for instance) and corrode things like grout over time, and it requires an extra rinsing step. It’s also not as safe to use with kids – it can burn open wounds, the esophagus, stomach and damage eye tissue. Errr, think we’ll pass.3.) And finally, how much does this Force of Nature system cost?!
We were happy to discover that it’s actually very economical – especially when you take into consideration that Force of Nature will eliminate all of the cleaning products currently sitting under your sink and replace them with just one (think of all the extra room you’ll have!).
You’ll first need to invest in the Starter Kit which includes the base, spray-bottle, mini spritzer (editor’s note: I now keep the mini bottle in my purse and use it to clean off the table top and high chair at restaurants!) and 5 activator capsules.
This kit regularly costs $89.99, but if you use these special codes you’ll get a great discount:
SPRING30: 30% off + free shipping on Starter Kits
SPRING40: 40% off + free shipping on Bundles
Each new capsule will cost you 80 cents which means you can make a 12-oz bottle of non-toxic cleaner for under a buck! We don’t think there is any other “all natural” cleaning spray on the market that is sold for anywhere near this price.
And extra bonus – Force of Nature is extremely eco-friendly: no toxic chemicals go into our water system, and with the re-fillable/re-usable spray bottle, there’s no plastic waste either.
So for us, the conclusion is simple: Force of Nature is a force to be reckoned with – a cost-effective all-purpose non-toxic cleaner that is safe for you and your family. It gets our What Moms Love seal of approval, and next time Junior asks to take over on the sprayer, we’ll pass it right on over – no cringing necessary.
What would you use Force of Nature to clean or deodorize in your house? We’d love to know your thoughts on this innovative toxin-free cleaner in the comments below!
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Like you, I wanted to switch to natural cleaners after having my daughter. I already use white vinegar in a lot of my cleaning, but this system is really interesting! I love that it deodorizes, too!
Wow!!! That sounds amazing, I definitely wanna try it!!
This sounds awesome! I love products that are child and pet safe, and one that gets kids interested is a bonus!!
We clean EVERYTHING with vinegar!!!!! My kids will grow up thinking vinegar=clean the way I always associate lemon scents with clean
Science geek alert! This is so cool! Thanks for sharing this with us.
The How-to Guru
So nice to find healthier alternatives especially around kiddos!
I need this, what a great invention!
I’m super intrigued. This looks like a great product, and after the initial investment, really affordable!
I am always a big fan of natural cleaners (like you said … kids!). And this one looks fun enough that the kids might even want to help clean!
This looks like an awesome product! I am always looking for something natural with the power of bleach.
Natural cleaners FTW! Love this! I need to try asap!
This feels like it’s everything I’ve been looking for. I’m definitely going to save this and do a little more research! Thanks!
Sounds like a great cleaner! I switched to natural cleaners about 6 months ago and actually find some of them more effective than cleaners with chemicals. I didn’t know about the regulation standards for cleaners… I’m not sure what they are over here, but I always make sure to read the labels before purchasing anyway just to be sure 😉
What a great idea! To think that it is a natural cleaner and the as effective as some of the harsh cleaners out there!
Yes I love clean and simple!!
This is pretty incredible sounding. I’m all for minimizing my cleaning supplies and this would fit the bill!
Okay, I have never heard of this and seriously love the sounds of it! NEED!
This is WAY cool. I am always looking for safer stuff to use in our home.
This looks really interesting! I’m always feeling like our house needs less germs – and bleach seems to harsh. Thanks for the recommendation!
This looks like a really cool system and inexpensive after the initial investment. I hate the way bleach smells!
I am definitely intrigued! Now that I have a baby I am way more conscious of what I am using in my home.
This is seriously cool! I need this!
I’ve been thinking about getting this and this post is pushing me to buy! This is the coolest!
Can this be used to clean vegetables?
Yes it can!