Is Truly Free the answer to your cleaning worries? Sometimes

I’ve tested quite a few cleaning products—everything from eco-friendly detergents to using sonic waves to get the grime off jewelry— so when I was tasked with testing the Truly Free lineup of cleaning products, I felt confident. Little did I know just how much butter and madness I was going to encounter.

However, after testing five Truly Free products, I think the brand’s name holds up. Everything I tested did not contain any toxic materials, and cleaned fairly well.

About Truly Free

Truly Free is a made-in-American brand headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, that specializes in refillable cleaning supplies. Stephen Ezell started the company in 2015 after one of his infant children developed a head-to-toe rash attributed to chemicals in laundry detergent.

So Ezell created a product that was made from non-toxic chemicals, doesn’t incorporate single-use plastics, is cruelty-free, and environmentally friendly.

When you order Truly Free you get empty bottles and cleaning concentrates. Most of the bottles have a fill line to indicate how much water you have to add in to dilute the concentrates.

When the cleaner runs out, you only need to purchase more refill pouches, reducing plastic waste. There are also discounts available if you opt for a subscription service.

The pouches themselves are, according to a Truly Free team member, made from “recycled plastic, with a zipper-lock seal at the top.”

What we tested

The Reviewed labs received a massive package from Truly Free. I decided to test five different products to get a general sample of what the company has to offer.

Here’s what I tested:

• Truly Free Everyday cleaner
• Truly Free glass cleaner
• Truly Free Stone & Steel cleansing polish
• Truly Free Space Freshener
• Truly Free laundry wash in signature scent

How we tested

With so many cleaning products, I racked my brain about how to create a mess that was both easily repeatable and a good representation of actual household detritus.

Then I stumbled upon a device in our kitchen testing area: the Au Cao Butterbox. I stole it and began smearing butter everywhere—on stainless-steel fridges, over countertops, on mirrors, and all over myself.

When this moment of catharsis ended, I realized that the Butterbox was the perfect tool to create controlled stains that put many of these cleaning products to the test. It allows for even application of a stain on a variety of surfaces. Butter itself is relatively homogenous and the grease provides a good litmus test to see if these cleaning products are better than just using plain water.

Speaking of water, one other thing I wanted to note is that I used a consistent water temperature when mixing all the cleaners—around 100°F.

The company also touts its non-toxic, plant-based, and environmentally friendly ingredients. I ran all of the ingredients lists past our chief scientist, David Ellerby, and also looked up individual ingredients on the Environmental Working Group guide to verify the claims.

The results

Truly Free Everyday cleaner

I started off testing the Everyday cleaner. Using the Butterbox, I smeared a line of butter on a wooden counter.

I cleaned the stain using the Everyday cleaner and the Truly Free-branded reusable cleaning cloths.

Overall, the cleaner didn’t cut through the butter like a hot knife. However, after several applications and wipes, it did get the job done. I also liked the fact that it was completely scent-free.

When David Ellerby reviewed the contents of the Everyday cleaner, he remarked that it was all plant-based. He then proceeded to ingest some of it. This is highly not recommended, but it bodes well for how non-toxic the Everyday cleaner is.

In full disclosure, I also tasted some. It tastes bitter and very one-note. (Again, don’t try this at home.)

If you’re looking for a more effective cleaner, I suggest checking out Bona’s all-purpose cleaner.

Truly Free glass cleaner

To test the glass cleaner, I smeared yet more butter on a mirror. It reminded me of my teenage-emo-vampire phase where I hated my own reflection.

After spraying the glass cleaner, I switched from the Reusable Cleaning Cloth to paper towels. Now, paper towels are not how you clean glass because they can leave lint streaks. However, I feel like a lot of people use them to clean their mirrors and windows, making them best for real-world testing.

The results surprised me. The mirror looked immaculate with no streaks or spotting. The glass cleaner left the mirror perfect for taking selfies to show off my latest outfits. I may have to use it for my next fashion review.

Truly Free Stone & Steel cleansing polish

Reviewed tests a lot of fridges in our appliance labs, so I’m quite familiar with stainless-steel cleaner.

One thing people don’t think about is that stainless steel comes in many forms, especially when it comes to fridges. Each brand has its formula and coating. Not sure which one would come out best on camera and also provide the best testing ground, I smear butter on every fridge in the appliance lab.

Did I look like a madman doing it? Maybe. Did anyone question what I was doing? No.

In the end, I chose the Samsung Smart Bespoke RF23A9675AP. It has removable panels so I could really hose it down if the Stone & Steel cleansing polish didn’t work—or replace the panels if it completely failed.

I was also really interested in comparing the plant-based cleaner versus a more traditional stainless-steel cleaner. We use Weiman in the labs and I find the fumes are not pleasant while the Truly Free polish is fragrance free.

I cleaned one side with Weiman and the other with Truly Free. See if you guess which side was cleaned with which cleaner.

I was unable to tell the difference. That gives huge props to Truly Free. The testing shows that the Stone & Steel cleansing polish is right on the money.

Truly Free Space Freshener

This was the most divisive product I tested from Truly Free. It is basically essential oils in a spray bottle. Of all the Truly Free products, this air freshener proved to be the most difficult to mix.

The bottle is dark blue, probably to protect the essential oils from sun exposure. Because of that, it’s hard to tell just how close you are to the fill line. I ended up putting a flashlight against the bottle to ensure I was doing it right.

When I was done, I spun and sprayed the Space Freshener in every room in our testing labs.

Difficulty making it aside, the office split evenly between liking the sweet orange and rose scent and thinking it was far too cloying. My general feeling is that if you like using essential oils for aromatherapy, you’re going to like this.

Truly Free laundry wash in signature scent

Reviewed has a well-established protocol for testing laundry detergents, so we use a lot of the same tools in how we test washing machines.

In a nutshell, we use pre-dyed stain strips that are covered in common household ails like chocolate and red wine. Using a spectrophotometer, a special computer program determines how much of each stain is lifted after a wash.

The test results did not impress me. Of all the detergents we tested, Truly Free ranks near the bottom. It removed 10% fewer stains than Tide Purclean and 16% fewer stains than Persil Free & Sensitive.

And while the packaging may be more eco-friendly, it’s significantly more expensive. If you purchase the starter kit with 50 loads worth of laundry soap, you’re going to be paying around $.40 per load of laundry. Even with the refills, the price only drops to about $.35 a load, compared to $.27 a load for Tide Purclean and Persil—that’s a tough sell.

I tried to follow the instructions as closely as possible. I added 46 ounces of water to the concentrate and used one ounce of detergent to wash eight pounds of test laundry. As far as laundry products go, I say this one is probably a pass.

Should you buy Truly Free cleaning products?

Yes, but you should pick and choose

Just judging Truly Free by the products we tested, I can say the brand is above average. None of the products that I tried out were straight-up duds. They lived up to claims made on the website, especially with being non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

I think the competition outdo the Truly Free's laundry detergent and Everyday cleaner. You can get better cleaning performance for less money.

However, the glass cleaner and Stone & Steel cleansing polish exceeded my expectations.

Truly Free, as a company, is more than just a purveyor of cleaning products. You can check out the causes that the company supports on its website and see if they jive with your own beliefs.

If you’re interested in using fewer plastic bottles and spending less fuel transporting water, Truly Free cleaning products are worth checking out.