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The Short Answer
An all-purpose cleaner’s job is to lift grease, dirt, and grime off a hard surface, and you do not need quats, glycol ether solvents, or synthetic fragrance to do that well. As we explain in Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds), the concerns around those ingredients are strongest at occupational exposure levels, but Canada has a deep bench of brands that skip them entirely and still clean effectively. Our top pick is ATTITUDE, made in Quebec and EWG Verified, with Nature Clean, The Unscented Company, Sapadilla, and AspenClean rounding out a strong field of five, each built for a different priority: fragrance-free, refillable, scented, or founder-pioneered.
The one thing to hold onto before you buy: none of these five is a registered disinfectant. They clean surfaces well, but they do not carry a Health Canada Drug Identification Number (DIN) for a kill claim, so they are not a substitute for a true disinfectant after handling raw meat or cleaning up after illness.
Quick Answer: best all-purpose cleaners in Canada
- Best overall: ATTITUDE. Made in Quebec, EWG Verified, roughly $5 to $6 per 800 mL bottle, available scented or unscented. [1]
- Best fragrance-free: Nature Clean. Made in Ontario, dermatologist tested, no synthetic fragrance, dyes, or phosphates, about $9 per litre. [2]
- Best value and refillable: The Unscented Company. Made in Montreal, 45% biobased, sold as a 4-litre refill box for about $21, which works out to roughly $2.60 per litre. [3]
- Best scent range: Sapadilla. Made in Vancouver, sugar-derived surfactants, essential-oil scent blends, about $14 per 739 mL bottle. [4]
- Also great: AspenClean. North Vancouver, founded 2004, the first cleaning brand to earn EWG Verified status, about $10 per bottle. [5]
- The catch: none of these carries a Health Canada DIN, so none is a registered disinfectant. For true disinfection, see Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds).
- Evidence Rating: General Consensus. The surfactants these brands rely on, glucoside- and citrate-based rather than sulfates or glycol ethers, have a well-established low-irritation profile, and every brand here discloses its full ingredient list.
Table of Contents
- Why These Five
- Best Overall: ATTITUDE
- Best Fragrance-Free: Nature Clean
- Best Value and Refillable: The Unscented Company
- Best Scent Range: Sapadilla
- Also Great: AspenClean
- The Honest Limits (Read Before Buying)
- Comparison Table
- How to Choose
- FAQ
- The Bottom Line
- References
Why These Five
Every brand on this list replaces the ingredients covered in our Fine Print series (quats, glycol ether solvents, synthetic fragrance) with plant-derived surfactants like decyl glucoside and coco glucoside, and mineral-based ingredients like sodium citrate and sodium carbonate for cutting grease. These are cleaning agents, not disinfectants, and that distinction matters: a surfactant lifts dirt and grease off a surface so it can be wiped away, while a disinfectant kills the microorganisms left behind. All five brands are Canadian-made, publish a full ingredient list rather than hiding behind “proprietary blend,” and are sold widely enough in Canada that you can easily find them. For the deeper ingredient-by-ingredient reasoning behind avoiding quats, see Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds).
Best Overall: ATTITUDE
ATTITUDE is our top pick because it hits every mark at once: made in Quebec, EWG Verified (meaning an independent third party reviewed the full formula, not just a marketing claim), built from roughly 94% plant-based ingredients, and priced low enough that switching from a conventional cleaner costs almost nothing extra [1]. The unscented version uses a simple surfactant base under 5% concentration (caprylyl glucoside and myristyl glucoside), which keeps it usable for fragrance-sensitive households. An 800 mL bottle runs about $5 to $6 in Canada.
One thing worth knowing: ATTITUDE also sells a separate “Disinfectant” line that does contain quats (specific benzalkonium and DDAC-type compounds) at low concentrations, registered for a Health Canada kill claim. That is a different product from the all-purpose cleaner reviewed here, and it exists precisely because the plant-based cleaner is not a disinfectant. Read the front label before buying to know which one you are getting.
Where to buy: ATTITUDE (Canada) · Well.ca · Amazon.ca
Best Fragrance-Free: Nature Clean
Nature Clean, made in Ontario, is the pick for anyone avoiding synthetic fragrance entirely rather than just choosing a “cleaner” scent. Its All Purpose Cleaning Lotion is available unscented, dermatologist tested, and free of sulfates (SLES), phthalates, parabens, dyes, chlorine, phosphates, and ammonia, all listed plainly on the bottle rather than buried in fine print [2]. A 1-litre bottle costs about $9. If synthetic fragrance is your main concern (see Synthetic Fragrance for why “unscented” and “fragrance-free” are not always the same claim), confirm you are buying the fragrance-free version specifically, since Nature Clean does also sell scented variants.
Where to buy: Nature Clean (Canada) · Well.ca · Amazon.ca
Best Value and Refillable: The Unscented Company
The Unscented Company, founded in Montreal in 2016 by a mother who could not find an unscented, refillable cleaner on Canadian shelves, solves two problems at once [3]. The formula is 45% biobased and sold as a 4-litre refill box rather than a single-use spray bottle, which brings the per-litre cost down to roughly $2.60, well below any bottled competitor on this list, while also cutting plastic waste. You keep one spray bottle and top it up from the box. It is unscented by default, which makes it a second strong option alongside Nature Clean if fragrance-free is your priority.
Where to buy: The Unscented Company (Canada) · Well.ca · Amazon.ca
Best Scent Range: Sapadilla
Sapadilla Soap Co. started in Vancouver and built its all-purpose cleaner around sugar-derived surfactants scented with actual essential-oil blends (grapefruit and bergamot, sweet lavender and lime, rosemary and peppermint) rather than a single generic “citrus” fragrance [4]. If you want a cleaner that smells distinctly good rather than just neutral, this is the pick, though it comes at a premium: about $14 for a 739 mL (25 oz) bottle, noticeably more per litre than ATTITUDE or Nature Clean. Because it relies on essential oils, the same allergen considerations that apply to any citrus- or lavender-scented product apply here too. See Synthetic Fragrance for why “essential oil” does not automatically mean hypoallergenic.
Where to buy: Sapadilla (Canada) · Well.ca · Amazon.ca
Also Great: AspenClean
AspenClean, based in North Vancouver since 2004, was the first cleaning brand to earn EWG Verified status, which means it was an early mover on ingredient transparency well before it became a marketing trend [5]. The all-purpose cleaner is built on decyl glucoside and coco glucoside surfactants, sodium citrate and sodium carbonate for grease-cutting, and organic lavender and grapefruit peel oils for scent. It runs about $10 per bottle, a middle price point between ATTITUDE and Sapadilla, and is a reliable pick if you want an established, longer-track-record brand.
Where to buy: AspenClean (Canada) · Well.ca · Amazon.ca
The Honest Limits (Read Before Buying)
Buying one of these five well means knowing what they are not built to do [1][2][3][4][5].
- None of these is a registered disinfectant. A Health Canada DIN means a product has been reviewed and proven to kill specific organisms at a stated contact time. None of the five cleaners here carries one. They lift dirt and grease effectively, but if you need to disinfect a cutting board after raw meat or a surface after someone in the house has been sick, you need a product with a DIN, which is most often quat- or bleach-based. See Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds) for what that trade-off looks like.
- Essential-oil scent is still fragrance, allergy-wise. Sapadilla and AspenClean both rely on essential oils for scent. Citrus and lavender scent compounds like limonene and linalool are documented skin allergens once they oxidize, the same as synthetic versions. “Natural” scent is not automatically gentler if you have a fragrance allergy. See Synthetic Fragrance.
- Plant-based surfactants can still irritate eyes and broken skin. “Plant-derived” describes where the surfactant molecule comes from, not that it is inert. Follow label directions, especially around eye contact and use near cuts or rashes.
- Refill and concentrate formats depend on correct dilution. The Unscented Company’s cost advantage assumes you dilute the refill as directed; using it at full strength wastes product without improving results.
None of this makes these cleaners a poor choice. It means matching the tool to the job: these five for everyday cleaning, a DIN-registered product for actual disinfection.
Comparison Table
| Pick | Made in | Format | Price (CAD, approx.) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATTITUDE | Quebec 🇨🇦 | 800 mL spray | ~$5–6 | Overall value; EWG Verified |
| Nature Clean | Ontario 🇨🇦 | 1 L bottle | ~$9 | Fragrance-free |
| The Unscented Company | Montreal, QC 🇨🇦 | 4 L refill box | ~$21 (≈$2.60/L) | Value and refillable |
| Sapadilla | Vancouver, BC 🇨🇦 | 739 mL bottle | ~$14 | Scent variety |
| AspenClean | North Vancouver, BC 🇨🇦 | ~650 mL bottle | ~$10 | Established track record |
Prices are approximate CAD as of 2026 and change over time. Confirm current listings before buying.
How to Choose
- If you want the safest default with no research required, start with ATTITUDE. It is the most widely stocked of the five, EWG Verified, and available unscented.
- If fragrance is your specific concern, choose Nature Clean or The Unscented Company and confirm you are buying the unscented version, since both brands also sell scented lines.
- If cost per use matters most, The Unscented Company’s refill box beats every bottled option here once you factor in the price per litre, though it requires keeping and refilling one spray bottle.
- If you need to disinfect, none of these five is the right tool. Reach for a DIN-registered product and understand the trade-offs in Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds).
- Patch-test a new scent if you have known fragrance sensitivities, particularly with the essential-oil-heavy options like Sapadilla and AspenClean.
FAQ
What makes an all-purpose cleaner “non-toxic”?
There is no legal definition of “non-toxic” for cleaning products in Canada. What we mean here is a cleaner built on well-characterized, disclosed ingredients like plant-derived surfactants and mineral salts, rather than quats, glycol ether solvents, or undisclosed “fragrance.” All five picks publish their full ingredient list.
Are these cleaners disinfectants?
No. None of the five carries a Health Canada DIN, which means none has been reviewed and approved to make a kill claim. They clean surfaces effectively but are not a substitute for a registered disinfectant when you need to kill germs, such as after raw meat or illness.
Which is the best value?
The Unscented Company’s 4-litre refill box works out to roughly $2.60 per litre, the lowest cost per use on this list, because you are paying for concentrate and refilling one bottle rather than buying a new spray bottle each time.
Is “plant-based” the same as hypoallergenic?
No. Plant-derived surfactants like decyl glucoside have a well-established low-irritation profile, but essential-oil fragrance components like limonene and linalool, found in Sapadilla and AspenClean, are documented skin allergens for some people regardless of their natural origin.
Can I use these on food-contact surfaces?
Yes, for general cleaning, but if you need to disinfect a food-contact surface after raw meat, use a DIN-registered disinfectant and rinse with potable water afterward per Health Canada guidance.
The Bottom Line
ATTITUDE, Nature Clean, The Unscented Company, Sapadilla, and AspenClean cover five different priorities, overall value, fragrance-free, refillable, scented, and established track record, while all sharing the same underlying approach: disclosed, plant-derived surfactants instead of quats, glycol ethers, or hidden fragrance blends [1][2][3][4][5]. None of them disinfects, and that is not a flaw so much as a fact worth knowing before you reach for one to clean up after raw chicken. Use these five for everyday grease and grime, and reach for a DIN-registered product, covered in Quats (Quaternary Ammonium Compounds), when the job calls for disinfection.
Stay curious, stay critical.
Georden
References
- “ATTITUDE All Purpose Cleaner: ingredients, EWG Verified status, Made in Canada.” Well.ca / Amazon.ca.
- “Nature Clean All Purpose Cleaning Lotion: ingredients, Made in Ontario.” Nature Clean / Healthy Planet Canada.
- “The Unscented Company: founding story, biobased formula, refill pricing.” Unscented Co. / Remodelista.
- “Sapadilla All Purpose Cleaner: Vancouver origin, ingredients, scent range.” Sapadilla / Well.ca.
- “AspenClean: North Vancouver origin, EWG Verified history, ingredients.” AspenClean / EWG.
Georden Jones is the founder of The Peer Review. Read the full story.