My ThreeMain Review
Is this simple system a greener way to go?
Pros:
- Reusable aluminum bottles
- Simple, natural ingredients
- Auto-ship refills available at a discount
- 3% of all sales go to the Rozalia Project
- Product formulas blended and filled in the US
Cons:
- Has the potential to leak slightly
- Only one scent available
Verdict:
ThreeMain makes zero-waste products that use aluminum bottles and even has a recycling program available. It makes me feel good knowing I'm helping reduce plastic waste. I am obsessed with the scent of their cleaning products, which use simple, easy-to-understand, effective ingredients to gently clean my home.
Heads up: The CDC recommends cleaning and then disinfecting surfaces to help stop the spread of disease.
I'm no stranger to reviewing cleaning products. I have jumped at the chance to try products from Grove Collaborative, Brandless, and more recently, Blueland. The latest brand that's been on my radar? ThreeMain. ThreeMain used to only offer three cleaning products, plus subscription refills but has recently expanded to include liquid hand soap and paperless towels. The company promises to keep your home fresh and clean, all while donating proceeds to The Rozalia Project, a non-profit dedicated to keeping our oceans clean. This brand seems to legitimately care about reducing waste and preserving the planet, and their formulas struck me as the closest I've seen to something you might make yourself.
Read on for my full review of ThreeMain's Clean Green Starter Kit. And if you're into finding more home-centric subscriptions, take a peek at our list of the best subscription boxes for your home!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Quick Facts
Cost
- The Clean Green Starter Kit is $22.99 + $4.99 flat rate shipping. You can get it for half off ($11.50) right now if you subscribe to refills.
- Refills are $6.25/each and all come in a 16 oz. pouch.
Products
- 1 16 oz. Multi-Surface Cleaner
- 1 16 oz. Liquid Dish Soap
- 1 16 oz. Bathroom Cleaner
Perks:
- Made in the USA
- Non-toxic
- Biodegradable
- Pet-friendly
- Free of:
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Formaldehyde
- Parabens
- Phthalates
- Glycol Solvents
- Artificial Colors
Here are the ingredients in the products featured in this review:
Bathroom Cleaner: Water, Naturally Derived Surfactant (from coconut and palm oil), Hydrogen Peroxide, Citric Acid, Organic Lemon Oil (for aromas)
Multi-Surface Cleaner: Water, Naturally Derived Surfactant (from coconut and palm oil), Hydrogen Peroxide, Citric Acid, Organic Lemon Oil (for aromas)
Liquid Dish Soap: Water, Naturally Derived Surfactant (from coconut and palm oil), Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Gluconate, Organic Lemon Oil (for aromas), Xantham Gum, Vegetable Glycerin
What's in the Clean Green Starter Kit?
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My ThreeMain starter kit arrived inside a nice branded box nestled inside of a larger cardboard box. All of the packaging can be easily recycled.
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Inside the box, there's a card with a quick overview of ingredients and environmental facts. I like having almost all of my questions answered simply, right out of the gate.
My Clean Green Starter Kit included three 16 oz. aluminum bottles with aluminum caps, each filled with a different product. The plastic pumps and spray nozzles for the bottles were separate. All you have to do is replace the cap with the bottle's dedicated nozzle, and you're ready to clean!
All ThreeMain bottles are 10.75 inches tall with a slender shape. The lightweight aluminum material is cool to the touch. I don't have to worry about any falls these bottles might take since they're made of metal. The spray nozzles have four settings—"Spray", "Stream", and two "Off" settings in between. I noticed that the nozzles leaked slightly if I left them on Spray or Stream, but setting them on the Off position solved that problem.
Do the products work?
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ThreeMain Bathroom Cleaner, 16 oz.
This bathroom cleaner, like all of ThreeMain's products, has a barely-there lemon scent. It smells super fresh and actually lifts my mood slightly. If you've read my reviews for other types of subscriptions, you know I love clay face masks and like to try unique products like charcoal toothpaste. In other words, my sink can get super messy. The bathroom cleaner easily tackled dark brown cacao face mask splatters that I had let set in for a couple of hours. In the tub, I sprayed the cleaner around a soap scum ring and let it soak for a few minutes before wiping the surface clean. I was so impressed with how this formula could be gentle yet tough at the same time! I even used the cleaner on my bathroom mirror, and it wasn't streaky at all.
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ThreeMain Multi-Surface Cleaner, 16 oz.
There is no difference between the ingredients in the ThreeMain bathroom cleaner and this multi-surface cleaner. They just want to provide you with another bottle that you can use outside the bathroom without having to worry about spreading icky germs around the house. I mainly use this one in the kitchen, since I like to clean as I cook, but it works just as well on my wood dining table, laminate IKEA record shelves, and the marble side tables in my living room. This formula also has a subtle lemon scent which dissipates quickly. One thing I noticed is how well this cleaner worked on the IKEA shelves I mentioned. I burn candles a lot and have noticed that some surfaces in my house have this oily residue (presumably from said candles) that when mixed with dust, creates this sort of... gunky... ickiness. Other cleaners just smear it around, but I am really impressed with how ThreeMain's formula actually cuts this greasiness and removes it completely. Bravo!
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ThreeMain Dish Soap, 16 oz.
The final product ThreeMain offers is dish soap. I don't own a dishwasher, so I clean all of my dishes by hand. I was pleasantly surprised they offered this product. And oh my goodness gracious, I am obsessed with the smell of this soap. It smells like iced tea to me. It's slightly different from the scent of the other products, though I'm sure the scent has to do with the lemon oil they use for fragrance. It's so fresh and heavenly. Perhaps the scent just reminds me of an Arnold Palmer (lemonade and iced tea)? Even though I want to drink it, I control myself.
The main difference I noticed between this soap and others I've used in the past is that this one doesn't give me a big, satisfying lather, but that also means that it goes down my drain all that much cleaner. I've found this dish soap to be completely satisfactory for glasses, plates, and even pots and pans with some caked-on food. A simple soak with a pump of this product seems to loosen up anything really gross.
Additional Products Available
Although they don't come in the starter kit, ThreeMain has expanded to include two additional products since my original review. I haven't yet been able to try these for myself but may update in the future.
ThreeMain Lavender & Litsea Hand Soap, 12 oz. - Retail Value $14.99
ThreeMain Lavender & Litsea Hand Soap Refill, 12 oz. - Retail Value $6.25
ThreeMain 100% Birdseye Weave Cotton Paperless Towels, 5 pack - Retail Value $9.99
Simple Ingredients
What I like the most about ThreeMain are their simple, natural formulas. This seems to be the closest I can get to making my own cleaners without actually having to do so on my own. Both the bathroom cleaner and the multi-surface cleaner have the same list of just five ingredients including water, a naturally derived surfactant from coconut and palm oil, hydrogen peroxide (which kills bacteria, viruses, and mold), citric acid (as a disinfectant against bacteria and viruses), and organic lemon oil for the pleasant scent. The liquid dish soap only has four ingredients in addition to the three common ones it shares with the other formula (water, a naturally derived surfactant, and the organic lemon oil). Those four are sodium hyaluronate (to reduce the probability of oxidization while being great for skin), sodium gluconate (a natural preservative and helps cleansing products to foam better in hard water), xanthan gum (to thicken), and vegetable glycerin (breaks down proteins and oils while softening skin). I learned a lot looking up all of these ingredients and was most interested in the fact that sodium hyaluronate is really close to hyaluronic acid which both can be found in many beauty products.
Auto-Shipments
All of ThreeMain's refills (which come in pouches) are available as a one-time purchase or as a subscription that delivers every one, two, or three months. You'll save 15% by subscribing and you'll also get 50% off your starter kit when you first sign up.
Value
The starter kit costs $22.99 and contains three aluminum bottles (filled with cleaner). That breaks down to $7.66 each (or $0.48/oz.). The kit is the only way you can purchase the bottles and they're no longer available to purchase separately. Right now though, you can get the starter kit for just $11.50 if you sign up for refills which make each bottle cost just $3.83. You'll also get 15% off future refills with the subscription. ThreeMain has pricier refills than Blueland (which I recently reviewed here) but seems on-par with other non-toxic brands I've used like Mrs. Meyers which run about (or $0.25/oz.). I also take into account how ThreeMain packages their refills which is liquid inside plastic pouches. That considerably reduces plastic bottle waste compared to others who just have a large bottle of concentrate but it's more than Blueland's small solid tablets that come in biodegradable paper.
Verdict
The more I clean with ThreeMain, the more I like it. Their formulas are the simplest I've seen (besides using diluted vinegar), yet have a wonderful fresh scent. The aluminum bottles strike me as being a great option since they're lightweight, durable, and easy to recycle (although these are meant to be used again and again). I was a little hesitant to use something with liquid refills after liking the dissolvable tablet refills that Blueland makes, but gosh, I really like ThreeMain's product, too. I might be leaning more toward using this brand in the future!
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