Meliora (“means better” in Latin) is a Chicago cleaning brand that takes the no-nonsense, plastic-free approach seriously. If you want cleaning products with nothing to hide, this is one of the strongest options out there.
- B Corp certified and a 1% for the Planet member (donates 2% of sales)
- Every product is MADE SAFE certified, the strictest ingredient screen in the industry
- Genuinely plastic-free: paper-and-steel canisters, soap bars, refills
- Short, transparent ingredient lists (baking soda, washing soda, sodium percarbonate, coconut-oil soap)
- Explicitly avoids PVA pods and sheets and synthetic fragrance
- Powders and bars take some adjustment from liquid cleaners
- Not as widely stocked as mainstream brands
- No heavily-scented options (uses only essential oils)
- Premium-ish pricing
Related: see why PVA matters in our PVA investigation and our best non-toxic cleaning products.
What Is Meliora?
Meliora makes home cleaning and laundry products, laundry powder, soap bars, all-purpose cleaners, designed to be plastic-free and radically transparent. It’s a certified B Corp that pays a living wage and donates to environmental causes.
Ingredients and the No-PVA Stance
Every Meliora product is MADE SAFE certified, the strictest ingredient screen available, and the formulas use a short list you can actually pronounce: baking soda, washing soda, sodium percarbonate, and soap made from organic coconut oil, with essential oils for scent. Notably, Meliora explicitly avoids PVA pods and sheets, the hidden plastic we cover in our PVA investigation, in favor of powders, bars, and refill tablets.
Packaging
Meliora’s laundry powder comes in a reusable paper-and-steel canister with a stainless steel scoop, refilled with low-waste refills, and its cleaners come as concentrates and bars. The whole laundry line is free of single-use plastic. The trade-off is simply getting used to powders and bars instead of pouring a liquid, a small adjustment for a plastic-free routine.
Powder is the point
Almost everything distinctive about Meliora follows from one decision: sell laundry detergent as a powder. No water shipped across the country. No plastic jug. And no dissolvable PVA film, the quiet plastic problem we documented in our PVA investigation that pods and strips share.
The canister is steel, the refills arrive in paper bags, and the dose scales to your load size instead of a pre-portioned guess. It is the rare product where the sustainable format is also the more flexible one.
A small company doing radical transparency
Meliora is a small Chicago operation that manufactures its own products and prints every ingredient on the label, not a fragrance umbrella term in sight. The certifications stack up accordingly: B Corp, MADE SAFE, 1% for the Planet.
Small scale cuts both ways. You will not find it in most grocery stores, and one facility means occasional restock waits. But for a brand whose entire pitch is knowing exactly what is in the box and who made it, small is structural, not incidental. It is the plastic-free pick in our cleaning roundup for a reason.
The Verdict: Is Meliora Sustainable?
Meliora is about as rigorous as cleaning brands get, a B Corp with MADE SAFE certification, plastic-free packaging, a short transparent ingredient list, and an explicit no-PVA stance, with the only trade-offs being availability and the adjustment to powders and bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Meliora a B Corp?
Yes. Meliora is a Certified B Corporation and a 1% for the Planet member that donates 2% of sales to environmental nonprofits and commits to paying a living wage.
Is Meliora really plastic-free?
Yes, its laundry line is completely free of single-use plastic, products come in reusable paper-and-steel canisters, as bars, or as low-waste refills, and the brand explicitly avoids PVA pods and sheets.
Are Meliora products non-toxic?
Every Meliora product is MADE SAFE certified, the strictest ingredient-screening standard in the industry, with short ingredient lists and no synthetic fragrance, making it an excellent choice for sensitive households.
Does Meliora use PVA?
No. Meliora explicitly avoids PVA pods and sheets, instead using concentrated powders, solid bars, and refill tablets to eliminate hidden plastic.
Is Meliora laundry powder safe for HE washers?
Yes. The powder is low-sudsing and Meliora’s dosing instructions cover high-efficiency machines; you simply use the smaller recommended scoop.
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Sources & Further Reading
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