Start-up for cleaning products: Everdrop put to the test

Everdrop aims to be a sustainable alternative to cleaning products in plastic bottles. Startbase author Sophie Deistler tested Everdrop's starter cleaning kit.

There's a dreaded day in my shared flat every year: fall cleaning. For one or two days, seven of us clean the whole house, even the cellar and all the windows. The perfect time to try out a product that many people on social networks can no longer ignore: the cleaning product from Everdrop.

The young start-up's promise is simple: we make it just as clean, but users use less plastic, so it's better for the environment. Customers are supposed to dissolve cleaning agent tabs in cold water in reusable glass bottles. According to the start-up, this has already saved five million single-use plastic bottles. In addition to cleaning products, the start-up also offers laundry detergent, washing-up liquid, toilet cleaner, soap and shower gel.

This is the story of Everdrop

The story of Everdrop began in 2019 with a simple task. Founders Chris Becker, Daniel Schmitt-Haverkampf and David Löwe wanted to use less plastic. They realized that household products in particular cause a lot of plastic waste and wanted to create an alternative - at least that's how the founders describe it on the Everdrop website. The cleaning agent tabs were then launched in January 2020. The Everdrop founders were then able to raise a double-digit million amount with their household products in February of last year(we reported). The investors included HV Capital, Felix Capital and Vorwerk Ventures. Christoph Behn from Better Ventures also invested a six-figure sum in the start-up together with other business angels.

But how well does Everdrop's cleaning agent actually clean? And can the products already replace conventional cleaning products in plastic bottles? We tested the starter bottle set completely independently in ten categories. Startbase did not receive the products, but bought them especially for this text. There is a conclusion at the end of the text.

The Everdrop packaging in the test

Two days after ordering, the package arrived from Everdrop's external warehouse in Heilbronn. "Thank you for making the world a little cleaner together" is written on the sheet at the top of the box. Dark blue waves and the Everdrop logo can be seen underneath the lettering. The instructions for use and information about the cleaning agent tabs can be found on the back.

The three cleaning agent bottles and the bottle necks are wrapped in paper, the different colored cleaning agent tabs for bathroom, glass and kitchen cleaner are in a small paper bag. As I'm about to dispose of the box, I find something else at the bottom of the package that I hadn't expected: a voucher code for the Clark insurance app. If you enter it into the app, you will receive an Everdrop gift card for 15 euros every time you add an insurance policy. This is supposed to give you up to 150 euros off the Everdrop range. Well then.

This is how the setup for the Everdrop set works

The principle is very simple, says Everdrop: water - tab - done! So far, so good. However, the instructions do not tell you which tab goes in which bottle. This detail is hidden on the bottles themselves: The bathroom cleaner has a pink line under the Everdrop logo, the glass cleaner has a blue line and the kitchen cleaner has a green line.

Cold water is filled into the bottles up to the Everdrop logo. The reason for the limitation can be seen from the instructions: The liquid could otherwise foam over. However, the tabs for kitchen and bathroom cleaners are too large for the neck of the bottle and crumble when inserted. This scores minus points. The slightly smaller glass cleaner tab, on the other hand, falls into the bottle without any problems. After 15 minutes, the bathroom and kitchen tabs have dissolved without leaving any residue; the glass cleaner takes just under six minutes. I then screw the spray head onto the bottle and the cleaning agent is ready to use.

How the Everdrop bottles performed in the test

The glass bottles have a minimalist design and look high-quality. They are robust and therefore significantly heavier than conventional disposable plastic bottles. The cap holds well, nothing drips out. However, the distance between the spray head and the bottle body is a little too small. So when cleaning, part of the palm of the hand rests on the thin neck of the bottle and the other on the curved bottle. When spraying, only a little liquid comes out of the bottles. On the one hand, this is good in terms of sustainability because less cleaning agent is used. On the other hand, the fine cans are not enough to remove the dirt of seven people.

How the Everdrop glass cleaner performed in the test

The first acid test for the Everdrop glass cleaner is on the glass door to the garden. No windows or glass doors in our house get dirty as quickly as these. With every spray, only a little cleaning agent comes out of the bottle and the cleaner leaves streaks on the glass door. I wipe with a dry cloth, as Everdrop recommends. However, this only smears the dirt on the glass. Only after several treatments is the window finally clean. I also have to spray the lightly soiled windows twice. After only five larger windows, the glass cleaner is already used up. I have more success with my roommate's tried-and-tested household remedy: water with a drop of washing-up liquid in an already used spray bottle also saves packaging waste and works much better. Everdrop's results with glass cleaner are disappointing.

How the Everdrop kitchen cleaner performed in the test

I put the kitchen cleaner in the hands of two of my flatmates. When they have finished cleaning the kitchen, they have nothing to complain about. Their conclusion: the cleaner does what it should. Even the grease splashes on the worktop went away quickly and easily. This is where the start-up keeps its promise.

How the Everdrop bathroom cleaner performed in the test

The Everdrop bathroom cleaner removes dirt from the washbasin and bathtub quite well. In contrast to our conventional bathroom cleaner, it has a much more pleasant, subtle smell. However, the actual pink liquid was the same color as the bathtub when it was sprayed and was therefore almost invisible on the white surface. This makes cleaning difficult.

The price-performance ratio is reasonable

The starter bottle set with the three bottles and three cleaning agent tabs costs 34.99 euros. A proud initial purchase price. However, the bottles can be reused, so you only have to buy the tabs. Nine refill tabs, whether bathroom cleaner, kitchen cleaner, glass cleaner or a mixed set with three tabs for each cleaner, cost 14.99 euros and are sufficient for a total of 4.5 liters of cleaning agent. 500 milliliters therefore cost 1.66 euros. A random sample in the small discount store around the corner shows that With most bathroom cleaners in the mid-price range, you get 250 milliliters more content for roughly the same price. However, there are also bathroom cleaners with the same volume that are even more expensive. The price of glass cleaner is also roughly the same. The only comparable kitchen cleaner I can find in my supermarket's small range contains 750 milliliters and costs just under two euros. The bottom line: Everdrop's cleaning agent tabs are in most cases a little more expensive than conventional cleaners in plastic bottles, but the price is reasonable.

What's inside - and how sustainable Everdrop really is

All Everdrop cleaners are based on citric acid. Citric acid has long been used in cleaning products and as a household descaler, for example. Otherwise, the cleaners mainly contain surfactants. In order to understand how they work, a little chemical knowledge is required: surfactants consist of a hydrophobic, i.e. water-repellent, and a water-loving part of the molecule. They reduce the surface tension of water so that it can dissolve and remove grease. Normally, grease and water would not be able to mix. Surfactants are also used in conventional cleaning agents. According to the company, however, the surfactants in Everdrop cleaners are based on renewable raw materials instead of petroleum. Perfume is used as a fragrance. The pink, green and blue color of the cleaners comes from food coloring.

This was not always the case: In March of last year, the research start-up Flip already investigated the ingredients. At that time, the experts surveyed by Flip criticized the presence of the benzene derivative "Benzene C10-13-alkyl derivatives", which is obtained from crude oil and is highly toxic. When asked by Startbase, Everdrop explained that the benzene derivative was a process contamination of the dye used at the time. It was therefore not an intended ingredient of the tabs, but an unavoidable by-product of the manufacturing process that had nothing to do with the highly toxic benzene. Benzene C10-13-alkyl derivatives are now also no longer present in the tabs. "Along with further revisions in terms of sustainability and product performance, the colorant in question has also been removed from the formulation and replaced with a food colorant," the start-up writes.

According to Everdrop, it is also expecting organic certification for the cleaning tabs in its own online store in the coming weeks. The tabs, which can be purchased in organic markets, are already Ecocert-certified. The start-up is also working on a life cycle analysis. However, as the supply and production chain is largely in the hands of other manufacturers, the process is still taking time, according to the company.

Recycling works well at Everdrop

According to Everdrop, the glass bottles are made from at least ten percent recycled glass and can be reused several times. The packaging material from shipping can be recycled without exception: The paper bag in which the cleaning agent tabs are packed, the shipping carton and its filling material can go into the waste paper. That's a plus point.

Everdrop's advertising is annoying

Just two days after the order arrived, the first promotional email from Customer Happiness Manager Anna landed in my email inbox. From then on, I receive an email every seven days on average, sometimes even two in one day. Sometimes there's a 30% discount, sometimes I can win a year's supply of Everdrop products, then I can save another 45 euros on my next order. A promotional letter even arrives around New Year: Everdrop thanks me for saving five million single-use plastic bottles, advertises new products and offers a 20 percent discount code. A seasonal calendar for vegetables, herbs, salad and fruit is printed on the back - so that the promotional letter is reused instead of thrown away. You can tell that the founders used to work in marketing. Personally, it's too much advertising for me. At least the newsletter is easy to unsubscribe from.

The bottom line: how Everdrop scored in the Startbase test

"The bottles are nice, but the effect is so-so," is how one flatmate aptly summarized the test. The glass cleaner was not convincing and fell short of the tried and tested household remedy - water and a drop of washing-up liquid. The kitchen cleaner worked well and was also able to remove grease splashes. The bathroom cleaner also did what it was supposed to do. Nevertheless, the Everdrop cleaning agent does not yet achieve the effect of the conventional "chemical clubs". After the expensive initial purchase, the price of the refill tabs is comparable to that of conventional cleaning agents. This is good, but there is still room for improvement.

Transparency notice: Startbase purchased the products at its own expense. There is no sponsorship with Everdrop.