Living, Zero-Waste

My First Ever Grove Collaborative Purchase

If you aspire to lead a zero-waste life and are an avid Instagram user like myself, you may have seen a post from Grove Collaborative. So who are they?

About Grove Collaborative

Grove Collaborative is an online retailer and a subscription service where you can purchase all-natural household, beauty, and personal care products that also feature a recurring shipment service. Although it is not required to have a subscription to be able to purchase products from Grove Collaborative, you are required to make an account or sign up before you browse through their collections. They also offer a VIP Program that gives you eligibility to receive certain benefits (i.e. lower-order minimum) for $19.99 per year.

On top of all that, Grove Collaborative is a Certified B Corp which means it “meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose”. In addition to its B Corp Certification, Grove Collaborative is Leaping Bunny Certified – “the only internationally recognized symbol guaranteeing consumers that no new animal tests were used in the development of any product displaying it”.

So if you were wondering whether or not Grove Collaborative is legit, there’s your answer.

Order Minimums

When purchasing from Grove Collaborative, you must have an order of

  • $25 for recurring shipments, which you schedule ahead of time and
  • $39 for “ship now” plans

As someone who is not a fan of order minimums, I actually am okay with this rule because it reduces the likelihood of making multiple smaller purchases that require lots of packaging materials as opposed to a single bigger package.

Shipping

On top of the order minimum is the shipping:

  • $4.99 flat shipping,
  • Free shipping for orders over $49, or
  • Free shipping entirely for VIP members on any order

VIP Membership

Having mentioned Grove Collaborative’s VIP Membership, it’s time to get into it. As mentioned before, the VIP Membership gives you some good and useful perks all for $19.99/year:

  • Free shipping on any order
  • Early access to new products
  • Free goodies – a great perk for consumers who love to try new things
  • Lower order minimums

If you are not totally sure if you want to dive right into the VIP Membership, Grove Collaborative offers not a 30-day trial period, but a 60-day period to try them out. Now if that is not a great set of perks for good value, I don’t know what is!

The real question, however, is not the value, but whether or not it is worth replacing the traditional, established household brands with all-natural products. With that question in mind, here is my first purchase experience with Grove Collaborative.

What I Got from Grove Collaborative

My Order Freebies

As an aspiring zero-waste human who also sensitive to harsh chemicals, transitioning to all-natural household products was the first thing I wanted to tackle. I waited until I finished all of my current household products to make a purchase since Grove Collaborative offers a free Mrs. Meyer’s Cleaning Set with your first order of at least $20.

A free Grove Collaborative Matte Cleaning Caddy in Gray Matte ($14.95) was also included in my purchase, which I love because I knew I was going to need a container to put all my new products in. Unfortunately, I can’t remember how much exactly I added to get this freebie, but I highly recommend getting it if you are offered this freebie. By the time I checked out, I was able to save $48.67 worth of goodies.

In my free cleaning set, I had:

Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface Cleaner, DISH SOAP, & HAND SOAP IN SPICED PUMPKIN
Mrs. Meyers Cleaning Set in the scent Pumpkin Spiced - a Grove Collaborative exclusive.
Price$3.94 for each product
Rating2/10
ImpressionI. Do. Not. Like. This. Scent. At. All. I love Mrs. Meyers products, I just really dislike this scent.
Would I Buy it Again?Yes, but not this scent.
Grove collaborative Matte Cleaning Caddy in Gray Matte
Grove Collaborative Matte Cleaning Caddy in Gray Matte ($14.95) with some of my purchases
Price$14.95
Rating9.5/10
ImpressionThis looked super small and unable to hold my Grove Collaborative Purchases, but it actually held more than I thought. The caddy itself is super cute, but because the tag was a thin coated cardboard and attached with a plastic fastener, this fell short of 0.5 points. Otherwise, this is super cute.

Grove just needs to use something like twine and a compostable tag to get a full 10/10.
Would I Buy it Again?No need to repurchase.
GROVE COLLABORATIVE WALNUET SCRUBBER SPONGE
Grove Collaborative Walnut Scrubber Sponge only available on Grove Collaborative Website.
Grove Collaborative Walnut Scrubber Sponge for $4.95
Price$4.95
Rating9/10
ImpressionThis is the easiest way to replace a harmful household product with an all-natural alternative. This works like any other sponge. It fell short of 1 point because of two reasons: 1) the presence of plastic, 2) Not nut allergy-friendly, which can’t be helped, I guess.
Would I Buy it Again?Yes, until I find a solution without plastic

What I Purchased

At the time I was constructing my Grove Collaborative order, I was in dire need of wipes, cloths, and something to help clean my pupper. I did not think I was going to find the latter and was pleasantly surprised when I came across an all-natural solution to my fur baby problem. Anyway, with a total of $52.73 (prices may vary today since I bought these back in August), I think I got everything for a very reasonable price.

Below, I’ve listed my purchases along with a short description of my impression, rating out of 10, and whether I would buy it again:

Grove Collaborative Compostable Kitchen Cleaning Wipes 40 count
Compostable Cleaning Wipes from Seedling by Grove Collaborative.
Seedling by Grove – Certified Compostable Cleaning Wipes for $3.95
Price$3.95
Rating6.5/10
ImpressionThese did not score higher than a 6.5 because of the packaging. The wipes themselves got the job done and are compostable, but what about the packaging? There is plastic on the packaging, making it not that environmentally friendly. In my eyes, it seems like I’m not really making a difference because I am still presented with the plastic package problem. It almost seems counterintuitive.
Would I Buy it Again?No – I intended to leave this in the car to wipe things down or put it in my bag when I’m out of the house but I don’t want to deal with the plastic. I’ll just have to find another solution that isn’t packed in plastic.
Grove Collaborative All Purpose Cleaning Concentrate Set
Super concentrated all-purpose cleaner by Grove Collaborative in the scent orange & rosemary.
Grove Collaborative All-Purpose Cleaner 2-Pack 1oz Concentrates – $6.95
Price$6.95
Rating9/10
ImpressionThese small concentrates pack a PUNCH. A little truly goes a long way with these products and they also smell amazeballs. The only thing I’m not a fan of (you can probably guess) is the not entirely environmentally friendly packaging. However, it is definitely a good step to take to help end the plastic era.
Would I Buy it Again?Yes, until I find another concentrate with entirely compostable packaging.
Grove Collaborative Hydrating Bar Soap Cedar & Sage
The best handcrafted soap bar by Grove Collaborative in the scent Cedar & Sage.
Price$4.95
Rating10/10
ImpressionThis smells AMAZING. I bought this to wash my makeup sponges and this cleans them very well while leaving them with a fabulous scent. It has little grains embedded into the soap which act as exfoliators and it makes it a lot easier to clean my sponges. The box you see in the photo is the only packaging you have to deal with and is compostable. This bar soap product is my top favorite out of my entire purchase.
Would I Buy it Again?100000% YES.
Grove Collaborative All-Purpose Microfiber Cloth, Set of 3
Microfiber All-Purpose Cloths by Grove Collaborative.
Grove Collaborative Microfiber All-Purpose Cloth, Set of 3 – $9.95
Price$9.95
Rating9.5/10
ImpressionAt first, I thought these microfiber all-purpose cloths might be too small, but after using it to deep clean my bathroom, they turned out to be just right. I also like that each is a different color so that I can assign them with different roles (pre-dry wipe, wipe for cleanser, final dry off wipe). They also fit snugly into my Grove Collaborative Cleaning caddy.

The only reason why it falls short by 0.5 is because the packaging is a thin, coated cardboard which isn’t compostable.
Would I Buy it Again?No need to buy another set at the moment, but if I do need more, I will buy these again.
Grove Collaborative Replaceable Head Dish Brush
600Grove Collaborative Dish Brushes with Replaceable Heads – $6.95
Price$6.95
Rating9/10
ImpressionAlthough my brush came in a little janky, the bristles are quite durable. I used this to clean my microfiber couch along with my walnut sponges and the bristles really worked in the Paw Sense Pet Stain & Odor Remover. I also love the fact that the brush heads are replaceable. I do wonder what to do with the brush head I’d be disposing of since there is plastic…
Would I Buy it Again?Yes, only to replace the brush head.
Paw Sense Waterless Pet Shampoo & Stain and Odor Remover in Lavender
Paw Sense Apothecary waterless pet shampoo & pet stain and odor remover purchased through Grove Collaborative.
Paw Sense Apothecary Waterless Pet Shampoo & Stain and Odor Remover in Lavender – $16.99
Price$16.99
Rating8.5/10 – Pet Stain & Odor Remover
7.5/10 – Waterless Shampoo
My dog’s rating: 0/10 😂
ImpressionMy dog is scared of sprays so that really did not help when it came to cleaning him after his walks. I am not entirely sure if the waterless shampoo really is cleaning my dog, but he does smell good. It doesn’t last long though, hence the 7.5.

I purchased the pet stain & odor remover because my couch is so dirty and covered in slobber stains. I sprayed a liberal amount onto the spots on my couch and scrubbed it in with the Grove Collaborative Dish Brush. This worked wonders! I’m just disappointed in how much plastic it came in.
Would I Buy it Again?Maybe? These products seem to work for the most part, but the PLASTIC!

My Value Comparisons & Insights

Since most of the products I bought are by Grove Collaborative that is only sold on their website, I tried my best to find similar products on Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Surprisingly enough, this revealed a valuable insight that others should consider which is the consistency in pricing.

Below, you will see that some products are cheaper than the Grove Collaborative alternative. However, their prices seemed to fluctuate across different online retailers (probably based on market demand, supply, and the seller). This is important because if you look on Grove Collaborative’s website, they are consistent with their fair pricing and won’t price gouge you as Amazon sellers have with hand sanitizer during the peak of COVID-19.

Freebies
Purchases

Looking at this list, I can confidently tell you that I don’t regret not buying certain products from certain prices because I was given full-sized freebies that will go a long way. Although this subscription may not save you loads of money compared to your local Walmart, you are still guaranteed good quality products, fair pricing, amazing perks, and one less physical trip to the store.

THE VERDICT

I am definitely signing up to be a VIP Member on Grove Collaborative. They have a nice variety to choose from and most of these brands I have already tried out and love. Shopping on Grove Collaborative also makes me feel good about my purchase because I know I am supporting the right companies, reducing my plastic waste caused by online shopping, and slowly getting closer to my goal of leading a more sustainable, zero-waste life. On top of that, the time I need to search for natural, sustainable alternatives is immensely reduced because Grove Collaborative already did that for me. Shopping with Grove Collaborative is truly a game-changer for anyone.

Is this for you?

The sad truth to leading a fully zero-waste, sustainable lifestyle is that it is a privilege.

Buying from Grove Collaborative makes shopping easier for me, but it may not for those who highly depend on the cheap options at Walmart or have to live paycheck to paycheck. So if you’re in a financial crunch, this is not for you. It might be if you do not sign up for the VIP Membership, but you would have to at least order $49 worth of products to get free shipping. The only downfall to that is that you may not even need that many products so you would just be spending money on products you do not actually need at the moment.

Of course, if you are not in a financial crunch, definitely try giving Grove Collaborative a chance. You will not be disappointed especially if you are looking for cruelty and synthetic fragrance-free alternatives to those toxic, harsh household cleaning products we are all familiar with.

What are your thoughts on Grove Collaborative? Would you sign up for it?

To read more on our zero-waste living experiences, check out our blog on Zero-Waste Laundry!

My first ever Grove Collaborative Purchase and I'm loving it.
My first ever Grove Collborative purchase

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