Aloe vera, peach oil, coconut, orange, soy beans. No, this is not my grocery list, but a sampling of the ingredients used in the cleaning products from Sweden's Tangent Garment Care products, an ecologically sound set of washes and shoe polishes and waxes to keep your wardrobe well maintained.
In creating Tangent cofounder David Samuelsson was inspired by his grandfather, a chimney sweep who was "meticulous when it came to his wardrobe and dressed with a certain degree of elegance." An antidote to the throw-away culture of modern dressing, Tangent is about honoring the production of clothing by buying fewer things, wearing the same things over and over, and preserving them—all ideas we can get behind.
Above: Tangent's Stain Remover in a brown glass bottle. The line is currently available from Tangent Garment Care directly; we hope it makes its way to the US soon.
Above: The Stain Remover in easier-to-ship packaging; €12. Tangent claims the product works effectively on all fabrics, including silk and wool.
Above: From left to right: Displayed ingredients on tins of Black Shoe Polish; Shoe Grease (which also contains beeswax, coconut fat, and rapeseed oil); and Neutral Shoe Polish; €12 each.
Above: Textile Shampoo, Tangent's laundry soap, is made with coconut and orange extracts. Contact Tangent Garment Care for buying information.
Above: The Fine Wash with orange oil is formulated for hand-washing fabrics made from natural materials, such as wool, silk, mohair, down, and cashmere; €12 each.
We're fans of natural cleaning products—and not all of them require international shipping (or buying any packaged cleaning products at all). See our Cleaning Products posts, including Move Over, Mrs Meyer and Shine Bright Like a Diamond, Window Cleaning Edition.