So Fresh and So Green Green: Meet Grab Green’s (Eco)preneur Patricia Spencer

Always an entrepreneur and product developer, Patricia Spencer was putting her creative mind to use early on in life, making her pencils cuter in the 3rd grade by gluing pom-poms over their erasers and “wiggle bug eyes” on their hard, hexagonal surfaces. As she grew older and graduated to slightly less “adorable” inventions — but perhaps a bit more impactful — she found herself dabbling in home fitness and then the vitamin market, before settling on sustainable, eco-friendly household cleaning products.A mother of two adventurous daughters who, growing up, loved to play outdoors, she needed a laundry detergent that was natural and non-toxic for her family — one that would get the job done. Surprised that there were no ingredients on the labels of the products she was using, she did some research and found that the components used in many detergents were not up to par — for either humans or the environment. “I decided then to apply my love for creating into making laundry detergent,” she says determinedly.Today, along with partner and fellow entrepreneur Michael Edell, (who she recruited at her daughters’ soccer practice after bonding over their shared passion of developing safer products for the home) they have created Grab Green, a line of naturally-derived, high quality household products free of phosphates, chlorine, phthalates and dyes.The duo understands that just using eco-responsible ingredients isn’t enough for people to make the switch from their highly toxic Tide Pods and the like. “High quality ingredients are all the difference, much like in a fabulous food recipe,” says the inventor. Subsequently, everything from their packaging to their ingredients and unique scents exudes quality. Spencer views her products as “little bits of joy” for the home and suggests we avoid relating household products to a “chore,” but rather a way to make things look new and lovely again. And also, of course, to make the home smell fresh — scents come in various aromas from light and floral to bold and spicy.

Not only are Grab Green’s products high quality and effective, they’re also easy to use. “My first product, the laundry pod, was designed so you could just grab it and go, without measuring a thick, sticky liquid,” Spencer explains, “so when we were coming up with the name ‘Grab Green’ just made sense!”

What started as solely a laundry detergent brand, has since branched out to include kitchen and hand soaps, as well as dryer sheets and room fresheners. Products are sold online via their website, and can be found in many large grocery chains (such as Gelson’s Market, Whole Foods and even your local Ralphs) giving their “clean” competitors a run for their money. But Spencer isn’t swayed by the competition: “As corny as it may sound, I support all eco-responsible brands. We’re all trying to move people from the dark side of home cleaning to the green side — a safer side.”For the green brand, it’s truly about making a better world. “We have one planet,” adds Spencer. “We need to nurture it like we nurture our relationships. Every moment of every day our planet cares for us, offering soil, rain and nutrients to live — so we must care for it in return.”*For a free sample pack of their latest Stoneworks collection click here.