Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products are generally low-risk for pregnant people when used with basic precautions like ventilation and gloves, but they aren’t as “clean” as their branding suggests. The product line contains a mix of plant-derived and synthetic fragrance chemicals, some of which carry moderate safety concerns. None of the ingredients have been shown to cause fetal harm in toxicology studies, but the fragrance blends and certain preservatives are worth understanding before you spray them around your home every day for nine months.
What’s Actually in Mrs. Meyer’s Products
Mrs. Meyer’s markets itself as a garden-inspired, naturally derived brand. The company confirms its products are made without ammonia, chlorine, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, artificial colorants, phosphates, or petroleum distillates. That’s a genuinely shorter list of red-flag chemicals compared to conventional cleaners like Lysol or Clorox sprays.
The catch is in the fragrance. Mrs. Meyer’s uses both plant-derived and synthetic fragrance ingredients, and the specific chemicals vary by scent. The Mint scent, for example, contains amyl cinnamal (a synthetic fragrance compound) and benzyl alcohol alongside plant-derived ingredients like limonene and linalool. Many of these individual fragrance components carry C or D safety ratings from the Environmental Working Group. The multi-surface cleaner also lists eugenol and benzyl benzoate as fragrance components, both of which are known skin sensitizers.
This matters because “fragrance” on a label can encompass dozens of individual chemicals. Mrs. Meyer’s is more transparent than many brands about disclosing these components, but the sheer number of fragrance allergens in the formulas is the biggest gap between the brand’s wholesome image and its actual ingredient profile.
EWG Safety Grades: A Mixed Bag
The Environmental Working Group rates Mrs. Meyer’s products across a wide range, from B all the way down to F. The best-rated products (grade B) include the laundry pacs, dryer sheets, tub and tile cleaners, and toilet bowl cleaners. The worst-rated products tend to be the ones you’d use most often during pregnancy: the multi-surface everyday cleaners, dish soaps, glass cleaners, and laundry detergents all sit at a D rating. The scent-free laundry detergent, ironically, received an F.
These grades reflect cumulative concerns about ingredient safety, including respiratory irritation, aquatic toxicity, and skin sensitization potential. A D rating doesn’t mean a product is dangerous for a single use. It means the overall ingredient profile raises enough flags that frequent, long-term exposure warrants caution.
What Toxicology Studies Show About Fetal Risk
The preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI), found in some Mrs. Meyer’s formulations, is one of the more scrutinized ingredients. Animal studies reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel tested MI at doses far higher than what you’d encounter from cleaning products. In rat studies, pregnant animals received oral doses daily during gestation, and no treatment-related effects were observed in the fetuses even at the highest doses tested. Rabbit studies showed the same result: maternal side effects appeared at high doses, but fetal development was unaffected. A two-generation reproduction study also found MI was not a reproductive toxicant.
These findings are reassuring for the trace amounts present in a spray cleaner. The exposure you get from wiping down a counter is orders of magnitude lower than what caused any effects in these studies. That said, MI is a potent skin sensitizer, meaning it can trigger contact dermatitis, and pregnancy can make your skin more reactive than usual.
Essential Oils and Pregnancy Sensitivity
Mrs. Meyer’s scents like Lavender, Basil, and Lemon Verbena get their character partly from essential oil compounds. Lavender essential oil has actually been studied in pregnancy contexts and found to reduce anxiety during labor, so the compound itself isn’t harmful to inhale in small amounts. Mayo Clinic Health System recommends that pregnant people who use essential oils start with minimal exposure and increase based on tolerance.
The practical issue is that pregnancy heightens your sense of smell, and strongly scented cleaners can trigger nausea or headaches even if the chemicals themselves aren’t harmful. If you’re in your first trimester and already battling morning sickness, the intense fragrance in Mrs. Meyer’s products might be more of a problem than any specific ingredient. This is a comfort issue, not a toxicity issue, but it’s worth factoring in.
How to Reduce Your Exposure
If you want to keep using Mrs. Meyer’s during pregnancy, a few simple habits make a real difference. Open windows or turn on exhaust fans while you clean. The CDC recommends maximizing ventilation when using any cleaning chemicals, and notes that whether or not you can smell a chemical doesn’t reliably indicate whether your exposure level is safe. Wear rubber gloves, especially with dish soap and multi-surface sprays, to limit skin absorption of fragrance allergens and preservatives. Wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning even if you wore gloves.
You can also choose strategically within the product line. The B-rated products (laundry pacs, dryer sheets, tub and tile cleaners) have simpler formulations than the D-rated multi-surface sprays and dish soaps. For everyday surface cleaning, a simple mix of white vinegar and water handles most kitchen and bathroom jobs without any fragrance exposure at all.
How It Compares to Other Cleaners
Mrs. Meyer’s sits in a middle tier for pregnancy safety. It’s meaningfully better than conventional cleaners that contain ammonia, chlorine bleach, or phthalates. Those chemicals carry stronger evidence of respiratory irritation and, in the case of phthalates, potential endocrine disruption. But Mrs. Meyer’s isn’t as clean as brands that skip synthetic fragrance entirely or earn consistent A ratings from the EWG.
The bottom line is that occasional or even regular use of Mrs. Meyer’s products is unlikely to pose a measurable risk to your pregnancy, based on available toxicology data. The fragrance load is the main concern, and it’s more of a cumulative, precautionary issue than an acute danger. If the scent doesn’t bother you and you’re cleaning in a ventilated space with gloves, you’re already managing the realistic risks. If you’d rather eliminate the uncertainty entirely, unscented cleaners or simple vinegar-and-water solutions are the safest swap.