WHEELING, W.Va.--

Store shelves are stocked with bottles covered in labels that claim they are safe, non-toxic or biodegradable. But how do you know which claims to trust and which products are safe for the environment, your family and your pets? NEWS9 took those questions straight to the product manufacturers.

"There's a lot of symbols in the marketplace, symbols and destinations. It's really confusing to consumers to sort them out," said Pam Helms. Helms is the chief innovation officer at Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and Caldrea, a company that prides itself on being eco-friendly.

Mrs. Meyers products are becoming increasingly easy to find on supermarket shelves.

Helms explained why they do not use the term "natural" when it comes to their products. Instead, they prefer the term "naturally-derived."

"You can get [the ingredients] from some kind of plant source but they need to go through a number of processing steps in order to make them usable," Helms said.

A non-toxic claim can be attractive, but NEWS9 found out there's a lot of testing behind it, including required animal testing.

Some companies, including Mrs. Meyers, choose not to test on animals.

"We evaluate the safety of our products through mathematical models, consulting toxicologists because we absolutely want to know that they're safe, but we never want to test on animals," Helms said.

While it might not be as obvious as a "non-toxic" label, another one consumers can look out for is DfE. It's the Environmental Protection Agency's symbol meaning Design for the Environment.

It's a label that you'll find on Clorox Green Works products and one the company recommends looking for. In a statement emailed to NEWS9, Rebecca Boston, group manager of Marketing and Communications for Green Works said, "The DfE logo recognizes household and commercial products, including cleaners and detergents, that have been tested to meet stringent criteria for human and environmental health. And according to the EPA, using these products can protect your family's health and environment."

Helms suggests reading the labels on products before you buy. Some companies list all ingredients on their labels, while others just list the active ingredients.

If you are conscious about using products that are environmentally, family and pet safe, Mrs. Meyers suggests you watch out for chlorine bleach, ammonia, phthlates and parabens. If you want to be certain of the complete ingredient list, the term "fragrance" may raise a red flag. That could indicate that the company used synthetic materials.