Make Your Cleaning Greener

Like it or not, claims the Los Angeles Times, an increasing number of consumers are buying green cleaners. Last year the growing “green crowd” spent $105 million on natural cleaning products.

What’s so special about these products?   

•they contain natural – not synthetic – agents. 
•they break down quickly in the environment.   
•they pose less of a toxic threat to humans than traditional everyday cleaners. 

But just how dangerous to our health are the everyday cleaning agents?

In a Town and Country special edition article, Dierdre Imus, wife of radio jock Don Imus cites an EPA list of the killer household chemicals we are exposed to everyday:  cancer causing formaldehyde in fabric softeners; neurotoxins in air fresheners; nitrobenzene and phenol in furniture polish; ammonia, which is damaging to the lungs, skin and eyes, and chlorine bleach, whose fumes can cause severe eye and lung irritation.

For the person who wants to use safer cleaners, here are several time-tested products:

•Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Products contains ingredients derived from corn, sugar cane and coconut in place of synthetic solvents, bleach and petroleum distillates.
•Seventh Generation manufactures a bathroom cleaner that uses hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine to remove stains
•Method Cleaning Products makes an all-purpose cleaner made of soda ash to break down grease.

Here’s an easy-to-follow list of measures we can take to keep our household cleaners actually clean:

•Use vinegar or baking soda to clean just about anything.  When you mix either of these with warm water, you’ve got yourself an all-purpose cleaner.  Care2, a website about green living, suggests other ingredients as household cleaners:  plain soap, water, washing soda (sodium carbonate), lemon juice and borax.

However, be prepared to use a little more elbow grease with green products. Green products, says Live Science, requires more effort to achieve the same visual cleanliness than the conventional cleansers. 

•Try to avoid chlorine, such as bleach.  Grist, a website source for environmental news, warns that chlorine bleach is highly caustic - it can burn your eyes and skin and be fatal if swallowed.

Instead of trying to disinfect your bathroom or kitchen surfaces with scouring powders and cleaning solutions which contain chlorine, white vinegar helps kill bacteria, mold and viruses. 

Commercial non-chlorine bleach products include Bon Ami scouring powder and cream cleansers form Earth Friendly and Ecover. 

•Choose dish and laundry detergents that are plant based (corn, palm kernel or coconut oil). To remove stains from your clothes, try soaking fabrics in water mixed with borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, washing soda or white vinegar.  You can also purchase non-chlorine bleach made form sodium percarbonate available from Bio Pac or Shaklee.

•Avoid standard oven cleaners.  The corrosives  (lye and sodium hydroxide) contained in oven cleaners can irritate your eyes, skin and respiratory tract.  Grist.org  recommends you use a paste made of baking or washing soda and coat your oven surface and let it stand overnight. Scrub off the paste the following day wearing gloves.   

•Consider alternatives to air fresheners and other perfumed products. An open box of baking soda also removes odors or you can just open up your windows.  Stay away from air fresheners that contain phthalates, also found in dish detergents and fabric softeners.  These chemicals have been linked to cancer. To some people fragrances can trigger asthma and allergic reactions – headaches, skin and respiratory reactions and watery eyes.

Follow these helpful tips to make your home both clean and green – a safe place for your family.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

In my book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth I have more information about how to live a cleaner life. You can purchase the book at your local bookstores or order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Comments

[Catherine]

I think it’s great that you’re talking about green cleaning products. It’s so important that we get all the toxic chemicals out of our houses. There’s a great summary of what toxins are in “traditional” home cleaners at this website: http://www.veryhealthylife.com/page.php?url=healthyhome Pretty scary stuff!

And if you’re looking for a good source for buying Shaklee Get Clean products, I can recommend this website: http://www.shaklee.net/veryhealthylife/prodHou

[Pam]

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