Cleaning Products

I’m going to leave behind the background information today and respond to a question which was put before me by a family member. I want to say that this is one thing I really want this blog to be. If you have questions or inquiries about environmental ideas, I will happily research them for you and write about it in a concise way. So in other words, questions and comments are more than welcome!

This particular question asked me to compare environmentally sound cleaning products to each other and to other traditional cleaning products. This brings forward a very important point and one which I try and live by: Be a smart consumer. As consumers you and I decide what companies make or don’t make. I had a friend say to me once that she knew many people who work at a landfill and she said much of the recycling which comes into the landfill plant does not get recycled. I definitely believe this. Recycled material is either marketable or not. As consumers we can fuel more or less recycling. If more recycled products are bought, more trash will be recycled. But I digress, recycling is for another post.

Traditional cleaning products can be harmful to the environment and to your family. Most conventional cleaning products are petroleum-based and contain chemicals with dangerous effects. There are over 80,000 chemicals used in cleaning products, most of whose side effects are currently unknown. Among the known dangerous chemicals are carcinogens, neurotoxins, allergens, heavy metals, and other agents which cause respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, cancer, and allergies. When these chemicals are released into the environment they can contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, pollute groundwater, contaminate soil, and harm animal and plant life.

Here are some examples:

• Phosphates are found in dishwasher and laundry detergents. They cause eutrophication in bodies of water causing large algae blooms which produce toxins harmful to animals, fish, aquatic plants, and people who use the water as a drinking source.
• Phthalates help distribute dyes and fragrances in a number of cleaning products. They have been found to have adverse hormonal effects.
• Chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is found in a number of detergents and other products. Chlorine kills things, we all know this, and so it is extremely harmful in the environment and toxic to organisms living in soil and water. Chlorine can bind with organic compounds in water to form organochlorines which are carcinogenic, breakdown very slowly in the environment, are very difficult to remove in water treatment trains, and accumulate in fatty tissue of wildlife and humans.
• Trisodium nitrilotriacetate is a possible carcinogen in laundry detergents which can also disrupt the removal of harmful metals in wastewater treatment trains.

In response to these issues, green cleaning companies take care to exclude chemicals with known or suspected toxicities. Brands, such as Method and Seventh Generation, have a “dirty list” of chemicals they refuse to use in their products. Generally environmentally sound cleaning products use ingredients which are not toxic or harmful to the user immediately or when used over time and that do not contribute to environmental problems.

So what’s the catch, right? Well in my eyes there isn’t one. The two main tradeoffs which are brought up the most are price and effectiveness. Price I will come back to. As far as effectiveness, there’s really no tradeoff. According to the National Environmental Trust, “chemicals do not make cleaning any better.” The problem is most Americans tend toward germaphobia, a trend which has been partly fueled by advertising that promotes disinfecting cleaners which eradicate all bacteria in sight as the best way to protect your family from germs. In reality, disinfectants and antibacterial soaps, sprays, and wipes can do more harm than good. Over use of antibacterial products and disinfectants helps to breed “superbugs” or stronger and stronger bacteria which are becoming totally immune to our means of killing them, this includes our body’s natural defenses against bacteria. Also, chemical disinfectant sprays have been found to damage reproductive systems in rats in recent laboratory experiments.

The main point is: You don’t need to kill the bacteria, you just need to remove them from you kitchen table, or counter, or toilet, or hands.

Now back to costs. According to the National Environment Trust, two of the most effective substances for the removal of bacterial from surfaces are ammonia and baking soda. That’s right, you can make your own CHEAP, high effective cleaning products and a few recipes are found below. Now if you don’t want to make your own cleaning products, you will pay more for green products, BUT I am telling you the difference is small, I’m talking cents. The best thing to do is to go to the aisle at you local grocery store where you usually buy your kitchen, bathroom, and window cleaner and look for the green products. They should be right next to your usual products. Check the price and amount in the bottle and try to find the best deal. Some of my favorite products are:

Clorox Green Works, all purpose cleaner for the kitchen and bathroom cleaner well for the bathroom.

Ecover Dishwashing liquid, for the kitchen sink not the dishwasher. It works great and you get a lot for the money. Ecover has other great products.

I also like Nature’s Place, the Hannaford brand, for various cleaners.

Really you have to do the leg work and figure out what you like, but be weary some green products are way over priced. But don’t let these few products discourage. By leg work I mean looking around the aisle for 5 minutes for a good deal, a small task when you look at the good you can do for you family and environment.

Natural Cleaning Products You Can Make
• Air freshener: Place shallow plates of vinegar in rooms to absorb odors; sprinkle ½ cup borax in the bottom of trash cans or diaper pails to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold that cause odors
• All-purpose cleaner: Place 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water and shake well.
• Disinfectant: Mix ½ cup borax into 1 gallon of hot water.
• Drain cleaner: Pour ½ cup baking soda down drain, add ½ cup white vinegar, and cover the drain. Wait 15 minutes and then pour 1 gallon of hot water down the drain.
• Metal cleaner and polish: For stainless steel, use undiluted white vinegar; for tarnished copper, boil the item in a pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar.
• Oven cleaner: Moisten oven surfaces with water and sprinkle baking soda on them. Scrub with steel wool.
• Toilet bowl cleaner: Mix ¼ cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar pour into toilet, let set for 5 minutes, then scrub with brush.