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Making the change to a greener cleaning routine is a great choice for you, your family, your pets, and
the Earth. If you're not sure where to begin, take a look at my list of the Top Ten Products you should
Toss - and why.
Other cleaners to watch out for: wood floor polish, oven cleaners, dusting sprays, and ‘fabric
refreshers’.
You don't have to take my word for it: you can go to the Household Products Database and see for
yourself what’s in your current products. The more you learn, the more you'll agree that cleaning green
is the best choice for you and your family.
the Earth. If you're not sure where to begin, take a look at my list of the Top Ten Products you should
Toss - and why.
- Bleach: Chlorine bleach, in its numerous incarnations, is the subject of 40% of calls to poison
control centers across the nation. It's also incredibly hazardous to the environment: its industrial
use results in the creation of dioxins, a family of chemicals which are among the most toxic and
carcinogenic known to man. Instead of chlorine bleach in your laundry, use powdered or liquid
oxygen bleach to whiten and brighten. Oxygen bleach works well for cleaning most surfaces, too.
- Disinfectants: If they kill germs – which are single-celled organisms – they’ll kill your cells too.
You may not notice the absence of a few cells here and there, but cell damage can add up to
major harm over years of exposure. Also, there is evidence that overuse of antibacterial products
can compromise your immune system, and encourage the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.
- Drain Cleaner: These preparations are highly caustic, and are corrosive to skin and mucous
membranes. They can also be fatal if swallowed, and inhalation of fumes can cause injuries to
the mouth, nose, and throat. Why subject yourself to that if you don’t have to? Grease clogs can
usually be broken up by pouring a kettle full of boiling water down the drain.
- Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Bleach, caustics, phosphates, and petroleum based surfactants are some
of the nasties in conventional toilet bowl cleaners – and you’re sticking your face right over the
fumes while you scrub. Protect your health and the environment by sticking to an enzyme-based
bowl cleaner.
- Tub and Tile Cleaners: Like toilet bowl cleaners, tile cleaners often combine bleach and caustic
chemicals. Toss the harsh stuff and try oxygen bleach, white vinegar and lemon juice, or an
enzyme-based cleaner to power through tough shower residue.
- Air fresheners: Most air freshener sprays use ‘Liquefied Sweetened Petroleum Gas’ to deliver
that fresh chemical scent into the air. Ditto for those plug-ins. If you want your home to smell
fresh, try burning natural soy candles scented with essential oils, or incense made from natural
resins (I like Nag Champa).
- Laundry Detergents: Chemical fragrances are considered proprietary formulas and are not
tested by the FDA (or by anyone but the chemical companies) for safety. With the exception of air
fresheners, laundry detergents contain more of these questionable chemicals than any other
product in your home. Also, petroleum based surfactants (read, bubbles and degreasers) can be
hazardous to you and to the environment. Natural, phosphate-free, biodegradable laundry
detergents get your clothes just as clean, without all the side effects.
- Floor cleaners: Studies show that we absorb half of all substances that contact our skin. And a
lot of skin contacts your floors – bare feet, baby’s knees, Spot’s tongue. Why use chemicals that
can leave residues for you to track through the rest of your home? A citrus-based cleaner and
degreaser is great for floors, and totally non-toxic.
- Automatic Dishwashing Powders/Liquids: You wouldn’t put bleach in your food – or petroleum
derivatives, phosphates, or untested chemical fragrances – so why use them on your dishes?
Choose enzyme-based, petroleum- and phosphate-free automatic dishwashing detergents.
- Glass Cleaners: Why use toxic ammonia when warm water and white vinegar work just fine? Or,
look for glass cleaners with plant-based surfactants; most of them double as surface cleaners.
Other cleaners to watch out for: wood floor polish, oven cleaners, dusting sprays, and ‘fabric
refreshers’.
You don't have to take my word for it: you can go to the Household Products Database and see for
yourself what’s in your current products. The more you learn, the more you'll agree that cleaning green
is the best choice for you and your family.
| The Top 10 Products you Should Toss - and Why |
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