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Green cleaning products

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Our forefathers were not much into hygiene. Infact, till

Cleaning is the process of removing soil, stains, or undesirable microorganisms from surfaces and restoring that surface to its original condition as possible. Cleaning plays an essential role in our daily lives by providing important public health benefits to consumers beyond the obvious aesthetic benefits, by keeping our surroundings clean, protected and free of germs; and by helping to extend the life of our personal possessions.

Contents

[edit] Places where cleaning products are extensively used

  1. Bathroom - Tub and tile cleaners, drain cleaners, mold and mildew stain removers and toilet bowl cleaners
  2. Laundry -- Fabric conditioners, Laundry Bleaches, Laundry Pretreatment products, laundry starch
  3. Kitchen --dishwashing products, general purpose cleaners, glass cleaners and ovens and grill cleaners
  4. Furniture, carpet and upholstry -Carpet cleaning products, dusting aids,

fabric protectants and water repellants.

[edit] Health problems associated with conventional cleaners

The health effects of VOCs, volatile gases emitted by many cleaning products (as well as paints, markers, building materials and other products), have also come under scientific scrutiny. The solvents can irritate the nose and throat and cause dizziness, and long-term exposure may have more lasting effects. A handful of well-designed studies suggests a correlation between exposure to VOCs and an increased risk of asthma or other respiratory problems. In one, a study of more than 950 U.S. adults, published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2006, high blood levels of 1,4-dichlorobenzene, a VOC found in air fresheners and deodorizers, were associated with measurable decreases in lung function.

But other chemicals targeted by environmental advocates -- solvents called glycol ethers, the disinfecting quarternary ammonia compounds and detergents called ethanolamines -- have been shown to pose risks only to people who work with high doses of the chemicals for long periods.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore published results in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine in 1994 showing that people employed as cleaners had nearly twice the risk of asthma as people in other professions. A study of more than 15,000 working adults in Europe, published in the Lancet in 1999, found a similar increase in asthma risk among professional cleaners

"Green" cleaning products claim to offer safer alternatives for humans and the planet, but at a higher price.

Green cleaners promise that they contain natural (instead of synthetic) agents, which break down quickly in the environment, and pose less of a toxic threat to humans and ecosystems. But critics caution that just because the ingredients in green cleaners are plant-based or natural does not necessarily mean they are safe.

[edit] Alternative Cleaners

An alternative cleaner is a cleaning product that is not commercially produced. Usually, these products are made at home using ingredients that are supposedly safer or more effective than the ones you find on store shelves. But, despite what you may have heard, “safe” and “unsafe” has more to do with how you use a product than what is in a product.

Some alternative cleaners use common household ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, or lemon juice.

[edit] History

Although Green Cleaning has only been fashionable for the last decade or so, we have been working on developing more environmentally-sound cleaning products for more than 50 years.

The cleaning products industry has understood the importance of biodegradable cleaning products since the 1950s. In the 1970s, the industry removed all CFCs from aerosols. In the 1990s, products became more concentrated (“ultras”) which reduced packaging. Cleaning products have been getting “greener” through innovation and continuous improvement – long before the “green” movement was even around!

[edit] What is "green" Cleaning?

what exactly does it mean to be green? Does “green” mean considered safe for humans and animals? Does it mean that a product is made from plants and not petroleum? Biodegradable? Less packaging? Recyclable?

Yes, green can means all of those things. But green must also mean “effective.” A cleaning product that does not clean well is not good for the environment. Producing and packaging a useless cleaning product is a waste of time and energy, which is very “un-green.”

If you want to buy cleaning products that are environmentally friendly, you need to understand and be able to evaluate claims on a label. “Green” certification criteria are generally available online by the certifiers.

So what is “Green Cleaning?”

Green Cleaning is the commitment to make, use, and dispose of cleaners with people and the environment in mind. You are making your world a little greener when you use a cleaning product that is safe and effective, and you follow all product instructions and dispose of the product properly.

[edit] Some popular myths

  • if you don’t see foam, you don’t have enough detergent to clean.

if you see foam you have more than enough detergent to clean and you sometimes may have too much. Foam is created by molecules called surfactants. Those same molecules can’t be two places at once. If they are cleaning up stains and dirt off your dishes or clothes, then some extra ones are needed to create foam with the air.

  • A chemical that’s “natural” means it’s safer. With many cleaning molecules, it is possible to create the same chemical structure from a plant or from petroleum. Molecules don’t remember where they came from. It is the structure of a chemical that dictates its behavior and properties, not its source.

[edit] Green cleaning products and safety

the market is largely unregulated -- which means consumers still must be wary of what's in the bottle. Even cleaning products labeled "natural" may contain some fraction of synthetic chemicals. Or they may contain natural ingredients consumers would rather avoid, such as petroleum distillates, some of which can cause cancer. And just because a cleaning product is biodegradable and made from plant-based sources doesn't mean that it is without potential adverse effects on health.

Plant-based ingredients included in some green cleaners include limonene (a citrus-based oil), pine oil, and the foaming agent coconut diethanolamide -- all of which can cause allergic dermatitis. And a recent study of natural and nontoxic consumer products found the suspected cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane in roughly half of 100 tested products -- including several dishwashing liquids with words such as "Earth friendly" and "eco" in their brand names.

Consumer advocates have pressed for stricter labeling rules, but the industry has resisted, arguing that long lists of ingredients would create a distraction on product labels, drawing attention away from important safety information.

And in March, a study of natural and nontoxic consumer products, commissioned by the watchdog group Organic Consumers Assn., found the suspected cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane in roughly half of 100 tested products -- including several dishwashing liquids with words such as "Earth friendly" and "eco" in their brand names. The chemical is a byproduct of a process that uses petroleum-based chemicals to make detergents less harsh.

"It's really confusing for consumers to try to understand the claims of these products,"

[edit] certification for green cleaners

Green Seal is a non-profit organization that works with government, industry and environmental stakeholders to set environmental standards for products and services.

[edit] Making non toxic cleaners at home

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

WINDOW CLEANER 1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent 3 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups water Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER 1 cup or more baking soda Water A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER 1/2 teaspoon washing soda A dab of liquid soap 2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH 1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax) 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLERS

Tea Tree Treasure Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I’ve used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil 2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours


[edit] Did You Know?

  • Sales of natural cleaning products totaled $105 million in the US in 2007.
  • Dishes are washed more than a hundred times a year in most homes

[edit] References


[edit] See Also

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