Green, Clean & Chemical-free: The Ins & Outs of Green Household Cleaning
By now, you’ve probably heard that many of the harsh chemicals that we spray, wipe, and scrub our homes with are not so good–for us or the planet. But maybe you’re a little fuzzy about why or what you should do to protect yourself and maintain a modicum of cleanliness.
First, here are some reasons why many of the ingredients in conventional cleaners aren’t so good (for more information see Healthy Child, Healthy World):
- Some (such as ammonium quaternary compounds and phthalates) are associated with asthma and allergies.
- Some (such as phthalates and llkyl phenol ethoxylats or APEs) are suspected or known endocrine disruptors.
- Some are suspected or known carcinogens (such as diethanolamine or DEA).
- Some form toxic byproducts when exposed to other compounds, or may be contaminated by toxic byproducts (for example, chlorine reacts with organic matter in drinking water to produce trihalomethanes, which may cause cancer and possibly developmental effects).
- Some pollute are water ways and are harmful to acquatic life (such as phosphates and EDTA).
- And some have been associated with more than one health and/or environmental concern.
Unfortunately, full ingredient disclosure is neither required nor common practice for household cleaning products, making it very difficult to find out exactly what is in these products. Adding insult to injury, many manufacturers have rushed to fill the growing market for green cleaners with products whose credentials are questionable and/or difficult to vet and verify.
In the face of this, The Natural Products Association has just stepped in with a voluntary standard and certification for natural home care products. The NPA standard is a vast improvement over the current state of affairs, providing a guaranteed level of protection against exposure to toxins.
But it does not–surprise, surpise–provide everything that a health and environmentally-conscious consumer would want. For example, the antibacterial triclosan is allowable under the standard even though it has been linked to a host of health and environmental concerns including endocrine disruption and the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Of course, no standard is perfect, and I suspect that an imperfect standard is better than none at all.
In addition, there is a lot that an educated consumer can do to protect herself from chemicals in cleaning goods without relying on a standard. Advocates for local and sustainable food often advise consumers to “know your farmer.” Well I’d like to give the same advice for cleaning products. It is possible to “know your cleaning product manufacturer.” Of course it probably won’t be as personal but you can find out a lot of dependable information from conscientious, environmentally responsible companies that fully disclose all ingredients, like Seventh Generation and Ecover. In the absence of full ingredient disclosure you can generally trust specific claims, like “chlorine free” or “no petrochemical ingredients.”
Perhaps even easier and much less costly, you can also make your own cleaning products from natural & non-toxic household staples such as lemon, baking soda, vinegar and salt. In my house we use a mix of packaged and homemade cleaning products. There’s been some trial and error as we’ve tried to find and make products that we like. We started with Seventh Generation laundry detergent but have since switched to Ecover. We made our own floor cleaner from vinegar and water but we’ve since added a little Ecover floor soap to the mix. We have had only moderate success using baking soda and vinegar to open clogged drains but refuse to use chemical drain opener. So there’s a learning curve and an adjustment process–but I’d rather this than breathing in allergens, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
If you’d like to give DIY cleaners a try here are some resources to get your started
- Articles and DIY advice from Natural Home Magazine: “A Fresh Start: Natural Spring Cleaning” and “A Green Clean: Detox Your Home with These Eight Natural Cleaning Ingredients.”
- Recipes from Women’s Voices for the Earth and The Green Guide
- Instructions for making a green cleaning kit from Care2.
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