If you think of your home as a haven from pollution, we've got some bummer news. Levels of pollutants in indoor air can be from two to more than 100 times higher than outdoors, according to the U.S. EPA. That indoor pollution is due in large part to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that evaporate, or "offgas," from home decorating and cleaning products.
Make your home clean and green.
Photo: iStockphoto
So if the weather cooperates, step one for green cleaners is: Open a window and let those pollutants out! Yet even in the spring and summer, when a vase of daffodils can fill a room with a lovely natural scent, many consumers stubbornly keep using synthetic room fresheners and fragranced cleaning products that are full of VOCs and other toxic chemicals. These can make our indoor air unhealthy, provoke skin, eye, and respiratory reactions, and harm the natural environment.
Take those so-called air fresheners. According to a study published in New Scientist in 1999, in homes where aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used frequently, mothers experienced 25 percent more headaches and were 19 percent more likely to suffer from depression, and infants under six months of age had 30 percent more ear infections and 22 percent higher incidence of diarrhea.
In choosing alternatives, however, consumers need to be alert to greenwashing. "Just because a product says it's natural doesn't mean it's nontoxic," says Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation, which produces genuinely eco-friendly cleaning supplies and household products. The word "natural" is undefined and unregulated by the government and can be applied to just about anything under the sun -- including plastic, which comes from naturally occurring petroleum. Because no standards exist, claims such as "nontoxic," "eco-safe," and "environmentally friendly" are also meaningless, according to Consumers Reports' Eco-labels website.
UMBRA ON CLEANING
Green laundry detergentsMaking eco-friendly cleaning products
Unclogging without chemicals
Disposing of toxic cleaners
Instead of being taken in by slogans, David Steinman, coauthor of The Safe Shopper's Bible, advises looking at labels for specific, eco-friendly ingredients that also perform effectively. These include grain alcohol instead of toxic butyl cellosolve as a solvent; coconut or other plant oils rather than petroleum in detergents; and plant-oil disinfectants such as eucalyptus, rosemary, or sage, rather than triclosan. You can also mix your own cleaners, as does Annie Berthold-Bond, green living editor at Care2.com and author of Clean and Green and Better Basics for the Home. According to Berthold-Bond, a few safe, simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), vinegar, washing soda (sodium carbonate), lemon juice, and borax can satisfy most household cleaning needs -- and save you money at the same time.
If you're in the mood to detoxify, getting rid of germs doesn't have to mean overkill: This is your home, not a hospital. In 2000, cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10 percent of all toxic exposures reported to the U.S. poison control centers, accounting for more than 206,000 calls, over half of which concerned children under the age of six. According to Philip Dickey of the Washington Toxics Coalition, the most acutely or immediately hazardous cleaning products are corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, acidic toilet-bowl cleaners, and anything containing chlorine or ammonia (which should never be combined -- see below).
Read on to get the dirt on various conventional products and ingredients and their eco-friendly alternatives. With a little effort, you can make your home a truly clean haven rather than a chemical storage tank.
Dish Detergents, Laundry Detergents, and All-Purpose Cleaners
It's a wash.
Photo: iStockphoto
Problems:
Most conventional dish and laundry detergents are made from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Some detergents contain alkyphenol ethoxylates, which are suspected hormone disruptors that don't readily biodegrade and can threaten wildlife after they go down your drain. Ethoxylated alcohols in liquid detergents can contain carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane.
The fragrances in detergents and fabric softeners can contain phthalates, chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive-system harm in animal lab tests. Fragrances may also trigger asthma and allergic reactions, with symptoms including skin and respiratory irritation, headaches, and watery eyes. Although phosphates, which choke waterways, are no longer used in most dish and laundry soaps, they can be found in dishwasher detergents. Phosphates are highly caustic and can be fatal if swallowed.
Other ingredients turn dangerous when combined: Diethanolamine and triethanolamine can react with nitrites (an often undisclosed preservative) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Solutions:
Use laundry soaps labeled "fragrance-free," advises Harvey Karp, a Los Angeles pediatrician and author of The Happiest Baby on the Block. If you want to use citrus-oil products, sniff-test a small amount from a few feet away, as these products can be irritating to allergic or sensitive individuals. Karp also advises choosing dish and laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners that are plant-based (corn, palm kernel, or coconut oil).
To remove stains from clothing, try soaking fabrics in water mixed with borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, washing soda, or white vinegar. Or, look for "non-chlorine bleach" made from sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate, available from Bio Pac, Ecover, Naturally Yours, Shaklee, or Seventh Generation.
Fabric can be softened by adding one-quarter cup of baking soda to the wash cycle; this recently worked on several pairs of catalog-bought cargo pants made of a cardboard-stiff cotton that literally scraped a teenager's skin. A quarter cup of white vinegar will also soften fabric, as well as eliminate cling.
Less toxic products include Ecover and Seventh Generation laundry and dish soaps; Aubrey Organics and Vermont Soapworks all-purpose household cleaners; and Bioshield and Naturally Yours dishwasher detergent.
Antibacterial Soaps and Cleansers, Bleach, Stain Removers, Disinfectants, Glass Cleaners, and Bathroom Scouring Powders (Whew!)
Problems
Popular in liquid form, antibacterial soaps are helping to promote growth of resistant bacteria, according to a 2000 World Health Organization report.
Chlorine bleach, a common disinfectant frequently found in scouring powders and cleaning solutions, is highly caustic, meaning it can burn skin and eyes -- plus it can be fatal if swallowed. When it travels from your drain into the natural world, it can create organochlorines, which are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive, neurological, and immune-system toxins. And be warned: Bleach (also known as sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide) should never be mixed with any product containing ammonia or quaternium compounds. Doing so creates highly toxic chlorine gas. Many conventional scouring powders and cleaning solutions contain chlorine bleach.
Solutions
Instead of using antibacterial soap, Karp recommends thorough hand-washing (about two minutes' worth) with plain soap and warm water.
To disinfect bathroom or kitchen surfaces, try Earth Power's EPA-registered herbal disinfectant or Seventh Generation sanitizers. White vinegar helps kill bacteria, mold, and viruses, according to Berthold-Bond, who uses it on everything from kitchen surfaces to toilet seats. However, the only foolproof way to kill food-borne pathogens such as salmonella or E coli is to use hot, soapy water to wash all cutting boards, dishes, knives, and surfaces that have touched raw meat or eggs.
Oops, you missed a spot!
Photo: iStockphoto
Scrubbing sinks, tubs, and countertops with a paste of baking soda and water effectively removes dirt rings and some stains; if that doesn't work, try a paste of washing soda and water, and be sure to wear gloves. Commercial non-chlorine bleach products include Bon Ami scouring powder and cream cleansers from Earth Friendly, Ecover, and Seventh Generation.
For cleaning windows, fill your own spray bottle with water and either one-quarter cup white vinegar or one tablespoon lemon juice to cut grease. Safer commercial glass cleaners are made by BioShield, Earth Friendly, Naturally Yours, and Seventh Generation.
Drain, Oven, and Toilet-Bowl Cleaners
Problems
The corrosive ingredients in these products can severely irritate eyes, skin, and the respiratory tract, and can be fatal if swallowed. Chemical drain cleaners are among the most dangerous of all cleaning products, containing sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) that can permanently burn eyes and skin. In oven cleaners, lye and sodium hydroxide can burn skin, eyes, and the respiratory tract.
Solutions
For drains, a plunger "snake" plumbing tool should first be used to bring up as much of the clog as possible, giving cleaning products room to work, or perhaps eliminating the need for them entirely. Earth Friendly and Naturally Yours drain cleaners use enzymes, rather than caustic chemicals, to dissolve obstructions. Don't forget to prevent future blockage with inexpensive metal or plastic drain screens, available at most home-improvement or hardware stores.
To clean oven surfaces, coat them in a paste of water and baking or washing soda and let stand overnight, then scrub off the paste while wearing gloves. Among commercial products, EnviroSafety's plant-based multi-purpose cleaner works well. Or you can use the non-chlorine scouring powders and creams listed above. To prevent future buildup, line the oven floor with aluminum foil and wipe oven walls and ceiling clean after each use.
For toilets, forget the fancy stuff: Again, use the simple, non-chlorine scouring powders and creams listed above, or try AFM SafeChoice or Ecover toilet cleaners.
Furniture and Metal Polishes
Problems
These are corrosive and may cause eye, skin, or respiratory tract irritation. They can also contain nerve-damaging petroleum distillates or formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
Solutions
Polish furniture with a mixture of one teaspoon olive oil and one-half cup white vinegar, or look for solvent-free products that use mineral or plant oils, such as Earth Friendly furniture polish or Hope's lemon oil.
As your grandmother probably knows, silver can be kept clean with toothpaste. Copper can be polished using a cloth dipped in white vinegar or lemon juice with salt dissolved in it; just rinse with water when you're done. You can shine your brass with a paste made from one teaspoon salt, one cup white vinegar, and one cup flour. Or, use Kleen King copper and stainless steel cleaner, Twinkle copper and silver polishes, or Hope's brass and silver polishes.
Air Fresheners and Other Perfumed Products
Problems
Aerosol propellants contain flammable and nerve-damaging ingredients as well as tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs. Fragrances of all kinds can provoke allergic and asthmatic reactions.
Solutions
If the air outside is clean, open your windows and ventilate the natural way. An open box of baking soda removes odors. (If you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish, you can decant it from the box into a pretty bowl.) Cedar blocks or sachets of dried flowers and herbs provide gentle scents -- but avoid any potpourri that lists unspecified "fragrance" on the label; this could mean synthetic chemicals, including phthalates. Look for products scented with essential plant oils, such as lemon, verbena, or lavender.
Finally, we cannot stress enough that you should avoid aerosol sprays in any product, as they disperse ingredients through the air and make them easy to inhale. Even nontoxic ingredients can irritate eyes, noses, and lungs. Carelessly shaken powders can also spread through the air and cause irritation.
Now Get to It!
Most of the eco-friendly products mentioned above can be found in supermarkets or natural-food, hardware, and home-improvement stores -- or online. For more complete info and further tips, see the Green Guide website, and check out the green-cleaning advice in Grist's book, Wake Up and Smell the Planet.
And remember: When it comes to green cleaning, less is definitely more!
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Comments View as Flat
robin007 Posted 1:13 pm
26 Apr 2007
How to clean your house without hurting the enviro
what a great article. I am an exhibitor with my business at a "Community Baby Shower" event and a speaker as a Professional Organizer. I want to introduce a quick segment at the end about "green" cleaning. I have a "green" home and have been hearing more and more about it lately and I'm so glad. I saw Al Gore on another show and saw a couple say they basically cured their son of asthma by completly changing the products in their home to natural ones. It's important for us and our world.
Thanks!
Robin
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KateTheGreat Posted 7:07 am
20 Aug 2007
Great Article!
There is a lot of great information here.
Don't forget though, Ultraviolet light is the ultimate super-power in killing micro-organisms. Google it.
www.gethalo.com Check this out to sanitize your floors and mattresses without chemicals, and with ultraviolet light.
Be green people! Save the planet one household at a time:)
k
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Hodbrid Posted 11:54 am
10 Sep 2007
On Catalytic Converters
Your vehicle's catalytic converter plays an essential role in reducing harmful emissions. When your catalytic converter is working properly it successfully changes auto emissions into harmless water vapor. When your catalytic converter is malfunctioning, the pollutants leaving your vehicle can exacerbate local pollution levels.There are four ways for you to determine whether your catalytic converter needs replacing or not:1.Busted or rusted out converter body or end tubes.2.Small pieces of substrate in other areas of the exhaust system.3.No rattle in a pellitized converter (If the converter does not rattle, the pellets may have melted together or fallen out).4.A rattle in a monolithic converter (A rattle in this kind of converter indicates the substrate has separated.)If you are unable to determine failure your state, provincial, or local vehicle inspection program will reveal that to you the next time your car comes up for inspection. If your car fails its inspection, you will have to replace your catalytic converter before you car can be passed.Replacement of your catalytic converter is a procedure that can be done by professionals such as through your dealer's service department, through a muffler shop, or by a local garage. If you are handy, you can do the work yourself and save money on parts as well as on labor costs.Only purchase a catalytic converter that meets or exceeds your vehicle.I have here my catalytic converter and Dodge hitch, and I am well satisfied with it...Again, driving without a catalytic converter is illegal and the potential harm you create to the atmosphere simply isn't worth it
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stephanieh Posted 7:23 am
14 Oct 2007
Hold on to your cleaning tools
One overlooked aspect of cleaning green is holding onto your cleaning tools longer - you can actually clean your toilet bowl brush, for example, by filling its container with water and dropping in one or two denture tablets. This will let you produce less "cleaning tool waste"! My website, Cleaning-Green.Net has more tips like that, too! Great article - thanks.
-Stephanie
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greenpsi Posted 11:35 pm
01 Nov 2007
Vital Oxide
Vital Oxide is a superb green cleaner for around the home. Its great on bacteria such as MRSA, E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus as well as mold and mildew. The website is http://www.vitaloxide.com
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bwphoto Posted 10:24 am
11 Mar 2008
Green Product
We sell a green seal and EPA registered product that is listed on the Green Guide Website. Go to http://www.greencleansolutionsltd.com
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rfvanheest Posted 7:11 am
18 Apr 2008
Green Cleaning
What a great article! More people need to be aware of the dangers we have right at home. Another great line of green non-toxic cleaners is Melaleuca's Ecosense line (www.saferforyourhome.com). I can help anyone interested in setting up an account.
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yourgreenclub Posted 10:49 pm
21 Apr 2008
Conference Call Presentations
I wanted to let people know that I'm holding nation-wide Green Cleaning Conference Calls, I'll help people understand what the toxins in their home are doing, and what Shaklee's GetClean kit can do for them in terms of saving their health, the planet, and a whole lot of money. The schedule for my presentations is at Conference Call Schedule. I can also arrange toll-free one-on-one presentations if you Contact Me.
I hope everyone has a clean, green, happy & safe Earth Day!
Criss
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bsalaz Posted 3:36 am
20 May 2008
palm oil
This was an excellent article. I wanted to just mention that when it talks about the recommendation for using plant based oils in detergents, please you might want to add a disclaimer about palm oil. Glenn Hurowitz had an excellent op ed piece in recent L.A. Times about it's contribution to our climate crisis. Please see May 19, 2008 issue "Clean hair or clean air?".
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CJStewart Posted 7:27 am
20 May 2008
Long Live the Green! (and live long with green!)
Better Basics for the Home (Annie Bond) is a great book for making your own cleaners.
For My Kids makes good green cleaners and body products, too (www.formykidsonline.com).
Maggies Soap Nuts (www.maggiespureland.com) are awesome for washing and softening clothes.
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WWAGD?! Posted 11:44 pm
26 May 2008
Stick to the Basics
Arm and Hammer.
Lye soap.
Go 19th century.
Borax and witch hazel.
Will Mercurochrome be re-instated?
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Ian Hanington Posted 5:49 am
27 May 2008
DIY Green Cleaners
At the David Suzuki Foundation, we've been testing recipes for green cleaners and other household products:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/newsletters/ap ...
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aarondalton Posted 6:43 am
27 May 2008
Green cleaning standards
The article quotes Jeffrey Hollender as saying that 'natural' is undefined and unregulated by the government.
The article then cites Consumer Reports' website as saying that "because no standards exist, claims such as "nontoxic," "eco-safe," and "environmentally friendly" are also meaningless."
But there are a couple symbols you can look for on bottles and cans of cleaning products.
The EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) logo indicates that all product ingredients have been screened for harmful effects and that - to the best of the EPA's knowledge - the product contains ingredients that "pose the least concern among chemicals in their class" (both with regards to human and environmental health) http://epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/formulat/label.htm
Other products - such as car cleaning products - may have a logo from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) indicating health hazards, fire hazards, reactive hazards or other hazards. A four-zero rating means the product is extremely safe by those measurements.
- Aaron Dalton, Editor, 1GreenProduct.com
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redambrosia99 Posted 2:03 am
28 May 2008
More basics
Don't forget:
Vinegar! (you can get vinegar by the gallon at costco, it lasts forever (seriously, they found some on the seafloor of the mediterranian in an 4 thousand year old ship wreck!))
Castille Soap! Go Dr Bronner! woo!
Elbow grease! As my mom liked to say, Put your back into it! Anything will come off with a good scrub brush and some effort, and you get a work out to boot!
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greenhungry Posted 1:09 am
27 Jun 2008
Chemical-free cleaning, Vapor Steam Cleaners
You make some great points. What you didn't touch on, however, is not using chemicals at all! For the past 10 years our company has been educating consumers and businesses that finally, there's a feasible, environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals. Our company, Vapor Systems, offers vapor steam cleaners that use water to clean, sanitize, and deodorize most surfaces without chemicals. We're happy to be part of the Green Movement. Call us at 1-800-GO-VAPOR or visit us on the web at www.vapor-systems.com.
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GreenTeam Posted 12:17 pm
03 Jul 2008
Natural Cleaners
I know its a well kept secret, but ever sense I have found Melaleuca's Eco-Sense product line, I'll never go back! I stayed up till 4am reviewing every video, reading everything I could about their products online. I could not believe I had FINALLY found exactly what I had been seeking for years!
I love it so much, I've become a customer of theirs and now advocate for others to do the same that feel the way we do about detoxing our homes.
They don't just focus on environmental wellness, they have organic foods and healthy lifestyle options for everyone.
Try going to http://melaleuca.com and take the tour. If you've never heard of it, neither had I. Now I wouldn't live without it! Yes, I am a huge fan!
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GreenTeam Posted 12:27 pm
03 Jul 2008
Melaleuca
I do want to add that the products are very effective, super concentrated, and do exactly what they say they do. For the price/cost per use, I just can't find a better deal. I was surprised too - never thought I'd believe it, but now, I'm just plain convinced.
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GreenTeam Posted 11:08 pm
05 Jul 2008
Melaleuca Conference Call
If you go to http://melaleuca.com and TAKE THE TOUR first and would like to be a customer ; we have conference calls every Sunday at 4pm and 7pm Eastern where you can learn more about the products and how to convert your home in one day to all no-tox products and if interested, earn some extra money showing your friends how to as well.
The conference call number is (269) 320-8400 and the Access Code is 548117#
After the conference call, email me at greenteam@saferforytourhome.com with a good time to call you to enroll. If you cannot make the call, just email or call me for a one on one introduction to the products.
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GreenTeam Posted 11:09 pm
05 Jul 2008
Corrected email addy
oops - email is greenteam@saferforyourhome.com
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greenhungry Posted 9:30 am
08 Jul 2008
New name, same technology.
As of today, Vapor Systems is now 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com. You can buy steam cleaners on our new website, 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com. Go green!
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Green Start Posted 1:53 am
16 Jul 2008
If you cant clean yourself
There are more and more GREEN CLEANING SERVICES, I started one in Murfreesboro, TN. www.greenstartcs.com You can visit my website to get more info. We need to change the way we live and clean. We all need to start somehow.
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chellyroo Posted 3:51 am
20 Aug 2008
SAVE THE EARTH, SAVE YOUR SKIN, SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Great article, I hope it motivates many people to try some of the great alternatives there are to commercial detergents and toxic household cleaners. Soapnuts are really the best eco-friendly choice for cleaning your laundry when you consider that not only are they totally organic, non-toxic, chemical free, biodegradable, hypoallergenic and fragrance free, but they have virtually no packaging, no manufacturing other than being sustainably harvested and packaged for shipping (and let's face it, whatever you use, it has to be shipped from SOMEwhere!) www.BuySoapNutsHere.com has more information
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Byzantium Posted 9:58 am
21 Aug 2008
Question About Superbugs
Alright, everybody knows that using antibacterial soaps are bad because they eventually build microbe's resistance, creating "superbugs".
Why then do you say this, while at the same time encouraging the use of vinegar as an antibacterial? Doesn't anything that kills "bugs" create the same problem? This includes every "environmentally friendly" antibacterial from green tea to tea tree. Shouldn't we just, I don't know, wash our hands after we go to the bathroom, cook our meat well, and other than that, develope some natural resistance to bacteria other than making out houses uber "clean"?
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jice Posted 5:38 pm
10 Sep 2008
Opinion about a healthy way of living.
It's not hard or inconvenient to live a healthy lifestyle. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day -- yes, going up the stairs rather than the elevator or parking further from the store will get you toward that goal. At home, in designing decors, choose the best furniture stores and best home designers to access you how to do decorating in a safety way. Limit the amount of fat and sugar and alcohol you consume. Eat a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables; if you eat meat, concentrate on leaner cuts or fish and save the steak for an occasional splurge. Get regular checkups and address any health concerns promptly, rather than assuming something will go away on its own. Always wear a seatbelt, don't speed, and keep an eye on basic safety rules on the road and at home. Finally, remember that there are no safe recreational drugs. Even something relatively benign like pot still has health repurcussions: There's a lot of room between "it won't make you drop dead" and "it's good for you."
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jenanne Posted 3:06 pm
14 Nov 2008
Be nature friendly!
I used to collect several rustic furniture and I'm always very careful on cleaning them. I have my own natural ways not to hurt the environment but this information you have shared is very informative and can really be useful.
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