I was first introduced to green cleaning products over fifteen year ago at an allergy clinic. They recommended a particular brand to all of their patients because they were hypoallergenic. I had never heard of green anything except in the rainbow!
But boy, was I happy to be going green. All along, I thought I just hated to clean. OK, well, I’m still not crazy about it. BUT, using cleaning products that don’t make me sick has made a huge difference. Green cleaning products are not just good for the environment, they are better for us! They are non-toxic to the waterways AND our airways. They don’t pollute the fields OR our skin. Green and non-toxic – a double treat!
Some people say they don’t like green cleaning products because the house doesn’t smell clean afterwards. It’s true. Green cleaners typically don’t have the strong chemical smell or added fragrance of traditional household cleaners. But do you know what else you’re missing when you miss the smell?
- You’re missing an increased risk of cancer.
- You’re missing respiratory irritation.
- You’re missing a greater chance of asthma for yourself or your children.
- You’re missing an association with allergies, birth defects and psychological disorders.
Give me a smell-less clean any day!
Are there some green cleaning products that are greener than others? Just what makes green cleaning products environmentally friendly anyway? There are several things.
First, they should not contain harmful chemicals like phosphates, borates or nitrates; you know, the things that kill the plants and wildlife exposed to the runoff.
Then, the ingredients that they DO contain should be truly biodegradable, breaking down easily and quickly into natural compounds like carbon dioxide and water.
And finally, the greenest of the green cleaning products are concentrated, meaning you add your own water to a small amount of the concentrate. This can keep hundreds of pounds of packaging waste from filling the landfills. It also drastically reduces the amount of weight being shipped cross-country, thereby reducing pollution related to the movement of freight.
My favorite thing about green cleaning products has to be that they are non-toxic. I can inhale while cleaning and not cough. I don’t have to spray, then hold my breath. I don’t get headaches from cleaning. Do you know what I mean?
Did the pope endorse using green cleaning products? Well, not exactly. But the late Pope John Paul II did say “…a new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge which, rather than being downplayed, ought to be encouraged to develop into concrete programs and initiatives.” He also acknowledged, in his 1990 World Day of Peace message, that world peace is threatened (among many other things) by a “lack of due respect for nature.” Exercising due care for the environment is certainly within the scope of this teaching.
Have you heard of the soon to be released book “Green Goes With Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet” by Sloan Barnett? Featuring green cleaning products and much more, Dr. John Spengler of the Harvard School of Public Health says, “Sloan Barnett has written a thoroughly researched, highly readable handbook for ‘cleaning up our act’ at home. Follow even a little of her advice, and your children will eat healthier, breathe cleaner air, and learn for themselves how to identify and avoid potentially toxic materials.” Promises to be a good read. Look for it at Amazon.com beginning in October.
I know women who shy away from green cleaning products because they are uncomfortable with the political baggage that comes with the package. While some sound the cry of global warming, others think it’s a sham.
For me, the politics of the issue are irrelevant. It’s just a common sense thing. We know the earth’s resources are not inexhaustible. We know there are practices that harm our natural resources. And now we know there are easy, effective things we can do to be good caretakers of the environment, for this and future generations. Seems like a no-brainer to me.