Green Clean. Jill Potvin Schoff
crops such as corn and soybeans—ironically, often the main ingredients in vegetable-based cleaning products—are grown with pesticides and herbicides. Eventually these chemicals, however minute in quantity, find their way back into the water.
Oil refineries and other manufacturing plants, all part of the cleaning industry, produce a lot of waste. And sometimes they are allowed to dump it into lakes and rivers. For instance, in August 2007, the BP oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana, was in the news because it was issued a new permit to release significantly more ammonia and “suspended solids” into Lake Michigan. (See the appendix for information on the dangers of ammonia).
Cleaning products we use at home make their way into our water systems.
When cleaning products are used at home in sinks, toilets, showers, dishwashers, and washing machines, they make their way into lakes, streams, and rivers through septic systems and wastewater treatment plants.
The old saying “what goes around comes around” is certainly true when it comes to the chemicals that get into our water. They almost always make their way back into our bodies. Even if the drinking water in your area isn’t contaminated, chemicals may get into the irrigation systems used for crops or to feed livestock—so it comes back around to you in your food.
For further reading on cleaning chemicals and their health and environmental impacts, I recommend Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning by Jeffrey Hollender, Geoff Davis, and Meika Hollender.
Even small contributions to the green movement can help keep our water sparkling.
Green cleaning can be a real money-saver, too.
Finding Quality Eco-Products
If you wish to buy ready-made environmentally friendly products, your best bet is a health-food store. There are plenty of independent stores out there, and Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are two national chains that specialize in eco-friendly products.
It’s often better to evaluate a company rather than one specific product. Do some research on the company and take a look at its website and its packaging. Some companies are guilty of what’s called “green washing”—they have an eco-sounding name and packaging, and they say they are nontoxic, but when it comes right down to it, they differ little from their conventional counterparts. Anyone can use words such as nontoxic, all-natural, and environmentally friendly because there are no regulations preventing them from doing so.
Look for companies that follow all or most of these policies:
They reveal all ingredients on their labels, and the ingredient names are specific, not vague.
Their products are “readily biodegradable” within days (not years).
Their products contain plant-based ingredients, not petroleum-based ones.
They use natural essential oils instead of artificial fragrances, or their products are fragrance-free.
Read labels at the store and avoid the following:
Any product with the words poison, warning, or danger on the label (the word caution is OK).
Ingredients with chemical names that include chlor, phenol, glycol, or end in -ene.
Any product that is “combustible” or “flammable.”
Any product that should be used in a well-ventilated room.
What You Can Do
So how do you protect yourself, your loved ones, and the earth from the thousands of chemicals that are out there? Well, greening up your cleaning is a great place to start. By sticking to ingredients that have been used for hundreds of years with no known toxic effects and purchasing products from reputable companies that have demonstrated a significant commitment to the environment, you can greatly reduce the harmful chemicals in your life.
Humans have been cleaning their homes since we first established permanent settlements around 10,000 years ago. Most chemicals in use today have been created in the last seventy-five years. It helps to remember this when you think about giving up conventional cleaners. They aren’t necessary. The best and safest cleaning products are those that have been around forever. You probably have them in your kitchen already: baking soda, vinegar, borax, lemon juice, liquid soap, and club soda. Check out chapter 2 to find out all about these basic ingredients and how to combine them in simple recipes to clean just about every surface in your home.
I’ve covered many compelling reasons to switch to green cleaning in this chapter. An added benefit is that it can save you money. If you make at least a few of your own cleaners at home from my recipes, you will be amazed at just how cheap cleaning can be. Most of the ingredients can be purchased in bulk. Baking soda, for example, is available in 12-pound (0.9 kg) bags. If you’re truly on a budget, you won’t need anything besides liquid soap, baking soda, and vinegar—those three products can clean your whole house!
Green Fact
According to the American Lung Association, the EPA ranks poor indoor air quality among the top five risks to public health. The EPA reports that levels of air pollution inside the home can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels.
Versatile products, such as baking soda, can be used for everything from cleaning your oven to brushing your teeth.
Chapter 2
Your New Cleaning Arsenal
When I first changed my cleaning methods, I just started buying nontoxic brands at my local health-food store. It simply made sense to me because it’s always better to be safe than sorry. But my son’s allergy to detergents forced me to really get back to basics. And basics are what this chapter is all about.
I was amazed at how well these simple ingredients work. I found myself regaling my friends with stories of my latest baking-soda cleaning triumph. And when I discovered essential oils, I really started to enjoy things. It’s like aromatherapy every time I clean. Don’t get me wrong—cleaning is still something I’d rather avoid—but using homemade cleaners is as good as it gets.
“Toss out the chemicals and load up on vinegar, baking soda, lemons, and soap.”
Cleaner by Cleaner
Every green cleaner should have the following ingredients at home:
Liquid Soap
A mild liquid soap can be used to clean almost anything and it is an ingredient in most of the recipes I’ve listed at the end of this chapter. I recommend a true soap product, such as Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. A plant-based hand-dishwashing detergent from a reputable nontoxic brand, such as Seventh Generation, would be my second choice. Liquid soap may seem expensive at first, but it is concentrated, and a little goes a long way. A gallon seems to last forever.
Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
Baking soda is a naturally occurring mineral. I rely more on it than any other single cleaning ingredient. It removes odor, softens water, dissolves dirt and grime, scrubs soap scum, unclogs drains, cleans ovens, and more. It truly is the first “miracle” cleaning product. In fact, using baking-soda paste on my glass shower doors convinced me that I no longer needed any conventional cleaning products.
Borax