This Green Home: The Dirt on Cleaning Products

Spring cleaning is in the air; don't let the toxic fumes ruin your spring green home cleaning. Wearing a mask, shielding your children and pets, and concerns about getting burned are all issues of cleaning past. Over the past five years, we have learned remarkable things about cleaning products, including that they do a lot more than clean when it comes to our health both personally and environmentally. With an increasing number of toxic exposure reports, internal health issues, and ecological damage accruing due to toxic 'cleaning' chemicals, are these harsh chemicals necessary?

The resounding answer is 'no' after doing some sleuthing into ingredient lists and scientific studies linking personal health and ecological damage to cleaning chemicals. Some healthier remedies have been around for ages and are still more effective and less harmful than their chemical-laden commercial counterparts. There are also new companies using the LCA and science-based sustainability to guide their products innovation.

Follow these clean and green (home) tips to stay on top of your scrubbing game:

What to watch for…

If it says toxic, biohazard, poisonous, or has any other warning signs, it does not belong in your green home. By getting into a cleaning routine and using gentle but effective cleaners that are appropriate for the specific surface you are cleaning. By doing so you can eliminate hazardous cleaners from your home, family, health and environment. Watch out for cleaners that contain corrosive materials, synthetic fragrances, or sudsing agents. The most common sudsing agent, laurel sodium sulfate, is an additive that creates that bubbly sensation we associate with being clean.

On the microscopic level, sudsing agents and surfactants are harsh on your skin after repeated exposure and actually have an impact on skin cell division according to the Surfactant Science Series. The majority of commercial cleaners' sudsing agents and chemical additives are connected to cancer and hormone disruptors as well. These same ingredients including phosphates, are toxic to soil and water systems as well and have been found in the majority of environmental sites tested. Antibacterial soaps have also come under fire recently.

What you can do…

Watch for eco-labels. This is another case of unregulated and undefined terminology, so look for specific claims or third party certifications. Biodegradability should have a projected time span, such as 3 to 5 days. Third party certifications such as Greenguard, can be helpful. Ingredients that are derived from plants are typically more benign than those from petroleum regarding health.

You can make your own using ingredients that have been tested on human health and the environment for a number of years. Here are the top five ingredients recommended by the Organic Consumer Association that are great for your green home: soap, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and borax. Using a few safe products that can be used throughout your green home can reduce the amount of money you spend on cleaning products and your health over the long term.

Toxic cleaners should be safely disposed of at your county's household hazardous waste collection site for safe disposal. Local governments should have information about proper disposal and recycling options on their websites or available via hotlines.

Photo Credit: Rodale Institute.