Keeping Green When Keeping House

Cleaning your home shouldn’t involve wholesale destruction of our environment.  This amazing article was written by James Glave, Cyberhomes Contributor
Published: July 10, 2009.  So directly related to my favorite subject, Indoor Air Quality!

Shortly after the Second World War, America decided that the old ways of cleaning house simply weren’t cutting it anymore. With the availability of new chemicals and the advent of television marketing, a vision of a new clean emerged — an ever-whiter-and-brighter, utterly flawless, 100-percent-sterile spic-and-span kitchen and bath utopia.

The problem: The dream called for frequent and generous applications of chlorine, ammonia, lye and phosphates. Sometimes, when push came to shove, it demanded acetone, formaldeyde and phosphoric acid. Household-cleaner manufacturers didn’t and largely still don’t list these ingredients on their labels — some states are only now starting to require them to do so — but to ease any potential concern, they marketed their potions with bright colors and reassuring fragrances such as “mountain forest.”

There are many good reasons to now revisit this toxic dream and start thinking a little more green. The environmental legal group EarthJustice has exposed links between chemicals found in common household cleaners and respiratory irritation, asthma and allergies. Then there’s the aquatic and marine life to consider, which marinates in our happy-housewife cocktail at the far end of your pipe.

Myriad effective yet vastly more responsible green cleaning options now exist. Brands such as Seventh Generation, Ecover and 365 — the Whole Foods private label — offer cleaning products largely derived from plant-based sources. And America is taking notice; some of these companies report 40 percent annual growth. However, even the all-natural bucket-and-mop brigade sometimes has its challenges.

This recently came to light when the Organic Consumers Association watchdog group released test results revealing measurable levels of the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane in cleaners made by popular “natural” brands. Those companies quickly reformulated to remove the offending compound — a previously undisclosed byproduct of the process used to transform plant oils into grease cutters. But despite the minimal price premiums these products demand over their neon-hued brethren, and odd missteps like the 1,4-dioxane goof, you’re still doing better for all of us if you choose a green cleaning product at the store.

Put your hands together for acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as vinegar and baking soda. While neither will kill bacteria, they will take care of most household grime without requiring you to hang an OSHA safety card on the laundry-room cupboard. Add water and use baking soda (about $2 a box) as a paste; vinegar (also about $2 for a bottle) works as a straight solution. And by the way, before you go calling us purists, it’s OK to use diluted bleach occasionally where disinfection is needed.