Cleaning Products

Go Green OSH mentioned PAINT as a major contributor to indoor air quality. Another major source is the fumes from cleaning products, many of which contain petrolchemicals. To reduce our carbon footprint as well as improve our own health, green products are a huge step in the right direction.

The 1990 Toronto Indoor Air Conference reported that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. A 15-year study concluded that it was a direct result of the much higher exposure rate to toxic chemicals in common household products. A 1985 E.P.A. report suggested that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution. The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that of chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been conclusively linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities.

There are many alternatives to common cleaners - baking soda, vinegar, natural soaps, and also green-made products. I'd love to have a discussion about which types people prefer. Vinegar is bad for those with cats as the smell is so close to cat urine that territoriality issues with the cleaning product sometimes becomes a behavioral problem. I've choosen a local company's products - carbon footprint is low because shipping is local - and they clean wonderfully. I used to use 7th Generation products but I prefer now to support a local business (and they are very very nice people). I use their all purpose cleaner, their glass cleaner, their loo goo (for bathrooms), and their laundry products including laundry soap, stain remover, and heavy duty stain remover. I can't say enough about how well they work. (www.greenmancleaning.com). You can order their products by using the phone number on their website!