family tools
choose a tool resource directory
find a practitioner parenting toolbox product safety media reviews family fun guide send an e-card family astrology

community features choose a feature birth stories find a Mothering friend live chat mothers' writing group teen voices

	body & soul mindful home management

Clean Green
By Linda Mason Hunter
Issue 141, March-April 2007

We all have at least an inkling that conventional cleaners are among the most harmful products we can bring into our houses. Still, when looking for more natural choices, it's easy to feel lost amid all the data and small-print labeling. But the search is not that difficult, once you know where to look and what to look for.

We in the US want whiter than white, a sparkling toilet bowl, and air that smells like a pine forest. The cleaning-products aisle of a typical grocery store contains more than 400 synthetic products—everything from all-purpose cleaners, disinfectants, carpet cleaners, polishes, and pesticides, to stain removers, oven cleaners, toilet-bowl deodorizers, and air fresheners. Our near-obsession with cleanliness has become an $18 billion industry that pollutes the environment, harms our bodies, and endangers future generations.

We've become dependent on all these chemicals. Whenever we have a housekeeping problem—a coffee stain, a moldy shower curtain, a dirty kitchen floor—we reach for a commercial product concocted in a laboratory—a brew of harsh chemicals designed to get the job done quickly, but almost never gently or even safely.

The fact is, we don't need harsh chemicals to clean our houses. Gentler, 'green' cleaners work just as well. They may take a bit more elbow grease, but they smell fresh and won't pollute indoor air, countertops, or your children's beds. Green means seeking out the solution that is least harmful to the environment and human health. If you live green, you strive to reduce your negative impact on the planet in small, everyday ways, living with nature instead of trying to subdue it. It means choosing alternatives that don't have adverse effects on your home, your health, and the environment.

Conventional Cleaners: How Harmful Are They?

Conventional commercial cleaners are composed entirely of synthetic chemicals: compounds made in laboratories, not found in nature. More than 75,000 synthetic chemicals are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),¹ and over 300 billion pounds of them are produced each year in the US alone.² Only a fraction of these substances have been tested for chronic toxicity.³ Practically no research has been done on synergistic effects—what happens when these chemicals mix and mingle with each other, which is exactly what happens in indoor air.⁴ Many of these chemicals are prohibited from workplaces by Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations⁵—but we bring them into our homes.

We're just beginning to understand the harm that can come from long-term exposure to these chemicals, day after day, week after week, month after month—which is exactly how we use them. Scientific studies link chemicals commonly found in the home with allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.⁶ Such ill effects as asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, circulatory disorders, Parkinson's disease, and hormonal problems may also be linked to synthetic chemicals.⁷

A recent noteworthy study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts's Lowell Center for Sustainable Production examined the vast body of research on the subject of synthetic chemicals and cancer and came to one clear conclusion: the risk posed by exposure to household and workplace chemicals is responsible for far more cases of cancer than previously realized or acknowledged. The report went so far as to attribute tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths and illnesses each year to the chemical industry.⁸

What are these chemicals, exactly? Their names come right out of a Chemistry 101 textbook. Here are a few of the most common:

• Alkyphenols: Found in multi-surface cleaners and liquid laundry detergents. May disrupt hormones.
• Aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene, organic solvents, trichloroethane): Used in degreasers, deodorizers, air fresheners, all-purpose cleaners, liquid laundry detergents, pesticides. Possible carcinogens and toxic to the central nervous system.
• Butyl cellosolve: Found in metal polishes and grease removers. A petroleum-based solvent that can irritate nasal passages and cause liver and kidney damage.
• Chlorinated compounds: Found in sanitizing and bleaching agents, dry-cleaning solvents, tub and tile cleaners, pesticides. The number-one cause of childhood poisoning. May cause reproductive, endocrine, and immune disorders.
• Petroleum distillates: Found in floor waxes, furniture polishes, degreasers, all-purpose cleaners. Can damage lungs and dissolve fatty tissues around nerve cells.
• Phthalates: Found in air fresheners and multipurpose cleaners. May cause birth defects and reproductive disorders.

These products evaporate into the air even when they're stored, especially if the caps aren't tight. You get a whiff of their unnatural odors just walking down the cleaning-products aisle of your neighborhood grocery store. You can tell they're harsh during use because they redden your hands, or make your eyes water or your nose run.

Make the Switch Today

Eliminating synthetic disinfectants and cleaning products will go a long way toward reducing your family's exposure to harmful chemicals. You'll greatly reduce the risk of accidentally poisoning children and pets, and limit your household's negative impact on the local water supply.

The switch to eco-friendly cleaners needn't be expensive. Chances are you'll use fewer, more concentrated products. If your local supermarket chain doesn't carry eco-cleaners, check out natural-food stores, websites such as www.seventhgeneration.com, and independent distributors, like Shaklee, which has an excellent line of earth-friendly cleaners.

Commercial eco-cleaners come in handy when a do-it-yourself recipe won't get the job done. For example, it's particularly important to use a nontoxic treatment when cleaning carpets—the cleaning product may persist in your home, and get kicked up into the air during normal wear and every time you vacuum. Where make-your-own recipes may suffice for day-to-day carpet cleaners, those deep cleanings twice a year require something more substantial.

Learn how to read labels.

It's trickier to read what's printed on the packaging of cleaning products than the labels on foods because the law does not require that all cleaning-product ingredients be listed. Trade secrets are exempt, as are inert ingredients, so consumers have little to go on beyond such mandated signal words as danger, warning, and caution, which in any case warn only of acute exposure, not long-term chronic exposure. When investigating whether a company has green credentials, look for these words and phrases:

• Biodegradable in three to five days
• Plant-based
• Hypoallergenic
• Formulated without dye or synthetic fragrance
• Nonflammable
• Contains no phosphates
• Contains no chlorine
• Contains no petroleum products
• Contains no ammonia, acids, alkalis, solvents, nitrates, or borates

Because the words nontoxic and natural have no legal definitions, they mean nothing when applied to household cleaners. And organic means one thing when applied to food (where it means grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers), another when applied to chemistry (where it means carbon-based, a type of compound that can be very harmful to humans).

When in doubt, obtain a Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which some manufacturers make available on their websites. While not a complete source of information, an MSDS can be a useful tool. A document a manufacturer is required by law to provide, it lists chemical substances, precautions for safe handling and use, and known health effects.

Searching for truly 'green' eco-cleaners is worth the extra effort—your home is a place where you can take control. By switching to healthy cleaners, you do your part to make the earth—and your home—a healthier place for all living things.

Grandmas' Recipes

When it comes to housekeeping, I take cues from my grandmothers, Nelle and Hasel, who were both born in the 1890s, before the advent of synthetic cleaning products. Though they used vinegar and water for most household cleaning tasks, each had a few baking-soda tricks up her sleeve. Today we'd call such habits 'green.' Here are a few of their no-mess, no-fuss recipes:

Air freshener: Put some cloves in a pan of water and simmer it on the stove. For bathroom odors, a simple lit match often does the trick.

Disinfectant: Vinegar is a good natural disinfectant. But if you have newborns or immunosuppressed family members who need microbiocidal action, a commercial disinfectant is called for.

Drain cleaner: Dissolve greasy clogs by mixing 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup distilled white vinegar in boiling water. Pour the solution down the drain and cover with a drain plug for several minutes. Flush with tap water until it clears.

Fabric softener: Add ¼ cup distilled white vinegar to your machine's wash cycle.

Floors: In a bucket, mix 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar and 1 gallon warm water. After washing floors, rinse with water. Don't leave large pools of water to dry.

Mildew remover: Mix vinegar with water, or sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge to clean affected areas. Proper ventilation and dehumidifiers can reduce or eliminate the growth of mildew and mold.

Oven: Commercial oven cleaners are among the most dangerous household cleaning products. Prevention comes first: line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil, under but not touching the heating element (if the oven is electric). When spills occur, simply replace the foil. Or clean up spills as they happen: let the oven cool, sprinkle salt on the spill, then wipe away the spill and wash the area clean. To clean a badly crusted oven, sprinkle it with baking soda and spray with water. Allow it to sit several hours or overnight. Scrape off the stains and spills, then thoroughly wash the oven with hot water.

Scouring Powder: Lightly sprinkle baking soda onto dirty surface. Wipe with a sponge. Rinse well.

Shower Walls and Tiles: Although bathrooms are particularly susceptible to mold, mildew, and harmful bacteria, to get a bathroom truly clean you don't need industrial disinfectants, chlorine bleaches, and other dangerous chemicals. Plant-based cleaners and essential oils with antiseptic properties are smart alternatives.

In commercial products, look for such ingredients as borax, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, and pine oil—all are good, nontoxic fighters of mold and mildew.

Countertops, Sinks, Tubs: My favorite make-your-own recipe is a soft scrub that smells fresh and won't redden your hands. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with liquid castile soap into a creamy paste. Use a sponge to apply and clean; rinse surface.

Windows: Try spraying club soda on the window and wipe with a clean linen towel. Or clean with 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar in 1 quart warm water.

NOTES
1. US Environmental Protection Agency, New Chemicals Program, "What Is the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory?": www.epa.gov/opptintr/newchems/pubs/invntory.htm.

2. "Our Chemical World, and Our Dilemma," The New Environmental Health, NIH Publication 02-5081 (April 2003): www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/ead/chemical.htm.

3. Personal communications with Charles A. O'Connor III, Esq., specialist in the Toxic Substances Control Act, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Washington, DC; and Doug Fratz, Vice President of Scientific and Technical Affairs for the Consumer Specialty Products Association (both: 10-11 December 2006).

4. Ibid.

5. "Do Household Cleaners Have to Be Toxic?": www.seventhgeneration.com/household_hazards.

6. Personal communication with David A. Sterling, PhD, CIH, Director of Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, St. Louis University (11 December 2006).

7. Ibid.

8. Richard Clapp, DSc, Genevieve Howe, MPH, and Molly Jacobs Lefevre, MPH, "Environmental & Occupational Causes of Cancer: A Review of Recent Scientific Literature," Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, University of Massachusetts Lowell (September 2005): www.sustainableproduction.org/downloads/Causes%20of%20Cancer.pdf.

© Copyright 2006, Linda Mason Hunter; may not be reprinted without permission of the author.

Linda Mason Hunter is the author of Creating a Safe & Healthy Home (CPI, 2005; $21.95) and Green Clean (Melcher Media, 2005; $16.95).