green cleaning products/ practices help

[moderngal]

I have 2 cleaning ladies that I love, but are not so green. I have switched to mostly green products (with a few old ones that I will replace when they are finished) and Seventh Generation paper towels. I'd like to go 100% green cleaners and have them use rags instead of paper towels. However, they seem to be a bit resistant. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get them a bit more "green?" And any specific suggestions for products that they may be more willing to use? A shower/ tile cleaner? Oven cleaner? window cleaner?
thanks!!

[ahdoula]

I hear getting cleaning ladies to comply is often a problem. I knew some other moms that would just call around and do phone interviews with that as their first question. I would think if you were providing them with store bought or already mixed homeade options they would be ok with it. Maybe do some of the recpies from Clean Home Clean Planet and print out pretty lables to put on the bottles to make then look more housekeeper friendly (instead of "the blue bottle is for windows, the red capped one for the shower, ect")

[Naturalyst]

If they are resistent it would be harder, I think, to switch them to homemade products (like vinegar and water solutions) or diluted solutions of concentrated green cleaners in generic spray bottles than to brand products. So, I'll stick to brands.

Seventh Generation's Glass and Surface Cleaner (I think that's the name) is not even a compromise - it works beautifully on mirrors and windows and doesn't streak.

BabyGanics makes a floor cleaner that works better than anything I've used - green or not green. I know it is available at Babies R Us and a few other places. Otherwise, I'd suggest either BioKleen or Mrs. Meyers all-purpose in a bucket of warm water for floors

BioKleen makes a soy-based soft scrubber that's nice for sinks, tubs and tile. (For the kitchen at work I've been using a very thick slurry of baking soda and Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds in an old, plastic brand bottle with the label removed. I throw in a few drops of orange oil for added cleaning power and the sniff factor - I like orange. My co-workers assume the cleaning lady keeps refilling from a big bottle of 'something'! )

Method makes a nice wood furniture cleaner. The label doesn't give away its earth-friendliness and Method uses enough fragrance that it will appeal to someone used to non-green.

Good luck.

[moderngal]

Naturalyst-- yes!! that's exactly my issue. I think it'll be so much easier to give them store bought products. Otherwise, I know they've brought their own in and I really want to avoid that.
Thank you for your suggestions.

[SweetAngels]

WOW! Thanks for some great suggestions. I'm the cleaning lady at our house and I'm trying to go more green. I will checkout some of these products.

Sandy

[fiesta'smom]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get them a bit more "green?"

: Offer to pay them more??: Just kidding! I used to clean houses! I would imagine the reason that they are reluctant is because the natural cleaners do tend to require a bit more elbow grease than the more natural products. Also a lot of the reluctance is because they have cleaning down to a science and don't want to change their routine. I don't clean houses anymore and I do use mostly green cleaners in my own home. After using professional cleaners for years, I really do think that the others take a bit more elbow grease to use. It's certainly worth it to ME, but if they are working harder, they probably should be paid for their time and effort.

Another angle is to remind them how much better the green cleaners are for their OWN health. I used get a chemical induced bronchitis frequently when I was cleaning houses. Bleach products and those "tiny scrubbing bubbles" were usually to blame.: : : It took my lungs years to recover from my cleaning days.

And if I can put in a suggestion for protecting the cleaning ladies...don't have them do anything you wouldn't be willing to do. Looking back, cleaning really damaged my body!! I used to be responsible for vacuuming one ancient boiler system off once or twice a year in one home. Can you say asbestos? I can't believe I did that willingly (more like blindly)! You probably don't have those issues if you live in a new home. This one was built in 1900 or so.

Good luck with converting them! Can't blame you for trying!

[fiesta'smom]

As a former cleaning lady can I offer one more suggestion? If you get them to use rags, please wash the rags separately in hot water, and without fabric softeners or dryer sheets of ANY kind. Please forgive me for even suggesting it if you already know that! I just had a lot of problems with this at one house and had to resort to bringing my own rags, which was a pain, because I also had to then take them home and wash them myself.

If you choose microfiber cloths (they might be way more willing if you would provide these lovely things instead of "rags") be sure to wash those separately from any other type of fabric too. There are special microfibers just for glass and mirrors, and some for picking up large amounts of liquids (like wiping down the wet shower), and some for basic cleaning. In the wash, microfiber, with it's amazing ability to attract dirt, attracts all of the lint from the other fabrics in the wash!

My favorite "rags" are old 100% cotton floursack towels that have outlived their life in the kitchen. I also have a variety of microfibers. If I wipe down my shower tile and faucet every time we use it with microfiber it stays clean for weeks at a time! It's amazing stuff!