critiquing "the house"

[Robert Goodman]

The magazine sent its weekly highlights e-mail, and included was an article, "Clean Green" by Linda Mason Hunter. I find much to take issue with therein.

If you live green,...[i]t means choosing alternatives that don't have adverse effects on your home, your health, and the environment.

Good, defining terms.

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.

True, but in most cases there's no reason to suspect synergistic effects, which is why it hasn't been worth people's while to experiment on those possibilities instead of doing other research.

Alkyphenols: Found in multi-surface cleaners and liquid laundry detergents. May disrupt hormones.

Noted. See below.

Aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene, organic solvents

Not all organic solvents are aromatic.

trichloroethane)

No, belongs under "chlorinated compounds".

Chlorinated compounds: ...The number-one cause of childhood poisoning.

No, unchlorinated substances (such as aspirin, iron, kerosene) are involved more often.

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

Gee, what's left after that last bit??!

Air freshener: Put some cloves in a pan of water

But you warned against alkylphenols.

For bathroom odors, a simple lit match often does the trick.

But you said nonflammable!

Vinegar is a good natural disinfectant.

But you said no acids!

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

No way! The baking soda & vinegar react much too fast. You might as well use plain boiling water as that. Put dry baking soda in the drain, and pour vinegar in after it; they have to react in situ.

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

There's that acid again. You're allowed to use it yourself, but a company can't if it wants "green credentials"?

To clean a badly crusted oven, sprinkle it with baking soda

You said no alkali!

let the oven cool, sprinkle salt on the spill

You said no chlorine!

In commercial products, look for such ingredients as borax,

You said no alkali and no borates!! Make up your mind, will you!?

and pine oil—all are good, nontoxic fighters of mold and mildew.

You said no solvents!

liquid castile soap

You said no alkali!

Robert

[maxwill129]

Robert, I may not agree wtih everything you say, but this cracks me up! I totally agree with you that whoever wrote that article was way off base!

[Naturalyst]

Sad, isn't it - that Mothering didn't vet that article?

Increasingly, I find "authorities" on 'green' cleaning lack even basic understanding of chemistry. Its not surprising so many people are confused and, sometimes, needlessly fearful.