Staying Green and Clean - Green Home Cleaning Products

Everyone is going green.  Okay, maybe not green as dollars but the trend is to go green in regard to being healthy and keeping the environment protected and nurtured.  Mankind is realizing that we are stewards of the wonders around us and need to take better care of it.  We started out looking at the obvious pollutants with cars and factories, but were you aware of how toxic your own home is?  Look under the kitchen sink and read the ingredients.  Most of us couldn’t even read the words.  And we put this stuff in our sink, on our cabinets, on our plates!  But what do we do?  Most of us have used these trusted products for years.  Our mothers used some of this.  We’re still alive and kicking (or are we?????). 

Research has shown how toxic much of what we have been cleaning with over the last thirty or forty years has actually been doing harm to ourselves and to the environment around us. The dirty water and the chemicals used to clean the cabinets gets poured out onto the flower bed. They begin to wilt. These chemicals are not in the flower manuals to feed these precious things. So, we need cleaning supplies that will get the job done without hurting us or nature.

In response to this growing concern, companies began to make products that appealed to the eco-minded cleaner. The only problem is that currently there are no standards in place. What exactly “green” means to the company producing laundry detergent might not mean the same as what the consumer is thinking. What about the other phrases such as “natural”, “eco-friendly”, “environmentally safe”? Upon deeper reading of the product you might find that it is not as “green” as you originally imagined. More researching is needed.

But rest assured that other companies are truly looking into what “green” means. In fact, many new companies are arising up to lead the charge.

Seventh Generation is a well-known one that is leading the charge. You can find eco-friendly baby products, laundry supplies and household cleaners. All ingredients are listed, and the products are non-toxic and bio-degradable. This is one company you have got to check out.

Nature’s Source is actually a division of SC Johnson. All of their ingredients are plant-based and the water is purified. A whole list of the products are available at their website.

Safe to Clean is a full line of home and industrial products. They are very confident in their “green” products that they test them against others that are more commonly known. They stand up so well that they offer $15 off the first order of $100 or more.

Greenhome.com has a ton of “green” products. They are bio-degradable and safe for your home. One product that I personally use is the Charlie’s Soap. It is so eco-friendly that you can use your laundry water to water your plants. It is great and really gets the clothes clean.

GreenPeople.org is a site that lists all companies that promote “green” products.

Maybe you really want to be economical and green and instead of looking to the future of products you will look to the past at what our great-grandparents used. Most of what they used is safe and much of it is still in your pantry. If you have baking soda and vinegar, you pretty much have all your cleaning needs.

Want to deodorize? Use baking soda

Want to disinfect? Use herbs like lavender and sage

Want to get rid of the grease? Use vinegar

Want to kill bacteria? Lemon is your answer

Want to kill the mold in the bathroom? Use the borax

Unclog a drain? Baking soda and hot water

Get stains out of hard surfaces? Use the borax

Kill odors like cabbage and fish? Vinegar again

Clean dirty windows? Vinegar once again

How about a soft scrubbing cleanser? Use 1 cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of castile soap.

All purpose cleaner? 1 part vinegar and 1 part water

Surprised at how much you can do with common household items? Check out the Circle of Life Foundation for more homemade cleaning recipes. Using natural products such as baking soda and vinegar helps the environment and yourself. Plus, in the long run you will save a load of money by making many products yourself.

Cleaning can be safe and productive without toxic chemicals.  Check out these sites and see what you can do to help the environment.  The “little” things go a long way.