Let me begin with a cautionary tale.  It was late, very late.  I was tired after working all day.  We were expecting company for dinner the next night.  I decided to mop the floor with my ammonia-based floor cleaner before calling it a night.  When I was done I put the mop head along with some rugs into the washer and started it.  I thought, “that mop head could use a bleach” and without thinking poured a dollop of bleach into the washer.  Within seconds my eyes started tearing and my lungs burning.  By mixing ammonia and chlorine bleach I’d created chloramine, or chlorine gas, the same gas used as a chemical weapon in WWI and WWII. (Depending upon the ratio of bleach to ammonia, I also could have created an explosive substance!)    Not certain how far the fumes would spread, I ran up the stairs and said to my husband, “Get out of the house, I just did something really stupid.”  We opened windows and stood outside on the porch in a softly falling rain.  After about ten minutes we ventured back in.  The fumes had dissipated upstairs, though I could still smell them in the basement.  My husband volunteered to redo the wash in order to dilute the mix and I went off to bed.

How could something so familiar be so dangerous? There’s the rub.  We use chemicals every day rarely thinking about their potential toxicity.  How often do we read labels on our cleaning supplies, and even if we tried, how many of those labels are clear or easy to understand?   Do we know what “caution” or “danger ” means on a product label?  “Caution” labeling is required on products that can produce eye and/or skin irritation or is harmful if ingested. “Danger” or “Poison” is found on highly toxic products such as oven cleaners, clogged drain openers, and rust cleaners, which are potentially lethal.

What exactly are the chemicals in some of our average household cleaners?  Well, there is, for example,  monoethanolamine, a surfactant used in laundry detergent and a known cause of occupational asthma.  Or glycolethers, such as 2-butoxyethanol, found in glass cleaners and all-purpose sprays, which are known to cause reduced fertility and low birth rates when tested on laboratory mice.  When we rinse these chemicals down the drain they get into our water systems and negatively affect aquatic life.  Even fragrances, added to make our cleaning products smell good, can contain VOC’s , volatile organic compounds, such as benzaldehyde and toluene, skin and lung irritants, and potentially damaging to the nervous system.  VOC’s linger in the air and can be absorbed through our skin and breathed into our lungs, and have been known to cause cancer.

Ready to give up cleaning?  There must be safer options.  Fortunately, there are.  Many new start-up companies and some of the established ones, have begun listening to consumer’s concerns about safer cleaning products.  Clorox, for example, has a line of non-toxic, or low toxic, plant-based cleaners called “Green Works” available in grocery stores and in Walmart.  Method, a newer company, has a line of plant-based cleaners in bottles made from 100% recycled plastic, and can be found at Lowe’s and Target.  Be aware that not all green cleaners are equal.  Some contain a mixture of plant-based and petroleum-based surfactants.  It’s important to read labels and material safety data sheets, usually available online or from the company.  My first line of defense in finding safer products is that if a company is not willing to clearly state it’s ingredients on the label or website, then I am not willing to buy it.

Want a cheaper option?  Try making your own cleaning supplies.  Baking soda, borax, distilled white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, lemons, salt, vegetable oil soap, and washing soda are all easily available and can provide safe cleaning alternatives.  There are several books and websites that list cleaning recipes using these ingredients.  (See Resources and Inspirations at the end of this blog.)  This month’s issue, July/August 2009, of “Natural Home” magazine has an article offering several homemade cleaning recipes.  For Christmas a friend gave me a lovely scrubbing mixture of one half baking soda and one half borax with a few drops of lavender oil.  Be sure to label all homemade cleaning products and keep them out of the reach of children and pets.  Any substance in sufficient quantities can be toxic, and children and pets are susceptible at much lower doses.

Start slowly.  Try one recipe, or one green cleaner, and see how it works for both your cleaning and your health.  It’s all chemicals, whether plant based or petroleum based and we all have varying levels of sensitivity.  

If you have traditional cleaning products on hand, use them up, or give them to someone who will.  Don’t just pour them down the sink or toilet.  If you do decide to dispose of them, do it a little bit at a time, flushing them with lots of water.  Check when your city will have a toxic substances disposal day.

How is this green?

-Keeping toxic substances out of our air and water supplies reduces their impact on human health and the health of the environment, particularly aquatic life.

Your turn:

Share with us your concerns for greener cleaning products.

Resources and Inspirations:

Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe Non-Toxic Way, by Karen Logan.

Clean: the Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing, by Michael de Jong.

www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html#

www.womenandenvironment.org/pdf/2008_report_card.pdf (“The Dirt on Cleaning Product Companies.”)

Next week:  The 10% solution.