Green Cleaning Products You Can Feel Good About

Contributed by Karen Price, Hive National (Florida)

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Green cleaning products are better for you, your family and Mother Earth too! Here is the scoop on green cleaning products you can feel good about.

I wish it wasn't so but cleaning our homes is a necessary part of life! Even if you are lucky enough to have a regular house cleaner, life happens in between their visits, so we all use cleaning products.

Have you ever sprayed a cleaner and felt like you could not breath or your eyes were stinging and watering? Or maybe you had red irritated skin like me (my finger a few hours after cleaning)!

The culprit might be VOC's (volatile organic compounds) in your cleaning products. Without adding in a bunch of complicated studies that I could barely read, the takeaway is these chemicals are nasty, they are bad for our health and the health of our environment! Some cleaning supplies that contain VOCs and other toxic substances can include, but are not limited to: aerosol spray products, including health, beauty and cleaning products; air fresheners; chlorine bleach; detergent and dishwashing liquid; dry cleaning chemicals; rug and upholstery cleaners; furniture and floor polish; and oven cleaners.

There are numerous studies that find that people who work in the cleaning industry have more respiratory disease and a high chance of suffering from COPD because of these chemicals. The Environmental Working Group study shows people working in the cleaning industry have a 50 percent higher risk of developing asthma and a 43 percent higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Yikes!

What can we do?

• Read all labels on cleaning supplies and household products before you buy them.

• Choose products that do not contain or have reduced amounts of VOCs, fragrances, irritants and flammable ingredients.

• Avoid using air fresheners altogether.

• Keep it simple - warm water and soap often will do the trick, baking soda is good for scrubbing and a mix of vinegar and water can clean glass.

• Look for these logos/certifications - Safer Choice, Green Seal Certified, Made Safe and  EWG Verified (Environmental Working Group) to ensure what you are buying is safe. Products that are labeled "green" do not necessarily mean they are free of the bad chemicals or safer. Do a little research on the product from a reliable source.

There are many green options out there now! 

Here are a few of my favs that are easy to find:   

Mrs Meyer's brand is made in the U.S. and has some trusted certifications. Its products are plant derived, cruelty-free and never tested on animals. They have a variety of soaps and cleaning products in amazing scents such as Basil, Geranium, Lemon Verbena and Honeysuckle.

Better Life brand all purpose cleaner spray is made with no petroleum solvents, chlorine or bleach, added alcohols, added parabens, SLS or SLES - making it gentle on your eyes, nose and skin. They avoid use of harsh industrial ingredients for a more family and pet friendly clean. They do work well and are made in the U.S. Their products come in unscented and a variety of scents such as Pomegranate and Tea Tree & Eucalyptus.

Grove Multi-purpose Cleaner: A plant based cleaner that comes with a refillable glass spray bottle to cut down on waste and reduce plastic use! It comes in heavenly scents such as Orange & Rosemary, Lavendar & Thyme and Natural Citron & White Rose. Their products are paraben, phthalate and dye free.

Zum products are locally made in Kansas City so they are widely available, including on Amazon. They are plant-powered and made with natural incredients you can say and spell, including saponified coconut oil, alcohol, essential oils and baking soda; it's free from ammonia, bleach and artificial acids.

Seventh Generation and Naturally it's Clean products are also highly rated "green" multi-purpose cleaners but I haven't used them so I cannot say how well they actually work.

I don't know if it's the humidity in Florida but wow my kitchen sink gets kinda disgusting quickly! To tackle cleaning my kitchen sink which I have to do often I use baking soda I buy in bulk and a few drops of Dawn dish detergent. It works fantastic, my sink is sparkling and it's a natural deodorizer too. 

**Always be careful using any DIY cleaning methods - Do your research before mixing or using products. Baking soda is an abrasive compound that can scratch surfaces. Mixing bleach-containing product with any cleaner containing ammonia can create a very dangerous gas that can lead to chronic breathing problems and even death. Safety first!

The next time you buy a cleaning product consider trying an environmentally friendly one because all of the cleaning products we use go down the drain into our water and are breathed in while using so it will be better for you and the environment! 

Nature gives us so much, let's try to lend a helping hand in return.

Karen, Conservationist Corner