Green Guru Network

Clean Green 101

Monday, 12 March 2012 21:19

By Eva Finkelstein

Why use green products for cleaning?  Let’s consider the following before we decide: health, safety, toxicity, flammability, asthma, allergies, respiratory illness, eye irritation, skin irritation, liability, heavy toxic corrosion, shorter life expectancy ( not just of humans but of their purchases), the Federal Anti-terrorism Act (i.e. no matches in custodial closets), need I continue?  Even Clorox is advertising the reason to not use their OWN harsh products and  instead  use their new green line:" So you can benefit from extraordinary cleaning power without worrying about harsh chemical fumes or residue. " [http://www.greenworkscleaners.com/products/chlorine-free-bleach/]

Isn’t it amazing when companies admit that they are selling harsh chemical fumes and residues?!  Pay attention to these disclosures—why would they admit to their own faults?  Because they know old habits die hard.  Who wants to give up Clorox?  Schools don’t.  Homeowners and all kinds of businesses think it’s the answer to germs, but it opens up a can of other worms, which even a company as big as Clorox is blatantly admitting!  Are we listening?

We CAN kill germs with plant based products.  We do not have to expose ourselves, our babies, our children to harsh, disease producing chemicals.  Imagine that?  We have the education, the resources and the proof  on the bottles. Jack Daniels Whiskey is 43% proof, and Purell is 63% alcohol!  What is the point here?  Did you know that your most common furniture cleaner (Pledge, for example) is petroleum based, destroys the surface, is highly flammable and, by the way, fingerprints easily? But it’s what we, including the custodians, are used to.  Should we not change?  Change is so hard!  Or is it???