Green Cleaning Products

There are a number of naturally-occurring scents which are healthier to use than synthetic fragrances.  These include familiar items that you might find at a natural grocer, like lavender, rosemary, and other herbs and fruits.  The compounds limonene, from citrus fruits, and menthol, from mint, are generally safe, though like any plant product can cause allergies in some people.^4,5

Our Recommendation: Use Green Eco-Friendly Products like Dr Bronners Green Cleaning Products that have safe herbal fragrances.

Conventional drain cleaners, as well as oven and toilet bowl cleaners often contain strong acids and other highly corrosive chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and lye.  The fumes from these compounds can cause severe eye, skin, and lung irritation, and can be fatal if ingested.  These products are the most acutely or immediately toxic household products, and account for a significant proportion of accidental poisonings.⁶

Our Recommendation: Use a safe bacteria based drain cleaner such as Bio-Clean Drain Septic

Bleach and ammonia are both highly toxic and corrosive, damaging skin that comes into direct contact with them and irritating lungs and eyes with their fumes.  Mixing the two is especially dangerous: this can generate chlorine gas, the chemical warfare agent which destroys lung tissue.⁷

Our Recommendation: Instead of bleach and ammonia, try green cleaning solutions like the powerful Bon Ami Cleansing Powder.

Borax (sodium borate) has been used for various cleaning purposes for centuries.  It can also be used as a barrier insecticide, as ants and cockroaches that crawl over powdered borax lose the integrity of their exoskeletons.  It is not toxic to humans when used properly, and is mainly harmful only if consumed in large doses.⁸

Our Recommendation:  Use green products for cleaning like Borax 

Conventional detergents used for laundry and dishwashing often contain a number of undesirable compounds.  Many contain solvents and surfactants that are derived from petroleum, as well as endocrine disruptors such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA).  They may contain nitrates, a preservative which can give rise to carcinogenic nitrosamines when heated.  Dishwasher detergent also sometimes contains phosphates, which are corrosive and also are responsible for toxic algae blooms when they are drained into local water systems.⁹

Our Recommendation: Instead of conventional detergents, try a green cleaning solution like Seventh Generation Detergent OR

Try the same conventional detergent without the harmful chemicals and fragrances Tide Free & Gentle Laundry Detergent

There are a great number of plant-based detergents and other cleaning products on the market.  These use natural oils and alcohols derived from grains and other types of produce to generate emulsifying compounds that achieve the same desired effect as petroleum-based and other synthetic chemicals.

Our Recommendation:  Use green cleaning products like DR Bronners Sals Suds.

• Seventh Generation
• Bon Ami
• 20 Mule Team Borax
• Dr. Bronner’s All-One
• Ecover
• Method