Green cleaning can save your lungs and your bank account, keeping your family happy and healthy.
The authors measured the source of ingredients in more than a dozen liquid laundry detergents, hand soaps and dish soaps that advertised claims such as "natural" and "ecofriendly." The plant-based ingredient content in the hand soaps ranged anywhere from 28 to 97 percent; laundry detergent ranged between 28 and 94 percent; and dishwashing liquids from 43 to 95 percent. So there were a fair number of products whose green claims held true—being made from plants, they were actually natural and ecofriendly. But many more still harbored considerable amounts of harmful petroleum-based ingredients, which can emit respiratory irritants and hormone-disrupting chemicals and are made from a decidedly eco-unfriendly nonrenewable resource.
"As the authors of the study point out, their findings underscore the significance of the fact that there are no regulatory definitions for advertising words like 'natural' or 'ecofriendly,'" explains Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning (Storey Publishing, 2008). "Of course, if you make your own cleaners, there’s no question about the contents."
Besides being potentially toxic, conventional cleaners cost a lot more than those you make yourself. If you feel like you're somewhat of a homemade-cleaner novice and all the DIY cleaning recipes are overly daunting, never fear.
Read more: http://www.organicgardening.com/living/8-must-haves-nontoxic-cleaning-kit
