By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now
Not so long ago, Mr. Clean and company were considered the good guys, the go-to-gang for a deep house cleaning. But in the past several years, alarms have been sounding about chemicals used in conventional household products.
Be they phosphates, sulfates, bleach, ammonia or phenols, certain ingredients are causing strong concerns among consumer-protection groups, federal and state governments, and even a few manufacturers. The new conventional wisdom asserts that many household cleaners contain compounds that pose environmental risks and can lead to health conditions such as asthma, nerve damage, reproductive damage, even cancer. (See our GRN guide below)
Greener cleaners are non-polluting, indoors and out
Complicating the issue, however, is the fact that many companies refuse to disclose all ingredients in their products, stymieing consumers’ ability to make informed choices. We may be seeing more disclosure, however. The non-profit group Earthjustice recently filed a lawsuit in New York State citing a little-known Empire State statute (circa 1976) that requires makers of HH cleaners to disclose their contents. Filed in February, the suit claims the Commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation has the authority to require such disclosures. The lawsuit has obvious national implications, considering that the cleaners used by New Yorkers are the same as those sold in the rest of the states, even the world.
Earthjustice notified several companies about the never-used law last year. SC Johnson and Simple Green responded by agreeing to list ingredients in their products for New York state consumers. Other major manufacturers like Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt-Benckiser and Church and Dwight, have refused.
Get the risk out, with eco-friendly cleaners
In the meantime, a new crop of greener cleaners has emerged over the last two decades, offering consumers healthier alternatives. Companies like BioKleen and Seventh Generation debuted in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Shaklee greened its cleaners and started selling concentrates, saving on bottles. Lately this movement has gone mainstream, with Clorox producing its Greenworks line and Safeway offering the eco-aware house brand, Bright Green. SC Johnson has taken some if its best-known brands, like Windex and Shout, and reformulated them into an eco-friendly variant as part of its Nature’s Source line.
These are but a sampling of the eco-friendly cleaners on the market today.
Design for the Environment is a new EPA endorsement program for safer cleaners
So popular is green-cleaning that the Environmental Protection Agency has just (in 2010) introduced a new Design for the Environment/Safer Product Recognition program, in which manufacturers whose products substitute harmful ingredients with safer ones become DfE “partners” and their products are labeled with DfE seal of approved. (The Design for the Environment program also provides a list of those making the grade.)
For now, consumers seeking green cleaners still need to look carefully. Cleaners that call themselves “organic” or “all-natural” can carry questionable chemicals. Clues to the most eco-friendly products can be found by looking for these words on labels:
- Plant-based cleaning agent — generally gentler and not from petroleum products.
- Biodegradable — which means the ingredients break down when exposed to water, air or soil, generally within days, into simple elements that can be absorbed by the environment.
Readers also might find this list from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works helpful. It categorizes HH cleaners that can be hazardous and warns residents to dispose of them in accordance with new county guidelines. The products to watch out for are conventionally formulated:
- Ammonia-based cleaners, like window cleaners
- Oven and drain cleaners
- Floor care products
- Aerosol cleaners
- Furniture polish
- Metal polishes and cleaners
- Tub, tile and toilet bowl cleaners
All these can be hazardous to waterways, wildlife, soil and air when dumped in the trash or down the drain; not to mention the irritation and health effects to humans breathing their vapors or coming into skin contact with these harsh chemicals. (See more details below.)