Clean Green!

Greener Cleaners
from a CSMonitor article about Women's Voices for the Earth.
6 small paragraphs, 3 recipes, and a link.

WVE put out a report in 2007 called Household Hazards in which they examined more than 200 chemical ingredients in commercial cleaners. The report found that many of those chemicals were harmful to the environment as well as “linked with asthma, infertility, birth defects and reproductive harm."

Some of the chemicals of concern in the WVE study, commonly found in laundry detergents, all-purpose sprays, and disinfectants, include: alkyl phenol ethoxylates (found to harm aquatic animal and plant life), monoethanolamine, ammonium quaternary compounds (both linked to asthma), glycol ethers and phthalates (linked to fertility and reproductive problems).

Greg van Buskirk has been a Clorox scientist since 1980. “I do believe that misinformation is causing people more concern than is justified by the actual data,” he says. Clorox rigorously tests all its products, says Dr. van Buskirk, so “the risk of people getting something like cancer or birth defects is zero.” Also, “there’s “no significant impact on the environment due to bleach usage,” he says.

WVE, however, thinks Buskirk is being slimy:
But these commercial cleaner studies only look at single household use, says Ann Blake, an environmental and public health consultant. The chemical ingredients are cumulatively dangerous, she says. “What the fish and wildlife are getting is a constant dose of [chemicals] at low levels,” says Dr. Blake. “And that’s what’s causing the environmental disruption.”

I agree. He's probably being slimy, to look through my scanner darkly.

Plus, store-bought natural cleaners are costly. “Home­­made all-purpose cleaner is 38 cents, and store brand costs $4 to $8,” party guest Melissa reads from a WVE pricing comparison. That’s another reason to make your own cleaners.

-reason for the sliminess? money, of course.

I believe WVE over Clorox:
Clorox’s Zerrudo cautions that because there are no chemical preservatives, the formula might not stay stable over time and could “grow bugs or bacteria.” WVE’s recipes claim that essential oils, distilled vinegar, and vegetable glycerin are natural preservatives, but recommend refrigerating cleaners made with lemon juice.

These are from the Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) party.

All-purpose cleaner (for countertops, windows, mirrors, kitchen floors):
2 cups white distilled vinegar (other vinegars will stain surfaces)
2 cups water
Optional: 20 to 30 drops essential oil (orange, peppermint, etc., for scent)
Mix in a spray bottle, apply to surface, and wipe off. WVE recommends using an industrial-strength spray bottle (a clean, empty Windex bottle, for example), as vinegar degrades ordinary plastic bottles.

Creamy soft-scrub (for bathrooms, stoves, countertops):
2 cups baking soda
1/2 cup liquid castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s, for example)
4 teaspoons vegetable glycerin (a preservative)
Optional: 5 or more drops essential oil
Mix together in bowl, store in sealed glass jar (shelf life: two years). For cleaning, apply some soft-scrub on sponge or rag, scrub and rinse.

Clogged drains:
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup vinegar
Pot of boiling water
Pour baking soda into drain, then vinegar. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Flush with boiling water.

For more recipes and information on how to host or attend a green-cleaning party, go to: womenandenvironment.org.