What is Green Cleaning?
For some homes, green cleaning means them only use substances like bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, and lemons to wash the house surfaces. Those are natural green cleaning examples. Some households may hunt down manufactured green cleaning products that are healthy for the environment (some are green brands). Once you use a green cleaning product, you’ll want to avoid phosphates, chlorine, artificial fragrances, and artificial colors.
Many cleaners on the market are now also marketed as being biodegradable. Other green commercial cleaning service providers may have grown organically or produced using sustainable farming practices. Some green cleaning products may certify that their items are fair trade, meaning that the merchandise meets specific environmental and labor standards by those that produced it. Green cleaning products might not be freed from additives or harmful chemicals—perhaps they use recycled packaging or donate some of their profits to environmental causes. Those are all samples of green cleaning products.
Importance of Green Cleaning for Business?
From your consumers’ and employees’ health to your business’s ecological footprint, green cleaning methods and products reduce pollutants. It doesn’t create any health issues typically enhanced by non-green cleaning products. However, it can turn to a more productive, healthy workforce, cleaner air for your consumers, and overall better space to do business.
Synthetic fragrances / petroleum
If you attend a department or grocery and buy the name cleaners, most of them will be toxic and contain synthetic fragrances. It is often so commonplace that you may need a tough time finding a product that doesn’t include this without getting to a more health-conscious store. Why does this matter? Initially, synthetic fragrances are compared to the “toxic-when-ingested” materials. But synthetic fragrances may have some unexpected side-effects.
According to the Committee on Science & Technology, 95% of chemicals utilized in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. Consistent with Richard Pressinger and Wayne Sinclair, MD, petroleum-based chemicals are shown to change hormones and cause cancers, neurological disorders, weakening of the system, learning disabilities, infertility, allergies, and more.
Using green products freed from synthetic fragrances, you’ll reduce the chances of allergies in your work area. There is no need to highlight the potential risks of other diseases like neurological disorders, cancer, and others.
Antibacterial
The FDA mentions that antibacterial soap isn’t simpler at preventing diseases than regular soap and water. Antibacterial is shown to contain substances that will cause hormonal issues, additionally to containing harmful chemicals.
What is the most take-away? Green cleaning products contain less harmful chemicals than antibacterial chemicals have.
Sanitation and Medical Buildings
Several buildings may require severe arrangements for germ-killing and sanitation, like dialysis centers and health facility cleaning. However, there are ways to kill germs without further polluting the environment properly.
Pollutants
Pollutants get released into the air with non-green cleaning products. Several synthetic compounds in cleaners are available that are harmful, toxic, and may be released within the air, water sources, human bodies, etc. Green cleaning products are made not to pollute and be better for the environment. However, it remains essential to see each product to seek out the simplest quality, least harmful product.
In summary, implementing Green Cleaning effectively:
- Reduces pollution in our water
- Maintains better air quality
- Reduces exposure to allergy-causing substances
- Reduces exposure to pollutants that are found to cause cancer, neurological disorders, learning disabilities, infertility, hormonal imbalances, and more.
Best green cleaning products
There is a good range of green cleaning products that the manufacturers advertise as being eco-friendly and healthier. It’s essential to understand that some products may claim to be more natural and environmentally friendly than they are.
However, some aspects to think about in safe green cleaning products may include the followings:
- recyclable packaging
- packaging from recycled materials
- biodegradable or not
- nontoxic
- bulk packaging
- phosphate-free
- natural fragrances
- free of dyes, hypochlorite, and chlorine
The Environmental working party (EWG) is a nonprofit organization that researches and reports green cleaning products. Some specific products and categories that the EWG recommend include:
General cleaners
- Poofy Home All-Purpose Cleaner Refill, Medieval Blend
- Earth Friendly Products ECOS Cream Cleanser, Lemon
- Aunt Fannie’s Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash Concentrate, Eucalyptus
Bathroom cleaners
- Seventh Generation Tub & Tile Natural Cleaner, Emerald Cypress & Fir
- Meyer’s Clean Day Tub and Tile, Lemon Verbena
- Meyer’s Clean Day Tub and Tile, Lavender
Dishwashing soaps
- Attitude Dishwasher Eco-Pouches
- AspenClean Dish Soap, Eucalyptus Rosemary
- biokleen Natural Dish Liquid, Lemon Thyme
Air fresheners
- Arm & Hammer Fridge & Freezer bicarbonate of soda
- Aura Cacia Aromatherapy Mist, Lavender Harvest
It is also vital to notice that a cleaning product isn’t necessarily safe for everybody simply because people consider it green. An individual should still take reasonable precautions to store cleaning products safely and secure locations where children and pets cannot access them easily.