Environmentally Friendly Commercial Cleaning Products

What's Wrong With Convential Cleaning Products

• The conventional cleaning products used in households (polishes, soaps and detergents, bathroom and kitchen cleaners) are very efficient at cleaning, but many of the chemicals in them are harmful to the environment and to people. Phthalaltes help many cleaning products have that clean scent, but the chemical could be linked to birth defects. Chlorine bleach disinfects well, but has been linked to causing health problems. Phosphates help break down dirt, but they can also negatively effect algae in the water supply. Many chemicals in these products cannot biodegrade properly, and negatively impact the environment.

What Makes a Product Eco-friendly

• There's no single characteristic that makes a product environmentally-friendly; a lot of different factors influence that. It's up to you to decide what matters most when picking out a product. Are you concerned with the product being biodegradable and biocompatible? Are you worried about the product being produced in an environmentally-friendly manner? Are the chemicals used in this product harmful to the environment? Are these cleaning products tested on animals? A good environmental product should include these characteristics, but sometimes one characteristic is more apparent.

Beware of Imposters

• The market is flooded with many products claiming to be green, eco-friendly, earth-friendly, or natural. Some products are environmentally-friendly, but others apply the label for advertisement. These terms can mean anything, and the products may not necessarily be as environmentally-friendly as they claim. Be wary of products that say they're any of these things with little evidence to back up the claims. Because of the recent influx of "environmentally friendly" products, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission met to revise its Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims. Now products must meet stricter guidelines to be called environmentally-friendly.

Numerous Possibilities

• Some fake environmentally-friendly products are on the market, but many companies also work to make eco-friendly products. The Clorox company, well known for its powerful chemical bleaches and cleaners, launched the Green Works cleaning line. These products are primarily made from naturally-derived chemicals, and the company works hard so that one day they can make products that are 100 percent natural. These products are affordable, and can be found at virtually any store.

  If you expand your search for green cleaning products outside the traditional grocery store and to the Internet you'll find a lot of variety in products. Seventh Generation products are nontoxic, biodegradable, and free of chlorine bleaches, phosphates, and harsh chemical fumes. Shaklee Get Clean line of products are hypoallergenic and non-toxic. Method's line of products are environmentally-friendly, have amazing scents, and can already be found it some grocery stores.