Eco Friendly Cleaning With Green Clean Guide
Use Safe, Environmentally Friendly Housekeeping Products
Jun 21, 2008
If you are interested in keeping your home spotless without hazardous chemicals damaging the environment and harming your health, the book Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home, by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin (Melcher Media, NY; 2005) is an indispensable resource.
Why Clean Green?
The book Green Clean extensively explores benefits of natural housekeeping. Green cleaning is:
- Good for the environment.
- Better for your family’s health and safety.
- Consistent with your values.
- Cost-effective compared to conventional products.
- Able to achieve superior results. You achieve a clean, beautiful home.
The Environment
Conventional cleaners contain compounds such as aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorines, petrochemicals, and phosphates. These chemicals are linked to environmental problems such as smog, declining animal reproductive rates, and water quality degradation. Green cleaning also saves energy, reduces water consumption, and minimizes waste by reducing supplier-side inputs and consumer-side disposal.
Your Health
Green clean has extensive information on the human health risks of common cleaner ingredients. Aromatic hydrocarbons present in degreasers, deodorizers, and pesticides are known carcinogens, causing cancer in animals and people. VOCs exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma. Chlorines are endocrine, reproductive, and immune system disruptors and one of the most common causes of household poisonings. Petrochemicals such as naphthalene found in carpet cleaners are allergenic, carcinogenic, and may alter kidney function. Green cleaning reduces your exposure to harmful environmental toxins and removes potentially fatal chemicals from your home.
Set an Example
You eat organic, buy local, and ride your bike to work. You try to be an exemplar of green living. Shouldn’t your housekeeping be consistent with your values? Green cleaning provides an opportunity to set an example to those around you that life without harmful products is not only possible but also pleasurable. Your clean, inviting home maintained in harmony with nature provides the most concrete demonstration of your lifestyle.
Save Money
If you’ve done a price comparison between natural cleaners and conventional products, you may wonder if you can afford to go green. Simple home recipes made from baking soda, vinegar, salt, and lemon can replace a surprising number of home cleaners. When you must, invest in a few multipurpose natural products like a soy-based cream cleaner and Biokleen Bac-Out.. Shaklee distributors offer the Get Clean Starter Kit, loaded with natural cleaning products for those eager for a fresh start.
Green Cleaning Works!
Transitioning to green cleaning is a process. Start one room at a time, familiarize yourself with natural options, and then throw out your conventional products. Your house will still sparkle without exposure to toxins or damage to the environment. You don’t have to sacrifice your high standards to clean green. In many cases the natural solution to a cleaning challenge is actually more effective. For example, salt and soda water prevents red wine stains more effectively than many hazardous carpet spot treatments.
Green Clean Features
After discussing the definition of “green” and some of the harmful and toxic ingredients of commercial cleaners, authors Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin tackle cleaning challenges in each area of the home. They finish with green cleaning recipes, a stain guide, and natural cleaning product resources.
Each section includes a cleaning checklist with daily, weekly, and monthly chores. Design a version specific to your home and post in each room. You will find your housekeeping not only greener but also faster and more efficient. Pages are sprinkled with highly visible, time saving cleaning tips that even the biggest Proctor and Gamble addict or home economics dropout will find beneficial.
The book is structured in a user-friendly format with water and stain resistant pages. Just throw it in your cleaning caddy and you are on the way to a cleaner, healthier home.
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