I noticed in the local supermarket the other day that there are a lot of green cleaning products popping up on the market. These products claim to be safer for humans, pets, and the planet in general but cost much higher than regular cleaning products. With the economy being as bad as it is right now what are we to do?

The chemicals in regular cleaning products can present known and suspected problems once they are washed down the drain. Volatile organic compounds that are used to enhance the performance of a product can impair neurological functions and many times the phosphates in them can cause eutrophication of rivers and other bodies of water which depletes them of oxygen and decrease the water quality. Also, as the video above shows, the chemicals in these products have been proven to be harmful to children, pets, and even some adults.

Companies such as Method and Seventh Generation offer products that remove chemicals with known or suspected toxins in them and as I stated before there are even supermarket brands that are going green. These products may require some more elbow grease to get the effect of the non green products, but what’s a little exercise if it’s going to pay off in the long run? If the question of being able to afford them is on your mind the best thing to do is not to use so many different cleaning products at the same time. The buildup of these harmful chemicals may have negative long-term effects so limiting your cleaning products to only one of them is a better and more economical way to go.

Feel free to check out the rest of the “Real Dirt on Clean” series on www.youtube.com!

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Filed under: Green Business, Green Living, Women's Eco-Impact