Are Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products Really Green

Are Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products Really Green?


Below article is inspired from the news written in Fox news.com by Kotler.
Words like "organic," "biodegradable" and "environmentally-friendly" are everywhere. Everywhere and on almost every cleaning agent you can see some wording as ecological, environmentally friendly or organic.
Although the marketing methods are sophisticated, the question remains:

How green is your cleaning agent?

Unfortunately, this is not an easy question to answer.

In 1960, the U.S. government passed the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act, freeing companies from disclosing dangerous ingredients in household products unless harmful side effects appear immediately after improper use.

Chlorine bleach must thus be labeled "poisonous" if swallowed, but not as "deadly" when dumped down the drain.
Mix bleach with many common toilet-bowl cleaners, and chlorine gas is the result. Mix it with ammonia and you'll get chloramines gases. Both are extremely toxic.

That's only one example. Since World War II, roughly 75,000 new chemicals have been introduced into consumer products, but less than 5 percent of them have been tested for health or environmental side effects.

the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that exposure to cleaning products accounts for 15 percent of all asthma cases. Again, these effects are minor compared to the damage such products cause the eco-system.

In response, manufacturers have been slathering their offerings with environmentally conscious labels that are often no more than empty promises.
Terms like 'bio-degradable,' 'natural' and 'eco-friendly' are meaningless. There is no governing organization to substantiate these claims.

Environmental Protection Agency EPA introduced "Design for the Environment," DfE label. You can find the full list of Formulator Partners and Recognized Products here.

Eco-experts say that making your cleaning products at home is the best solution. Most are made from simple ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice