Cleaning products are an essential to every well-kept home, so making sure that your cleaning products are safe for your health and the environment is key.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cleaning products present several human health and environmental concerns. Some products contain chemicals associated with eye, skin or respiratory irritation. They are also classified as hazardous waste, which presents many problems when it comes to disposal.
An easy way to eliminate any risks is to simply buy green products. There are many benefits to buying green, according to the EPA. They are:
- Selecting less hazardous products minimizes impacts to custodial workers while improving indoor air quality.
- Buying concentrated cleaners reduces packaging waste.
- Purchasing less hazardous cleaning products can help eliminate hazardous waste.
- Switching from traditional products to green products can significantly reduce the environmental impact of your routine cleaning activities without changing cleaning effectiveness.
- Studies have shown that improving indoor air quality by using less hazardous cleaning products can improve overall productivity.
The EPA offers an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Database, which can help guide you to finding the right cleaning products for your home. The database is helpful and provides much information, including environmental standards and guidelines as well as a listing of product vendors and service providers.
There are also a number of well-known brands that make nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners such as Simple Green. Check your local grocery or home improvement store to see what’s available in your area.
For a complete listing of products and services for the home, please see our Green Homes section.
Jennifer Griffin, Contributing Writer and Public Relations, GreeningDetroit.com
Jennifer is pursuing a degree in Journalism and English from Wayne State University, and she is also a Contributing Writer for The South End.
