Although skeptical at first, most of us can now agree that green cleaning products are, for the most part, terrific hard-working green alternatives to those toxic cesspools of yesterday. There’s no longer any good reason to hang onto your mother’s favorite name-brand cleaners—they’re toxic, non-biodegradable, caustic, potentially poisonous to just about everything, and expensive. What’s there to love?

KNOW YOUR LABELS

Learn to recognize the ingredients that are known for their harmful effects, and find ways to avoid them. Studies continue to emerge showing that, contrary to what you have heard on television, your cabinet of cleaning products is one of the most dangerous places in your house. 

In fact, America’s very concept of clean has long been clouded by advertisers sending us frightening messages that dirt is “tough” and needs an “industrial strength” solution and that bacteria is “unclean” and must be “eliminated” with bleach. Chlorine bleach is terrible for the environment, a.k.a. our natural world (remember, we, too, are “natural”), and many studies show that antibacterial products are doing way more damage by encouraging the growth of resistant “super” bacteria. A balanced, relatively undisturbed ecosystem is what we want, one that includes all life forms.

An astounding number of manmade chemicals have been developed for cleaners, but four compounds hit the top of the list for causing health and environmental problems. [More....]

For very helpful information on reading labels, go to www.greenerchoices.org.

You can download a recycled tissue and toilet paper guide here if you want to find out which facial tissues, paper towels, napkins, and toilet paper are truly green and which are to be avoided.