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How to Choose Cleaning Products

Who knew a Google search could stop you dead in your tracks? It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon. At brunch, a friend mentioned a new cleaning product that he had just purchased. He described it as “green” and I didn’t hear much beyond that.

Was the packaging green? Was the liquid itself green? Or was this just ‘buzz’ emanating from Al Gore’s brilliant documentary? I wasn’t sure, but I did know that a Google search of “green cleaning products” might provide some answers.

Suddenly, I’m reading from a 1999 “New Scientist” study that found when aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used regularly in a home: women experienced 25% more headaches; men and women were 19% more likely to experience depression; infants under the age of 6 months had 30% more ear infections and 22% more cases of diarrhea.

Where have I been since 1999? The article listed item after item of typical cleaning products and the health challenges that they can aggravate, check the list here.

I could not let my Sunday afternoon slip past without checking under my kitchen counter to see what possible can or canister of eco-devastation was hiding in the shadows. I was shocked to learn that it wasn’t one or two.

I cleared out two plastic trash bags full of very scary cleaning products (see my picture of shame above). Over 25 containers of products that could harm my health, my friends and family’s health and the health of our environment, all from two cabinets in my kitchen.

Take a look under your kitchen counter and see what’s staring back at you. Hopefully you have more eco-friendly cleaning products at work and/or around your family, friends and pets. If not, then join me over the next few weeks as I explore how to choose cleaning products that are safe, effective and will leave your home sparkling clean and non-toxic.