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Green Cleaning
Choosing ‘green’ cleaning products can be difficult. Many products don’t list their ingredients on the packaging. Chemicals in cleaning products can cause a variety of health problems. These include skin or respiratory irritation, watery eyes, or chemical burns, while others are associated with chronic, or long-term, effects such as cancer.
If you are trying to use greener cleaning products, try to avoid:
- Chlorine or Ammonia, listed as active ingredients
- Formaldehyde, Terpenes, Phenols, Chlorine, Organic Mercurials, Balsams, Aluminium Complexes - known to have carcinogenic effects
- Detergents containing Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APEs) - do not degrade completely and are known hormone disruptors
Detergents containing phosphates - cause algal blooms in water ways
Instead, look for:
- Biodegradable to AS4351, or better still, an international standard
- Plant-based ingredients, instead of petroleum-based
- Concentrated form
- Specific ingredient information (such as solvent-free, no petroleum-based ingredients) rather than unregulated 'greenwash' claims (such as natural and eco-friendly)
Green cleaning products can be found in some supermarkets and specialty stores. There are also a number of products in your house already that you can use:
- Baking soda: non-toxic all-round cleaner, deodoriser, stain remover and fabric softener
- Vinegar: cuts grease, stops streaking on glass and metals, removes stains and soften water
- Lemon juice: cuts through grease and removes perspiration and other stains from clothing. This can be used as a bleach alternative
- Herbs and essential oils: for disinfecting and fragrance
- Cornstarch: starches clothes, absorbs oil and grease