What exactly is Green Cleaning? Perhaps you’ve heard the word before – unsurprising, as the need to transition towards an eco-conscious lifestyle becomes more imperative than ever.
The term can have a lot of definitions, but the core idea revolves around using cleaning solutions and methods that protect ourselves, and the environment. Green cleaning products can come in various forms, some being completely natural, with others having a stronger focus on eco-friendly manufacturing and fair trade.
Why is Green Cleaning Important?
An often overlooked problem, many mainstream cleaning products use harmful chemicals that can produce a number of negative effects on your home or office. These negative effects include:
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Air and water pollution
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Potential health problems such as asthma, cancer and increased birth defects caused by chemical allergens
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Risk of chemical burns/irritation of the skin or eyes
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The need for specialised disposal of toxic waste
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Damaging of animal and wildlife populations through toxic water runoff
Green cleaning, however, places the utmost emphasis on using clean ingredients in their products. Choosing these products can have a much bigger impact than you’d think. In addition to enhanced environmental accountability, these products also make your home or organisation a safer place for everyone (including pets!).
What should I avoid?
For the uninitiated, ingredient-checking can be a tedious and complex task. No worry! We’ve compiled a list of the most common, yet harmful ingredients that you can be sure to avoid:
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Ammonia: A volatile organic compound, this chemical pollutes the air and irritates our nasal tract when inhaled. When accidentally mixed with Chlorine, this chemical can prove extremely dangerous for your health, especially for people with respiratory issues!
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Chlorine: As mentioned previously, this chemical also irritates our nasal tract and eyes. It is extremely dangerous when mixed with Ammonia. Chlorine is also a caustic chemical – meaning it can burn or corrode skin tissue. Be careful!
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Phosphates: An extremely common ingredient, phosphates are often used as builders in laundry and dishwashing detergents as they effectively dissolve dirt and soften hard water, making the cleaning process easier. However, phosphates are extremely harmful to our water bodies as they increase eutrophication and harmful algae growth, subsequently decreasing the oxygen levels required to maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems. Avoid phosphates to protect our precious environment!
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EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid): Woah that’s a mouthful! Don’t let the long complicated names confuse you though, for this effective builder doesn’t readily biodegrade. This means that after long-term usage, it may contribute to environmental accumulation, causing toxicity in plants and animals. If that’s still confusing for you, think of why we avoid plastic bags! (P.S. It’s non-biodegradable)
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Triclosan: Another common ingredient, Triclosan is often included as an antibacterial and antifungal agent intended to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. However, studies have shown that Triclosan could increase antibiotic resistance in humans – a growing threat to public health mainly due to the widespread overuse and misuse of antibiotics. This means slower recovery from bacterial infections!
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Isothiazolinones: Often used in cleaning products, isothiazolinones are effective agents that prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. However, these chemicals are also strong sensitizers, with studies showing that they may produce skin irritations and allergies, and pose ecotoxicological hazards. In fact, this chemical has been restricted by EU legislation!
What do you look for in your cleaning products?
So, take a moment to reflect… what do you look for when choosing a cleaning product? Is it a fancy marketing campaign or a pretty label? Or perhaps the recognition of buzzwords like “organic” and “paraben-free”?
If you do, you’re not alone. It’s only natural for us as humans to be drawn to things that we recognise. Nevertheless, we should be cautious against “greenwashing”, the act of making products appear environmentally friendly when they are in reality, far from it. Take some time to read the ingredients (another good sign of transparency!) and make more educated decisions.
By being conscious consumers, let us improve our cleaning routines to contribute to a healthier and safer environment for us all.
How can Peridot help?
Choosing the right household cleaning products can be a stressful process. Let us take that stress out of your hands. We’ve spent a long time here at Peridot tweaking our formulation, making sure to avoid these harmful chemicals without sacrificing cleaning efficiency. After all, being green is a part of who we are!