Cleaner recomendation (Info)

[Guest guest]

I know it sounds like I am trying to sell this stuff but Im not, I

just really like it. I thought this one question I read under thier

FAQ area would answer many on the groups questions right off the bat.

I found this very interesting and thought I would go ahead and post

it.

What makes a cleaning product environmentally safe and why should I

care?

Environmentally safe cleaning products are products used to clean,

deodorize, and/or disinfect that are less damaging to the environment

and safer for humans and pets than conventional cleaning products.

Unlike many well-known household cleaners, which contain potentially

toxic chemicals such as bleaches, phosphates, formaldehyde (suspected

carcinogen), methylene chloride (known carcinogen and neurotoxin),

paradichlorobenzene and naphthalene (both suspected carcinogens),

petroleum, mineral spirits, and sulfuric acid, just to name a few,

some environmentally safe cleaning products are made with ingredients

such as fruit and vegetable extracts, natural enzymes, vinegar,

essential oils, vegetable oil extracts, xanthan gum, organic salts,

and other natural ingredients as well as some low impact chemicals.

In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that the toxic

chemicals found in everyday household cleaning products are three

times more likely to cause cancer than are other air pollutants. Not

every household cleaning product on the market contains potentially

harmful ingredients; in fact, some manufacturers are modifying their

products to be more environmentally and user safe. However, the Clean

Water Fund estimates that the average American uses about 40 pounds

of toxic household cleaning products each year, while other estimates

are higher. These cleaning products contain dangerous ingredients,

including neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system

depressants, heavy metals, and other agents that cause or contribute

to cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergic

reactions, kidney and liver damage, fatigue, and behavioral problems,

among other issues. Ingredients from household cleaning products make

their way into the environment through various routes: they are

flushed down toilets, poured down sinks, sprayed into the air, thrown

into the trash, and dumped onto the ground. In fact, many hazardous

cleaning products are landfilled or incinerated, upon which they

release their toxins into the environment and contribute to depletion

of the ozone layer, pollute groundwater, contaminate soil and rivers,

and harm plant and animal life.

Environmentally safe cleaning products can be substituted for many of

the toxic products on the market. Sales of environmentally safe

cleaning products increased 19 percent to more than $36 million

between July 2002 and July 2003, according to SPINS, a San Francisco-

based marketing research and consulting firm. These sales represent a

very small portion of the more than $4 billion household cleaner

market, according to Marketresearch.com, but the numbers of

environmentally safe product sales are expected to rise as consumers

become more aware and concerned about the effects of toxic household

products on their health and the environment.

A growing number of manufacturers such as Sierra Solutions are

offering consumers environmentally safe cleaning agents or modifying

existing products to be safer.