The phrase “
going green” has been gaining traction over the years as increasing numbers of people become more aware of their impact on the environment. If you're like many others, you look for ways to make changes in your life to reduce your impact on the planet. Recycling has become the norm in cities and counties around the country and more electric and hybrid cars are sold each year. Another trend that is only growing with each passing year is
green cleaning. Embracing this movement provides benefits beyond making your personal contribution to a better environment. The following are
10 reasons to ditch those harsh chemical cleaners for your home and make the switch to eco-friendly alternatives.
Enjoy a Safer Home
The warning labels on many store-bought cleaners can be enough to scare off the most conscientious neatnik. You'll see words such as toxic, flammable and warning all over bottles of harsh chemical cleaners. If you have little children or pets, then you'll have additional cause for concern. Green cleaning products have the advantage of natural ingredients, which are typically going to be much safer for your home and family.
Save Money
Many people believe green
cleaning supplies must cost more than the alternatives, but you may be pleasantly surprised in this regard. The concept of going green saving you some green is exemplified by the eco-friendly cleaners of a company called
Clean Pacs. Their non-toxic kitchen, bathroom and glass cleaners typically come in at about 70 percent less than some leading brands.
Reduce Indoor Air Pollution
If you've noticed yourself coughing or wincing after spraying a chemical cleaner, this may be your body trying to tell you something about the types of cleaners you're using in your home. “
Volatile organic compounds” is the fancy three-word term for these dangerous fumes that are released when most cleaners are sprayed. They can cause health problems or exacerbate existing ones especially if you have vulnerable individuals, such as an infant or an elderly person, in your home.
Safeguard Your Health
It's hard to put a price on the feeling you get from knowing that you are protecting your health and that of your family by using green cleaning products. The mix of chemicals in most store-bought cleaners can often be carcinogens, mutagens, endocrine disruptors or neurotoxins. All of that is just as bad as it sounds, so avoid this whole bad scene by going green.
Do Your Part for the Environment
Admittedly, this reason was highlighted in the introduction, but it's hard to overstate it. The collective decisions of everyone in a society have an impact on our environment regardless of whether we act in accordance with that fact.
Green cleaning products are typically manufactured using sustainable production practices and are safe, non-toxic and biodegradable. Compare this to chemical products that are toxic and that take forever to break down while they pollute water supplies and other parts of the environment.
Simplify Your Cleaning
By going natural with your choice of cleaners, you can make cleaning easier. At the store, you will see an array of different cleaners with each one specific to a particular job. In contrast, there are some natural cleaners that can replace a variety of separate cleaners. Take vinegar as just one example. You can read innumerable articles in magazines about how it can be used to clean windows, toilet bowls, and remove mold and mildew among other uses. You may find you have a lot more room under your kitchen sink or wherever you store your cleaners after going green.
Be More Knowledgeable About Cleaning Product Ingredients
Once you start caring about what you're using in your home and how it may be negatively affecting your family and the environment, you'll find it's the start of quite an educational process. For starters, you may discover that many cleaners don't even detail their ingredients, which should be a warning sign right there. Many green cleaning product manufacturers believe in transparency and are typically more conscientious about listing their ingredients.
Support Your Community
Because manufacturers of green cleaning products are already taking responsibility for the environment by virtue of being in this industry, it's not surprising that many such companies go the extra mile in supporting their communities. The aforementioned CleanPacs company, for instance, gives a dollar from the purchase of each
CleanPacs cleaning kit to a nonprofit called
Cleaning For A Reason, which provides free house cleaning for women undergoing cancer treatment.
Become a Role Model for Environmental Responsibility
Maybe you haven't been the most inspiring person in your life, or perhaps you've been an extraordinary role model your entire life. Regardless, going green gives you a new opportunity to inspire others by showing them how easy it is for them to also do their share in safeguarding their home, family and the planet. Be an inspiration to others and help yourself in the end with a cleaner, safer world.
Try Home-Made Creations
While there are plenty of ready-made green products out there available for purchase, the area of green cleaning also enables you to get creative. There are innumerable articles about common household items, such as the aforementioned vinegar, that can be retasked to keep your home clean and sanitary. You can get ideas for items to use, and then you might try combinations that no one else has thought of. Perhaps you'll be writing the next green cleaning tips article in some magazine and giving others inspiration and advice.
