Green with Children

Breaking up with Mr. Clean

That Fresh-cleaned smell? It's toxic.

Today I cleaned my tub with a cup of baking soda. I kid you not. It sparkles like a scrubbing bubbles commercial and all I used was baking soda.

I know I've been whining about turning green ever since this blog began but this, I have to say, gets a huge thumbs-up. I bought the borax and washing soda at the nearby supermarket--they cost maybe $2 total. With the baking soda and vinegar I already had, I created truly effective all-purpose cleansers, and bathroom scouring powder.

This, to me, is amazing. I went to DIY House Cleaners and whipped up the all-purpose cleaner in an empty spray bottle. Ta Daa: nontoxic cleansers that don't pollute the water, and more importantly don't pollute your home.

I remember about a year ago, a more green-evolved friend and I were both at a playdate while cleaning ladies were visiting our respective homes. She said she liked hers because she used only organic cleansers. She sounded like an Amish person to me. Organic cleansers? What? Whatever.

I didn't believe anything could get clean without that telltale noxious odor. For me, an effective cleaning product needed to be a color not found in nature. This is why Mr. Clean was my man. Nuclear yellow (ever wonder why he's bald?), an aroma that will curl your nosehairs--this is the stuff to clean my home, baby.

All this time, I just blithely assumed that if they sold it in the supermarket, it must be basically safe. The powers that be wouldn't allow anything dangerous or harmful to be marketed to the masses right? They wouldn't let corporate America sell products that pollute our water supply. The beauty of a blog is that I can not actually hear you laughing at me. (But I realize that you are.)

It was my boys that turned me around. I might take a deep whiff of a freshly cleaned bathroom and think, "Aaah, I'm lightheaded and woozy--this room must be clean". But what will happen to their tiny little bodies when they inhale deeply of Mr. Clean's residue? And worse than inhaling, what is the impact of those harsh cleansers on their naked little tushies when it's tub-time?

I started to think twice before I put their perfect naked little bodies into a freshly scoured tub. I ran the water endlessly to rinse away any errant chemicals. I thought about how odd it was that the tub was "clean" yet I didn't want their bodies near it.

One day Dex wanted to help me clean. He grabbed a shocking pink bottle of multi-use spray and announced that he was going to do some work too. I panicked. "Put that down!" I barked. Until they sell hazmat suits in a 4T my son was not going to help me clean the bathroom.

Now I have a spray bottle a 4-year-old can squirt (as long as he's not pointing it at his brother, of course). I mixed a little borax with my baking soda and the tub is sparkling.

This journey has even taken me to a place where the absence of noxious fumes is a relief to me. I'm learning!

© The Green Guide, 2008

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