Green Cleaners?

A Reader Asks The Green Guide:

I have recently started helping out a friend with his commercial cleaning business and am very conscious of the "toxic", non-environmentally friendly liquids, solutions and sprays which are used (not to mention a HAZARD for the lungs). I therefore would like to make him more aware of all possible environment "safe" product to clean with instead!

However, I am not aware of what and "if" is available for the commercial cleaner...and if so, where to purchase such product. The cleaning of heavy duty paint, glues, ink, grout, grease and hard baked mud off windows, benches, tiles fixtures & fittings are all part off the job!

Caterina Cara
Melbourne, Australia

The Green Guide Responds:

You are right to be concerned. Cleaning products are one of the most commonly-cited culprits for poor indoor air quality. A Spanish study published in November, 2003, surveyed over 4000 women and found that twenty-five percent of asthma cases in the group were attributable to domestic cleaning work. And chemicals commonly found in cleaners include hormone disrupting alkylphenol ethoxylates and lung irritants butyl cellosolve, and ammonia, and the extremely corrosive sodium hydroxide (found in oven cleaners). Furthermore, in the U.S., store-bought cleaning products are not required to have ingredients listed on labels, so consumers need to search out those brands that do list them.

Improved cleaning methods involving less-toxic and nontoxic products can better indoor air. Green Seal, a nonprofit whose sole mission is evaluating products for their health and environmental impact, lists a number of products to choose from:

• ECO 2000 Advanced Cleaner/Degreaser Concentrate, KC Products, 800/927-9442, www.kcproductsinc.com (UPS will ship to Australia)

• Formula G-510, Gaylord Industries, gaylordusa.com/service.html (In Australia: Powell's, St. Mary's NSW 612 9623 8100)

• Alfa-Kleen AK-020 All Purpose Degreaser, Alfa-Kleen, 805 541-3465

• ECP-89 General Purpose Bacterial Cleaner, Earth Care Products, Inc., 800/689-2847

• Universal Concentrate, Heavy Duty Degreaser & Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Lifetime Solutions, Ltd., 941/ 573-3233

• Citrol 100% Active All Natural Citrus Degreaser/Deodorizer, National Chemical Laboratories, Inc., 800/NAT-CHEM

To further reduce exposures to chemical hazards:

1) Always properly handle, store and mix chemicals according to instructions

2) Read Material Safety Data Sheets to learn about health impacts and precautionary measures for products and/or ingredients.

3) Use preventative practices that can reduce the need for heavy-duty cleaners, such as

    • sealing windows and doors and provide doormats to reduce dirt and dust,

    • reducing dust and airborne contaminants by using air conditioning or air filters and by cleaning duct work,

    • preventing water damage by sealing entry points,

    • lining ovens floors with aluminum foil and cleaning spills before they bake on.

The Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Program (JP4), sponsored by the U.S. and California state Environmental Protection Agencies and regional California governments, offers information and resources for reducing the use of toxic cleaning products in institutional settings. They have fact sheets on cleaning specific areas, such as restroom cleaning, disinfecting and glass cleaning that describe how to clean effectively while minimizing impacts on workers and other building occupants, indoor air quality and the environment. They also provide screening criteria to evaluate risks from cleaners, questions to ask to find out what janitorial products a site uses and how aware people are of the risks involved as well as ideas for setting up an "environmentally preferable purchasing program."

The General Services Administration, in charge of purchasing products and services for the federal government, publishes an annual Environmental Products & Services Guide (EPSG) that includes less-toxic cleaning products. Not all of these items may be available for ordinary consumers to buy, but some are. It is also nice to note that the government, as a large-scale purchaser, is showing leadership on the issue.

Resources:

Cleaning for Health: Products and Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment, Inform, Inc., August 2002.

Choose Green Report on General Purpose Cleaners, Green Seal, March 1998.

Environmental Products Guide, 2003-2004. General Services Administration.