Clean and Green

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Clean and Green
Healthy Homes, Healthy People
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Introduction

• A clean house is pleasant
• Looks better
• Smells better
• BUTappropriate cleaning supplies are important
• Homemade cleaning products
• Are nontoxic to you and earth
• Less expensive

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Something to think about

• Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as
  the main threat to health. The diseases we are
  beginning to see as the major causes of death in
  the latter part of (the 1900's) and into the 21st
  century are diseases of chemical origin.
• Dr. Dick Irwin, Toxicologist, Texas AM
  University

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Objectives
In this lesson, I can learn that home made
cleaning products are safer for me, the earth and
wont cost me a bundle!

• After this lesson you will
• Understand the potential hazards of caustic
  cleaners
• Understand the pros and cons of green cleaning
  products
• Learn how to clean safer by creating homemade
  cleaners

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Who needs this?

• People who
• Have chemical sensitivities
• Friends and family
• Have asthma and allergies
• Raise children/pregnant
• Want to live a healthier lifestyle
• Care about the environment
• Want to save money

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Whats wrong with cleaning products?
There are many cleaning products on the market.
Are they all safe to use just because theyre
on the shelf?
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Many products are hazardous

• Ingredients can be
• Corrosive
• Flammable
• Toxic
• This means it can impact our health and our
  environment

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Did you know?

• It takes 26 seconds for chemicals to show up in
  our organs
• 17,000 petrochemicals available for home use
  (only 30 tested for human safety)
• Of chemicals found in homes, 150 are linked to
  birth defects, allergies, cancer, psychological
  abnormalities
• There are more than 75,000 licensed for
  commercial use
• Very few of these chemicals were in our bodies or
  environment 75 years ago

Sources Environmental Health Association from
Nova Scotia EPA Consumer Product Safety Commission
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Risky to our health

• Fumes contaminate our air
• Irritating to eyes, lungs and skin
• Many chemicals are
• Carcinogens
• Hormone disruptors
• Reproductive toxins
• Regulation and legislation is a very slow process

Sometimes it feels as if we need a face mask when
we clean!
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Pollutes our environment

• Soil
• Septic systems
• Ground water
• Surface water
• Fish and other animals

Hazardous products pollute our earth in more ways
than one and CAN get into our drinking water
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Read labels

• Caution Hazardous chemicals are present.
  Moderate hazard. Reduce your use.
• Warning Hazardous chemicals are present.
  Moderate hazard, stronger than caution.
  Drastically reduce use.
• Poison product is highly toxic. Do not use.
• Danger Ingredients present are corrosive,
  flammable or highly toxic. Do not use.

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Activity Whats in your bucket?
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Are expensive
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So why do we use them?

• Knowledge
• Time
• Can clean up pretty fast
• Strong formulations
• Convenience
• Ready made and available
• Belief
• I just dont believe it will be clean

You dont have to spend a lot of effort and money
on cleaning products.
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Thought for the day

• The secret formulas in chemical cleaners are
  just the ingredients in old folk recipes, except
  artificial.
• How is acid in a lemon different than artificial
  acid (except it doesnt have the health hazards)

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Greener products
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Greenproducts
Are green products worth it?

• PROS

• CONS

• Safer for humans and environment
• Less irritating
• Biodegradable
• Reduced use of energy/resources

• Some are expensive
• No standard definition
• Not guaranteed to be safebut they are safer than
  conventional products
• Not required by law to list all ingredients
• Beware Greenwashing

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Beware of greenwashing

• Product labels with words like
• Biodegradable, green, eco-friendly, botanical
• Hazardous ingredients can still be in the product
• Be careful of
• Vague labels
• Lies
• Natural doesnt mean nontoxic
• Lesser of two evils
• Irrelevant

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What can a consumer do?

• Read labels
• The easiest way to know whether a product is
  green is to look for a third party seal

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What does this label mean?

• The EPA evaluated the products for human and
  environmental impact
• It DOES NOT mean the ingredients are safe
• But they are less harmful than conventional
  products in its class
• But there are no standards
• Other labels to look for Ecologo , Greenseal,
  CFPA
• Standardized, and 3-rd party

The DftE label You may see this on green
products
CM
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What does this label mean?

• The products have been reviewed by the Sierra
  Club
• Environmentally MORE preferable than conventional
  products
• Have conflict of interest receive financial
  support from a popular name brand

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No label?
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Lies

• May need some research
• Some companies lie about the greenness of their
  products
• What is the reputation of the company?

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Vague claims

• Fact Products do not need to have ingredients
  listed.
• The more information disclosed on the product,
  the better.
• Sometimes, there is not enough space. Look for
  companys contact information, websites, phone
  numbers where you can contact manufacturer for
  more information.
• If its not there, be suspicious.

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Buzzwords can be vague
biodegradable

• Dont get swayed by Buzzwords
• There should be explanations
• Example Arsenic and lead are all natural but
  are very toxic substances

All natural
100 vegan
Eco-safe
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Are claims relevant?

• No CFCs is a popular claim.
• It stands for Chluorofluorocarbons. CFCs deplete
  the ozone and are highly toxic to the
  environment.
• CFCs have been banned for a long time. Finding
  this on a label is irrelevant.

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The lesser of two evils

• Overlook specific claims and look at the big
  picture.
• Example Are you purchasing organic tobacco?
  Greatexcept smoking isnt good for you
  regardless of whether its organic or not.
• Another example Chlorinated products with
  natural essential oils

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Hidden tradeoffs

• When a company does one thing green but leaves
  a larger environmental impact in other ways
  (i.e., in its production of the product, non
  biodegradable container, etc)

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Natural doesnt mean nontoxic (and vice versa)

• D-limonene
• Natural ingredient found in orange peels
• Powerful solvent
• Can cause severe reactions in some people
• Arsenic
• Natural
• Powerful toxin and endocrine disruptor
• Breathing in can cause nausea, vomiting, GI
  distress, decreased blood cell productions, blood
  vessel damage, etc.
• Commonly found in pressure treated wood

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The good news

• You can make your own cleaning supplies!
• Effective
• (but you need a bit more elbow grease)
• Inexpensive
• Easy to make
• (but you need to plan a bit)

Homemade products need a bit more elbow grease
but they are effective, easy to make and easier
on the wallet.
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Whats in a cleaner?
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Know the types of cleaners

• Alkalies
• Acids
• Detergents
• Abrasives
• Sanitizers
• Spirit solvents

Refer to Clean and Green Handout
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Bases (alkalies)Good for removing fatty and oily
stains dirt

• Basic Household Examples

• Basic cleaners

• Oven cleaner
• All purpose cleaner
• Laundry detergent

• Baking soda
• Borax
• Washing soda
• Ammonia
• Bleach

Mild Moderate Strong
Baking soda Household Ammonia Washing soda
Borax Lye
green cleaners
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AcidsBreaks down things like rust and mineral
deposits eat away clothes, leather and some
metals

• Acidic household examples

• Acidic cleaners

• Cola
• Vinegar
• Lemon juice

• Hard water/mineral deposit removers
• Toilet bowl cleaners
• Tub and tile cleaners
• Mold solutions

Very mild Very strong (poisonous)
Vinegar Oxalic acid
Lemon Juice Hydrochloric acid
Sulfuric acid
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The chemistry of cleaning
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Lye
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Bleach
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Ammonia, washing soda
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• pH the measure of how basic or acidic something
  is
• pH ranges from 0 to 14 and each unit is 10 fold
  greater than the next

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handsoap
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Sea water
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More alkaline/basic pH More acid
Blood Water Milk
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Club soda
Tea Coffee
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Beer Vinegar Orange/apple juice
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Vinegar, Cola Lemon juice
2
1
Battery acid
0
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Detergents

• Loosen dirt
• heavy duty means it has a builder added to it
  (a phosophate that will remove oils)
• Alternative
• Borax and washing soda
• Castille soap a vegetable based soap
• Add soap to very dirty jobs

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Abrasives

• The courser and larger particles, the harsher the
  abrasive
• Oftentimes labeled as Cleanser
• Regular use scratches surfaces and stains them
  deeper
• Damaging

• Wear off dirt by rubbing
• Examples
• Pumice
• Steel wool
• Plastic or Nylon mesh
• Sandpaper
• Silica
• Found in scouring pads and powders.

Mild abrasive salt!
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Bleaches

• Chlorine is the most common bleach used in
  household cleaning products (highly toxic)
• Used to whiten and disinfect
• Alternative for whitening
• Citrus
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Borax /washing soda

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Sanitizers/disinfectants

• Chemicals that reduce the number of bacteria
• Oftentimes found in bathroom products and
  dishwashing products
• Help keep areas sanitary
• Keep areas smelling good
• Alternatives
• Citrus
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Vinegar
• Essential oils tea tree, lavendar, pine

Studies show vinegar is an excellent microbe
reducer, similar to bleach but without the toxic
effects. Vinegar smell disappears.
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Air fresheners

• Helps the air smell good
• Conventional plug-ins and sprays
• Alternative
• Open window
• Essential oils
• Citrus
• Simmering spices on stove
• Baking cookies
• Baking soda
• Zeolites

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Basics of homemade cleaning products

• What you need to know before you get started

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Cleaning product toolkit

• Spray bottles
• Brush, microfiber cloth
• Baking soda
• Borax or washing soda
• Vinegar
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Soap
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Lemon juice, essential oils

Photo from livelighter.org
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Rule of thumb

• Use mild cleaners first
• Use harsher concoction after mild cleanser wont
  do the job
• Always wash with warm to hot water.

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Generalities

• Baking soda
• Deodorizes, neutralizes acids, removes pesticides
  from produce, alternative shampoo, scours,
  softens water
• Washing soda/borax
• Like baking soda, but much stronger (be careful
  of inhaling)
• Castille soap
• Add soap to stronger cleaner to lift off dirt
  better.

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Generalities (stronger)

• Vinegar
• Deodorizes, removes mineral deposits, cuts
  grease, removes mildew powerful bacteria reducer
• Tea tree oil (lavendar, pine)
• Natural sanitizer/disinfectant
• Lemon juice
• Gets rid of bacteria (strong acid), deodorizer

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Laundry

• Soap nuts
• 3-4 shells for average laundry
• 5-8 for larger loads
• Enzymes (for septic tanks)

Soap nuts
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Thank you!