These days “green” cleaning products are all the rage. From all-natural spray cleaners to organic chlorine-free bleach and eco-friendly dish detergent, Americans seem to be almost infatuated with green products. Just about every commercially made and branded cleaning product now has a “green” alternative. In fact, many of the manufacturers of our “old favorite” cleaning supplies are catching on to this craze and have started making their own versions of all-natural products. The “Green works” wipes shown below are actually made by Clorox.
Cost/Benefit Analysis. The “original” Clorox wipes shown below are $3.84 per 30-count. The Green works version $6.86 per 30-count. The Seventh Generation all-natural wipes are $7.49 per 35-count. Is there any real difference in their cleaning power? You be the judge for yourself. Is there a difference in price? You bet! The all-natural wipes are almost double the price of the regular wipes, and the Green Works version is not much cheaper.
The way I look at the green cleaning, a few popular “camps” have developed:
- Camp 1. My mom cleaned my toys with bleach and sprayed the windows with Windex and I turned out OK.
- Camp 2. I buy organic when I can afford it, but chemicals are everywhere, so I’m not going to kill myself avoiding every cleaner that isn’t organic.
- Camp 3. Organic is the only way to go and even if it’s more expensive, I don’t care because I know it’s the safest.
Where do I fall? Well I’d say I’m probably mostly in camp 2. Although I appreciate all-natural and organic cleaners, I still use some non-organic cleaners. As I run out of “old” non-organic cleaning products I’ve been buying more eco-friendly alternatives when I can afford to do so.
I know a lot of the cleaning companies in our area are now using exclusively organic cleaning products. But we can’t afford don’t want to spend the money on a cleaning service right now so I do most of our cleaning (and bf does the laundry and runs and empties the dishwasher-two tasks I hate).
What are the “green” changes I’m making to the way I clean?
- Floors. I don’t have kids, but I do have pets. Because I don’t want them to ingest chemicals when they lick their paws, I mostly use a shark steam cleaner (just hot water) to clean my floors.
- Counter-tops. I’ve been using Method products on my granite counter-tops and table. Since we put food directly on the counters and table it makes sense to me to only use natural cleaners on those.
- Laundry. We used 7th generation laundry detergent for a while, but bf didn’t really love it (he likes scented detergent). So we alternate between the “regular” stuff and 7th generation.
- Microwave. Instead of cleaning with a spray, I put a bowl of water in a microwave-safe bowl with a few lemon slices. I boil the water on high for a few minutes. The steam loosens up any food particles, which I wipe away with a cloth. The lemon makes the microwave smell fresh.
- Shower. My best “secret” for cleaning the tub and shower grout? Baking soda with a little lemon juice (enough to form a paste) applied with an electric toothbrush then rinsed with hot water. I get a lot of free and really cheap electric toothbrushes with coupons. Since neither bf, nor I, like using them we save them for shower cleaning.
**Side note, does anybody know a good all-natural oven cleaner (commercial or homemade?) all the ones I’ve found are loaded with chemicals and I’m embarrassed to say that in the year we’ve been in our condo I haven’t cleaned the inside of the oven. Go ahead and judge me, it’s OK.
So what do you think? Are “green” products worth the extra “green?”
Image: Go_Greener_OZ