Is there a greener clean?
How even dirty hippies can have safe and sparkling homes
Here in Ontario, we’ve entered Super Turbo Platinum Lockdown (the official government designation), and if a year of confinement hasn’t yet driven you to scour every surface of your house, this springtime stay-at-home just might.
How can we clean safely, effectively, and without washing poison down the drain? Don’t worry, while vinegar is the holy water of eco acolytes — eat it, clean with it, pour it on your head! — this post isn’t 101 ways to make your house smell like a pickle factory. Because while I love things that are green, and also cheap, I also love science! So let’s investigate the environmental pitfalls of regular products, greener alternatives, and how far DIY can get us.
What’s the problem with some of our household chemicals? Our grey water (water that goes down our drains) is treated but not for these specific chemicals, and while most degrade with time, some stay in our lakes and rivers for the long haul, causing aquatic toxicity and/or getting absorbed into the bodies of animals and working their way up the food chain. According to Derek Muir of Environment Canada, there are about 400 commercially used chemicals that persist in the environment, and only 4% of those are regularly studied.
That’s a bit scary, but at least some of the major ones are less of a concern that they used to be. Phosphates — once part of most detergents — are a well-established baddie, because they cause algal blooms in lakes. Luckily, many countries, including the U.S., have banned phosphates in detergents, and Canada has limited the acceptable amount. Phosphates from agricultural run-off are still a problem, and a much bigger one than even a nation of clean freaks could create, but it’s nice to know we’re not washing loads of phosphates down our drains every time we run a dishwasher or do laundry. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is another often name-checked water polluter, but it may not be quite the concern that some environmentalists make it out to be: it breaks down in nature very quickly.
This isn’t reason to empty household chemicals down the drain — if you have hazardous household chemicals to get rid of (usually marked by the corrosive, flammable, poisonous, and/or explosive symbols), bring them to a hazardous waste depot. In Toronto, you can bring them to community environment days or call for a Toxic Taxi pickup if you have between 10 and 50 L or kg of material. (And, while we’re here, expired medicine shouldn’t go down the toilet either: return them to your local pharmacist.)
So what products should we be using as good environmental citizens? Happily, it’s pretty easy to buy a product that is evaluated for efficacy as well as human health risks, environmental toxicity and persistence, plastic usage, and release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a source of indoor air pollution. Just choose an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safer Choice product by looking for the seal or searching their database. Going fragrance-free is a bonus way to cut out some unnecessary problem chemicals.
You can, of course, DIY home cleaners: green cleaning expert Melissa Maker has recipes for cleaners for everything from tiles to electronic screens that you can make with stuff you probably have already. Keep in mind that many DIY potions degrade quickly, and some you’ll need to whip up before every use.
If you want to banish your everyday grime, DIY or greener products can do the job just fine, especially if you use hot water and let the product marinate on the surface (good advice no matter what kind of product you’re using). If you’re trying to disinfect, do not fool around — you can see if a cleaner will kill coronavirus by consulting this EPA database. Even outside of COVID times, disinfecting can be a good idea for high-touch surfaces (like light switches and doorknobs), especially ones you use after coming in from the outside world.
As I’ve said before, I support getting out the high-test cleaners if they will make your floors/walls/furniture/fabrics last longer. (AMA about powdered Tide, laundry stripping, or the magic potion that is Barkeeper’s Friend.) But I also don’t think you need to use them every time you clean.
What’s under my sink
Taking all this into account, what products do I use regularly?
For washing dishes: PURE dish soap, which I refill at my local co-op (but I also find Seventh Generation makes sufficient suds).
For sinks, counters, and toilets: Seventh Generation all-purpose cleaner (with baking soda sprinkled as grit to break up soap scum).
For mirrors, windows, and making faucets shine: vinegar and water.
For laundry: currently ECOS, which I bought in a Costco-sized vat, and PURE.
And when it’s time for a serious scrub down of floors, walls, or other surfaces, I follow the @gocleanco gospel and use a combo of water and powdered Tide, with a bit of bleach for the rare tough job (like grout).
As for cleaning tools, I use a couple microfibre cloths I inherited from my grandma, a Swedish dishcloth, old socks or t-shirt pieces, a couple sponges and scouring pads, an IKEA toilet brush from circa 2007, and a plastic-bristled scrub brush (a wood brush with natural bristles would be better, but I’ll consider that when this is kaput). Oh, and a dish wand with replaceable plastic heads for washing dishes, because I lost that domestic battle long ago. You can also use newspaper to clean mirrors and windows — no paper towel required.
A moment for essential oils
If you start looking for DIY recipes, recommendations for adding essential oils abound. Can they supercharge your cleaning products? Some essential oils, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and tea tree oil have been found to have antifungal, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. But don’t count on them to protect you from pathogens, and keep in mind there is some evidence of tea tree oil (and also lavender) as an endocrine disrupter (something that messes with the body’s hormones). People who are pregnant or have children may want to be especially cautious. Essential oils are unregulated products. Greenwashing is so rampant that it never hurts to be reminded that natural does not mean safe!
. . . and for staying alive.
A couple key points before you start scrubbing:
NEVER EVER freestyle your cleaning product combos. You do not want to end up in an ambulance because you mixed bleach and vinegar. Sometimes even following one product with another can spell trouble. Do your research before you’re up to your elbows in suds.
Always keep your windows open when you’re doing any heavy-duty cleaning, because many cleaners are hard on the lungs, especially for people with asthma.
Rubber gloves are always a good idea.
TL;DR
We regularly send all kinds of cleaning products down the drain, and while some chemicals break down fairly quickly, about 400 hang around indefinitely.
When looking for a cleaning product, look for the EPA Safer Choice seal to ensure it isn’t a threat to human or environmental health.
Approach essential oils with care, especially lavender and tea tree, which may affect hormones in children.
Safety first: NEVER mix cleaning chemicals. Research what you’re using and know how to stay safe.
Wins of the Week
So many things are terrible, and all of your small acts of goodness have never been more important. Huzzah and hurray for:
Kerry and Stuart, who are helping organize a distanced neighbourhood trash pickup!
Steph, who has been rehoming loads of things through her neighbourhood FB groups!
Lyn, who has taken up the month’s challenge with her family and started doing errands by bicycle!
What small eco acts are giving you life these days? Please share them with me, via comment, email, or in the Facebook group. Speaking of small acts: sharing this newsletter with a friend or on socials helps our community grow and enhances the good we can do. I’m not saying it will save the world, but I’m not saying it won’t.
See you in May!
Jen
P.S. Today at Noon EST, I’ll be doing a live 20-minute Q&A with Seth Klein, author of A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency, for Word on the Street festival. You can tune in on YouTube. I’m putting on lipstick, so it must be an event.
Five Minutes for Planet is written by me, Jen Knoch, and edited by Crissy Calhoun. Opening photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash.