Green Cleaning Tips

Cleaning products are necessary for maintaining healthful conditions in the home, but many products can present health and environmental concerns, including eye, skin, or respiratory irritation, or more serious issues. Following are tips for using environmentally preferable or green cleaners.

 

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When purchasing kitchen cleaners, look for signal words on product labels. Try to avoid most products labeled Danger/Poison (indicating that they can be lethal when ingested in very small quantities), as well as products labeled as Corrosive, Severely Irritating, Highly Flammable, Highly Combustible, or Strong Sensitizer. Also, when possible, try to select cleaning products that are labeled as low-VOC, readily biodegradable, bio-based, and solvent-free. Some products' environmental claims have been verified and certified by a third-party group (such as Green Seal or Scientific Certification Systems).

Also bear in mind that several simple, non-toxic, and inexpensive household substances can also be very effective for most types of household and kitchen cleaning jobs; these include white vinegar, baking soda, mild liquid (e.g., castile) soap, lemon juice, and borax. (Note that vinegar and lemon juice are acidic, so they are useful for removing mineral deposits, but they should not be used on all surfaces.) Recipes for making natural, non-toxic cleaning formulas are available on various Web sites such as thegreenguide.com and care2.com.

 

Note: Links do not constitute "endorsement" of these products or companies on the part of the EPA.

 

Check out these websites for more information:

• EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Database
  

• EPA Design for Environment Program partners and products list

• National Institutes of Health Household Products Database

 

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About EPA

The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, the EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people. At laboratories located throughout the nation, the agency works to assess environmental conditions and to identify, understand and solve current and future environmental problems.

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