Cleaning up the house without messing up the environment
by MONIKA ULLMANN
Illustration By Josué Menjivar
Keeping the house spotless is largely a North American obsession, resulting in an arsenal of chemical cleaners that would have delighted Lady Macbeth. She’d have no difficulty getting that damn spot out now, with the aid of the thousands of chemicals used in North American cleaning products. The question is not whether or not these things work, but whether or not they are safe.
Several days of wading through research and talking to experts (including the real experts—ordinary people with clean homes) has convinced me that nobody has to do what I used to do: pour bleach on whatever it is and run.
For starters, there are five readily available, perfectly safe, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners that work well with the application of a little elbow grease. Previous generations swore by them: baking soda, white vinegar, washing soda, lemon juice, and liquid soap. But they also had a sixth ingredient on the list that doesn’t pass the test: ammonia. (I once made the mistake of pouring bleach and ammonia into the toilet bowl, creating an evil brew that gave off a toxic gas. Don’t do this.)
Ignorance clearly isn’t bliss. But who among us knows that nonylphenols and toluene are dangerous toxins that appear frequently in household cleaning products? Even if you do know that, there is no legislation in Canada requiring manufacturers to list all ingredients on cleaning products. Health Canada, which controls labelling, requires that poisonous and corrosive substances be identified, and that symbols denoting be on the front of the product, but that is all. Substances that are not clearly poisonous or under review do not have to be listed. Complete abstinence from commercial cleaners is one way of coping, but education is the better way.
For some, like Kathryn Fontaine, who works full time and likes a clean house, figuring out what to use that isn’t going to hurt you or the planet has been a gradual, almost accidental process. “I saw a TV show about a book called Haley’s Cleaning Hints one day,” she says, “and that’s how I got started using simple and safe products around the house.” Fontaine says she paid attention to the program because it wasn’t deadly serious, and she believes consumers are more likely to listen if the tone is light.
On the other hand, photographer Carmen Schmidt’s switch to natural products was a serious decision. She became a convert to such products during a trip to Europe that exposed her to an environment far more polluted than ours. “If we’re not careful, it’s just a matter of time before we get to that point here, and it’s so unnecessary,” she says. “I’m very passionate about this, and so what if it isn’t quite as convenient?” Her favourite thing: an orange oil concentrate she buys at Capers Community Markets. “It’s a very good cleaning agent; it’s gentle, and everything smells wonderful,” she reports.
Orange oil is just one of dozens of products on the market that take the killer chemicals away, leaving nothing but good, “green” cleaning agents behind. There are even non-toxic alternatives to some of the worst offenders, such as oven cleaners, toilet-bowl cleaners, and carpet cleaners. Among the “green” brands locally available are Seventh Generation, Ecover, Earth Friendly, VIP, and Nature Clean.
However, some products touted as “green” contain harmful ingredients. The Labour Environment-al Alliance Society (LEAS) lists more than two dozen cleaning products and eight of the most common toxins at leas.ca/forums/ToxinsTable.htm. Simple Green Degreaser and Orange Glow Eliminator Stain Remover contain 2-butoxyethanol, as do five other “non-green” products. Environment Canada lists this chemical as a suspected reproductive toxin. On the other hand, some brands that are not “green” get a clean bill of health on this site. Among them are Vim Oxygel Cleaner and Zout Laundry Stain Remover.
The Western Regional Pollution Prevention Network, an alliance of local, state, federal, and tribal pollution-prevention groups under the aegis of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has compiled a host of very practical information, including lists of chemicals that should always be avoided. The list includes toluene, napthalene, methyl chloroform, coconut oil, diethanolomine, lauric acid, mono-di-tri-ethanolamine, and benzyl alcohol, to name just a few. But is it realistic to expect the average consumer to search the web trying to figure out which products contain which toxins? Shouldn’t the government be protecting us and giving us some kind of guidelines?
Sean Griffin, LEAS research co-ordinator, says federal laws protect workers’ rights to know the toxicity levels of the substances they use. But the same chemicals that are considered toxic and require the publishing of their toxic effects in the workplace are allowed into our homes via cleaning products. There is a move to bring Canada’s labelling laws into line with our trading partners through a series of international initiatives called the Global Harmonization System. However, this project, which involves several international organizations and interest groups, isn’t making much headway, because industry stakeholders are not supportive of it.
“It’s glacially slow,” says Griffin, “and we need to get the information out there in a broader way. We know that once consumers become aware, they want more information.” He believes Canada needs to catch up to the European Union, which has long had mandatory labelling of toxins and is driven by a precautionary approach. The U.S. has developed a national standard for identifying products that meet strict criteria with its Green Seal program. Canada has a similar seal of approval, called EnviroChoice, ad-ministered by Health Canada. It sets standards for safe products in consultation with scientists and stakeholders. Companies can submit products for certification, but they don’t have to. Griffin says the program has had only limited success so far, because it isn’t mandatory.
“For the average person, it’s very difficult to know what’s what,” says Griffin.
Bob Morrisseau, regional grocery merchandiser for Capers Markets, says buying “green” products from companies that have developed their own guidelines is one way of playing it safe, and reading labels on commercial cleaners doesn’t necessarily help. “Most commercial brands go to great lengths not to disclose that information—even if you phone them,” he says. “We feel each product should contain those ingredients on the label, just so the customer can have peace of mind.”
In general, what you don’t know about cleaning products can really hurt you. According to the LEAS CancerSmart Consumer Guide, written by Griffin, the toxins found in cleaning agents fall into three categories: carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, and reproductive toxins. Carcinogens are chemicals that destroy or alter the DNA of cells and are estimated to be responsible for at least 25 per cent of all cancers, according to the World Health Organization.
Endocrine disrupters are chemicals that are similar to naturally occurring hormones, but disturb normal hormonal processes. The primary chemical suspects are ethoxylated nonylphenols, which have been banned in the EU but are still legal in Canada.
Reproductive toxins can damage sperm and cause infertility in women and are thought to be responsible for early-onset puberty. The main suspect here is the above-mentioned toluene, often used in pesticides intended for home use.
Fortunately, Vancouver consumers can find an array of “green” cleaners. Both Morrisseau and Mark Vickers, CEO of Choices Markets, report that Seventh Generation, an American brand, is their top “green” seller and considered one of the best. Griffin gives Nature Clean, a Canadian company, full marks for disclosure of ingredients. Nature Clean products can be found at Save-On Foods, Urban Fare, Safe-way, IGA, Choices, Capers, Whole Foods, East End Food Co-op, Famous Foods, Drive Organics, Mainly Organics, Donald’s Market, and Central Gourmet.
There is a price to be paid for healthier cleaning products, though. Vickers estimates they cost roughly 15 to 30 per cent more than conventional cleaners. “But our customers are willing to pay for value,” he says. Apparently he’s right. B.C. leads the way in using such cleaning products: 15 per cent of our population buys them, says Vickers, and B.C. sales equal those of Ontario, with its much larger population.
As for me and my bleach habit, I’ve discovered a safe, environmentally friendly alternative: Nature Clean Natural Liquid Bleach at about $2.79 a litre. The only ingredient on the label is hydrogen peroxide, and it’s hypoallergenic and biodegradable.
