In our modern society most of us use a cocktail of household cleaning products from washing up liquid to toilet cleaner. But have you thought about environmentally friendly cleaning products? Most of the disinfectants and other cleaning products we use are full of chemicals, many of which can be harmful to the environment. Environmentally friendly cleaning products offer a solution.
It would probably be untrue to state that environmentally friendly cleaning products have absolutely no environmental impact, as even natural ingredients can cause issues when put down our drains, but they will certainly significantly reduce the impact when compared to other modern cleaning agents. Environmentally friendly cleaning products are fairly widely available from supermarkets and other high street stores as well as online. It is prudent to be wary, however, as terms such as ‘biodegradable’ and ‘non-toxic’ don’t have fixed definitions and are often used falsely. It is therefore wise to check the ingredients of so called ‘environmentally friendly cleaning products’ carefully and, if unsure, ask the manufacturer to confirm their credentials.
Environmentally friendly cleaning products range from washing up liquid to washing powder and from surface cleaners to toilet disinfectants, so you should be able to cover most of your cleaning requirements. Ingredients to avoid when looking for environmentally friendly cleaning products are chlorine (i.e. bleach) and phosphates which can be very damaging to the environment. Concentrated products usually contain less chemicals and are therefore a good choice. These can also often be bought in bulk which will save packaging and money.
For a list of suggested suppliers, check out the A Lot of Organics website.
