Enzymes made up of amino acids (proteins) and they’re totally biodegradable, non-toxic, and harmless to the environment and marine life.   They’re a type of chemical that speeds up natural processes. They act as catalysts for chemical processes, sometimes speeding it up millions of times faster than the reaction would happen on its own. Each enzyme is designed for a specific reaction, so for cleaning multiple enzymes are typically combined for a purpose, like a kitchen cleaner would use enzymes targeted to what you find in a kitchen. Got it? In general, they speed up the break down of soap, oils, detergents,  and organic matter. In fact, they break them down into earth-friendly components like oxygen and carbon. Once the organic matter is gone there’s nowhere for bacteria to grow. So, that’s how they do the dirty work.

The same way they attack oils and organic matter, enzymes can also break down odors, contaminants in water, and all sorts of other things. What else? They’re pH neutral, meaning they’re safe for natural stone (granite, marble, travertine, etc.) as well as hardwood floors & furniture and other sensitive surfaces.   We tried out the kitchen cleaner here by NaturallyClean and loved it. Our only caution is to watch the other ingredients in a cleaner, as usual. A truly green product will make the list of ingredients available to you, so look for plant-based surfactants and solvents without artificial scents and what-not.

Of the ‘conventional’ cleaners out there Magic Eraser is a little different. No powder, no liquid, just a little white sponge. It got a bad rap a while back due to an email that went around claiming that it’s filled with formaldehyde. The truth is, there’s no formaldehyde in it, according to the manufacturer and their MSDS. There’s a chemical compound – specifically a melamine foam substance – that has the word formaldehyde in it’s name. Unfortunately I’m not a chemist, so I can’t tell you how that works, but if there are any chemists out there, do share your knowledge.

In terms of how it works, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t have a success story with Magic Eraser. The consensus is, it is indeed magic. In fact, I’ve heard people call it divine glory. Personally, I keep one on hand simply for crayon on the wall. It’s the only thing that works (with non washable crayons, that is).

But we’re here to talk about how ‘green’ it is. The answer? When Mr. Clean made the Magic Eraser, he (or the corporate magnate behind him) wasn’t concerned with things like sustainability, biodegradability, safety for marine life, and all the things we look for here at Broom Huggers. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any information about it from Mr. Clean.

If we’re looking at toxicity though, it doesn’t contain any of the big worries – no petrochemicals, neurotoxins, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, mutagens. I haven’t seen any data that would classify Magic Eraser as ’safe’ (though it’s said to be safe unless swallowed). But let’s just say that there are much worse things you’re exposed to every day. The PBDEs in your matress and pillow, the stain proof coating on your carpet, the adhesive in your cabinets, the list goes on. As for Magic Eraser, there are no tests that prove its safety, but likewise we know that none of the really bad stuff is in there. Even if swallowed, it’s not the chemicals that will hurt you, it’s the fact that swallowing a sponge will adversely affect the way your gastrointestinal tract works. If it’s something that you use on occasion when nothing else works, you’re good to go. If you have a basement stacked full of them that you use all day for every cleaning purpose, you might want to  consider something a little healthier for the environment and something that has been proven safe to people and pets.

So, as promised I bought a bottle of it. And isn’t it pretty? I chose the Natural Dilutable cleaner, since that makes most sense to me. It’s a concentrated cleaner that you can dilute for different purposes – put some in a spray bottle mixed with water and you have all-purpose. A little bit in a mop bucket makes a great floor cleaner that doesn’t need a rinse. The bonus there is that you aren’t paying for the water to be added and packaged and shipped.

I used mine full-strength though, in the shower. Honestly? It worked better than some of the more harsh cleaners I’ve used in the past. In fact, it did a better job on my shower with less work than CLR used to do. (And that stuff is just death waiting at the door). Clorox GreenWorks has a light, airy scent that doesn’t linger too long. It bubbles and lathers nicely, which was a bit of a surprise to me. There aren’t many eco-friendly bubblers out there. But somehow they’ve manufactured this to act like a conventional cleaner.

Here comes confession time… (Mom, stop reading here, lest your head may explode!) I went ages without cleaning my toilet. Gross, I know. But I do that periodically to test new products. How do they handle a nasty job? Clorox GreenWorks passed the test, but not without a fair amount of scrubbing and 2 applications of the product. Still, a little bit of the product went a long way, and my gross toilet bowl is squeaky clean (surprising, considering how long it had been…).

I’ve used other natural products that worked significantly better on my toilet (even when it’s in bad shape) or on my shower. For instance, Shaklee H2 and Scour Off do an awesome job in my shower. Barefoot Home Essentials does great on the toilet. And my home-made vinegar – water – essential oils – borax cleaner outdid Clorox on the toilet bowl. But all in all, Clorox Green Works has my seal of approval.  As far as something you can find in your typical supermarket, Clorox GreenWorks did an impressive job. I’d have to say it far exceeds other conventional-cleaners-gone-green.

What makes Shaklee better? Well, to be honest, it’s about equal to Organic Excellence in its cleaning power and efficiency. The cost is basically identical too. But who loves Shaklee? Let me just tell you. Shaklee has been loved on by Oprah, Time Magazine, Womens Day, Family Circle, Fast Company, Parenting Magazine, and Better Homes and Gardens. Oh. And my clients love it too. When I started putting the word out that we were making the switch, you’ve never seen so many ear to ear smiles!

The packaging and marketing are better too. The bottles are user-friendly (and *pretty* too!). And they have more options available – different cleaners available for different purposes. Scented and non-scented varieties are available for some of their products. But do you know what’s really great? 3 things:

• Shaklee H2 (what we use most) is Green Seal certified
• They’re KOSHER! (Can you believe it??? A Kosher house cleaner!)
• The entire company is zero footprint.  Yes, climate neutral. They’re the first company to acheive that. Impressive.

So that’s it. We’re switching. We’re excited. And we think you should be too. But for now, I’ve given up enough company trade secrets, so that’s all I can tell you!

What does Greenlist mean though? Well, precisely nothing. According to SC Johnson it rates the ingredients it uses with a 0-3 rating based on things like biodegradability and toxicity. 3 is ‘best’ and quite obviously 0 is on the other end of the spectrum. So what’s the problem? SC Johnson developed the rating system themselves. They hired their own scientists to rate the ingredients. They made up the label and all the guidelines therein.

That’s something akin to Greenwashing. Slapping a label or qualification on a label that has no third party backing is meaningless. This can be seen as SC Johnson’s effort to jump on the green bandwagon and respond to efforts by their competitors to go green. Unfortunately, it only shows that they have no understanding of the green audience.

Environmental Leader and Tree Hugger both have further helpful information on the GreenList labeling procedure. As far as we see it her at Broom Huggers, all of the products are pretty useless. Windex can be made at home, as can furniture polish, toilet bowl cleaner, and actually healthy and safe orange-powered cleaners. If you’re determined to buy cleaning chemicals at the store, opt for something with third-party qualifications. There’s power in being an informed consumer.

This is the first product launch of this type by a major consumer brand, and it’s Clorox’s first new brand launch in 20 years. They’re doing it right though.

Green Works carries the Sierra Club endorsement, lists its ingredients on the label (which is virtually unheard of in the mainstream cleaning products industry), one of the products is available in concentrate, and 99% of the ingredients are natural, biodegradable, and non-petrochemical. Moreover, according to Joel Makower, Clorox is actually trying to make the production of GreenWorks carbon neutral. For a mainstream brand, that’s enough to knock my socks off.

I’m much more pleased with this than I am Clorox’s other ‘less toxic’ products – like their Anywhere Spray (which contains bleach). With Green Works they’ve really made a huge step in the right direction, and we can only hope other mainstream manufacturers will follow their lead.

Now for the nitty-gritty. Green Works products, according to their website, does not disinfect. That significantly curbs its effectiveness. Other steps they could have taken to make their product a little more earthy? Get rid of that 1% of artificial colors – they use petrochemicals as artificial coloring, and frankly, who gives a flip what color it is, if it works well? Get rid of the petrochemicals and I’d be a lot happier. Finally, offer the whole range of products as ‘dilutable’ (highly concentrated), not just the glass cleaner. Dilutable means that they save on packaging, shipping, and production costs, and it’s also much better for the planet. But perhaps that’s already in the works, with their plans to go carbon neutral. Time will tell.

But to be sure, they’ve taken huge steps in the right direction with this, and I sincerely hope it starts a trend in the marketplace. I’ve already started noticing more and more products offering ‘greener’ alternatives, but Clorox is the first to launch an entire brand devoted it. I’m certain it won’t be the last – other manufacturers are sure to jump on the bandwagon. And for those of us who work in the ‘green cleaning’ industry, that’s awesome news.

I’m off to buy a bottle or two of Green Works to see how it works. Give me a week or two to test it, and I’ll get back to you with my review.

Are you sick of those darn dryer sheets? The chemicals, the unnecessary scents (aren’t even the unscented ones slightly scented? Or maybe I’m buying the wrong brand…), the continuous expense of replacing box after box… And they all end up in the landfill anyway.

Well, dryer sheets begone! I got some of these for Christmas, and I love them! Goodbye dryer sheets! Forever!

They’re reusable. They soften my clothes. They get rid of static cling. They reduce drying time, making your dryer more efficient. The reduce wrinkles so your clothes are easier to iron. They’re chemical free! They’re hypoallergenic! What could be better?

You can get a pair here for $19.99 (plus S&H) – think, no more dryer sheets to buy – ever! Better yet, search for “dryer balls” at Amazon. You’ll get several varieties, all with reviews, and priced considerably lower than Nellie’s. I’m all for frugal, but even more for Christmas gifting!

I don’t know why anyone would want to stick with dryer sheets when these are out there! I’ll never go back to dryer sheets. That’s what works for me. Head over to Shannon’s place for more helpful tips.

I was so excited when earlier this month I walked into Target and saw that Method had their new holiday scents out! I use a lot of Method products at my house so already knowing what the company stands stands for I grabbed up my favorite holiday scent, cinnamon bark, and waltzed out with dreams of a beautifully clean and fragrant household. Once I got home I realized there was an unfamiliar warning on the back: CONTAINS DECYLPOLYGLUCOSIDE, IF SWALLOWED CALL POISON CONTROL. KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN.”What?” I thought to myself. I double checked to make sure it was , for sure, a Method product. It was! One of the main reasons I like natural cleaning products like Method is because I have a toddler and I want to know that the products we use to keep our house clean won’t harm her. Plus, she likes to help me clean. Who in their right mind would turn down cleaning help?

So, I headed to the trusty internet to look up some information on this ingredient. Here is what I found: Decylpolyglucoside is a gentle, natural surfactant made from natural sugars. That’s it! There isn’t much more to be found. ‘Surfactant’ means that it has a property that makes water ‘wetter,’ allowing germs and gunk to slide easily off surfaces. Natural sugars? Oh, dear me! It is used in quite a few natural shampoos and lotions. I can’t find a bad thing about it! I’m really not sure why Method felt it was needed to put a poison control warning on their bottle due to the DPG. Maybe they’re a little overzealous in their labeling? Cosmetic Database even gives it a 100% safe rating! Now, I don’t plan on pouring some in a mug and enjoying it while sitting by the fire (although it does smell delicious!) but I do think I’ll let this one stay!

If anyone out there knows why the warning is on the Method, do share. But to me, this seems pretty harmless.

So if you’re in the market, or just wanting a good starting place for more information, go check it out.

The great people over at Barefoot Home Essentials sent us an introduction set of products to try out. Try we did, and love we do. They have all-natural all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, disinfecting spray, and room freshener. How do we love thee? Let me count the ways…

The all-purpose cleaner has something we’ve never found in any other cleaner: cinnamon! The scent is amazing. It makes me want to clean more. And more. And more. Somebody stop me. It really is an all-purpose go-to cleaner. I’ve used it to remove scuffs from my tile, dried on food from the wood table (thanks to toddler food-painting), washable crayon off the wall, and clean the toilets and countertops too. The one thing it couldn’t handle was the soap scum on the shower door, but I wouldn’t typically use an all-purpose for that anyway (vinegar and salt work best on soap scum).

The glass cleaner makes my mirrors shine, streak-free, and smells lovely. I’ve also used it as an all-purpose in a pinch, and it does a great job on the counters and stainless sink.

But let me tell you, the disinfectant spray makes my dreams come true, especially this time of year. My family has been passing some awful germs around, including bronchitis and pneumonia. The disinfectant spray is gentle enough to use on the toys in the playroom, and helps me rid our home of germy-germs. I spray it on the light switches, door knobs, playroom, kids’ rooms, faucets – and no wiping necessary. I love this stuff.

And the lavender room spray is just what I need before guests arrive. Yes, I just wrote a post against perfumes for your home, but this is different. This is lavender. It eases headaches and stress. It disinfects. It stimulates your immune system. It relaxes. It’s all-natural. It’s heaven in a bottle.

Do you know what I like best about this company? Barefoot Home Essentials is family-run. And their priorities and values are much the same as mine. They promote health. They build their business around their family, not vice versa. They believe in safe, all-natural products that are family friendly. They stand behind their product.

So. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go straight to Barefoot Home Essentials and get yourself some of this stuff! You will not be disappointed. I promise.

And, the folks over there are just so wonderful. They’re offering – to Broom Huggers readers alone – buy 3 get 1 free! Just mention Broom Huggers sent you. You can’t beat that! Go ahead, buy yourself a full set. Your home deserves it. And international readers? They ship international too! Of course you’ll have to pay a wee extra for the all the extra miles it’s going to travel, but when you’re buying 3 and getting 1 free, it’s so worth it. Do you realize that’s 25% off? Wow, people!