A Greener Clean

     When I was a little girl my sister could always talk me into cleaning the bathroom, dusting the living room or washing the dishes for her.  It didn’t bother me to clean and after my freshman year of college I took a job housekeeping at the College of St. Benedict where I attended school.  I met a great girl named Ritalee and she was what I referred to as a "Green Freak."  She would never let me spray oven racks on the grass, it had to be on cement, I couldn’t empty my buckets anywhere but in a manhole and she refused to be in the bathroom with me when I was using bleach to remove mold.  I didn’t care, she would spend time drawing cute pictures and keep me entertained while I cleaned for the both of us.

      I have never minded cleaning which is a good thing since I do quite a bit of it at Voyageur.  I have my bins with Pine Sol, Simple Green, Soft Scrub, Windex and Lysol toilet bowl cleaner in them.  I use Oven Off on ovens and love Clorox Bleach Spray.  These are the products I swear by summer after summer, year after year. I don’t wear gloves, I inhale fumes and am what you might call, "Set in my ways."

     There are always things to learn and ways to improve and using green cleaning products is a way I could make a difference.  I’m not sure why I haven’t made any changes yet but I guess I just haven’t been convinced it will make that much of a difference. I know Ritalee would be disappointed in me but  I guess I have just been too lazy to find out for myself.  I could try using green cleaners which according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are the following.

"Green cleaners" is a general term for non-hazardous, non-toxic products. Historically, industrial and household cleaners have been found to have a multitude of effects on both human health and the environment due to certain chemicals they contain. The following are characteristics of green cleaners:

  • Non-carcinogenic
  • Non-flammable
  • Does not contain chlorinated compounds
  • Generally safe if accidentally swallowed, absorbed through skin or in eyes, or inhaled
  • Safe to pour down drains-not harmful to plants or waterways
  • Non-corrosive
  • In biodegradable or recyclable containers
  • Greener cleaners DOES NOT necessarily mean more money.

You can read more about green cleaners at this website and if you feel compelled to do so, then try to convince me why I should try a greener clean.