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BANG FOR THE BITE
If every U.S. household replaced one 32 oz. bottle of kitchen cleaner containing chlorine bleach with one that was hydrogen peroxide-based, we’d save enough chlorine to disinfect 16,500 pools for a summer.
COCKTAIL FACT
In 1900, cancer was responsible for 4% of US deaths. Chemicals introduced during the Industrial Revolution “helped” increase this number to almost 25%.
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home › tip library › Eco-cleaning - Green Kitchen Cleaners
Are you preparing your famous chocolate souffle in a chemistry lab?
The Bite
Many kitchen cleaners, particularly oven cleaners, are laden with harsh chemicals that can irritate your eyes and skin, not to mention Mother Nature. Natural cleaning products leave the kitchen clean and your health in check.The Benefits
- Natural alternatives exist for nearly every kitchen cleaning task, eliminating the need for chemical-heavy cleaners.
- Limit exposure to harsh chemicals. The average home today contains over sixty-two chemicals – that’s more than a circa-1900 chemistry lab.
- You know what you’re getting, and you can even pronounce the ingredients. More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been invented since World War II.
- Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. Using natural cleaning products helps to create a safer environment in your kitchen, your home or your workplace.
Personally Speaking
Heather feels like she’s in a garden when she cleans the kitchen sink with her Mrs. Meyers Geranium powdered scrub. Jen’s been a Shaklee aficionado for years after her Shaklee’d cousin cornered her one Christmas in a daze of cookie comatose.Wanna Try?
- Restore Non-Toxic Oven Cleaner - removes soot and grease from ovens and grills ($7).
- BioKleen Automatic Dish Powder - free of phosphates ($7).
- Mrs. Meyers Geranium Surface Scrub - heaven-scented and works like a charm ($4.99).
- Seventh Generation Citrus Kitchen Cleaner - non-toxic, biodegradable, petroleum and chlorine-free ($5).
- EPA Non-Toxic Home Products List - natural home cleaning products and tips.
Apr 10,2006
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
In Absence of Inspiration to Write about Cleaning, Write about Vanity Fair
Like any true New Yorker, my oven doesn't often need cleaning. Mainly,
this is due to the fact that said oven is used most often as a storage
place for many pots and pans (a fact which always tends to baffle my
mother a bit when she shows up and starts to preheat the oven along
with the contents within).
this is due to the fact that said oven is used most often as a storage
place for many pots and pans (a fact which always tends to baffle my
mother a bit when she shows up and starts to preheat the oven along
with the contents within).
I
have to admit that lately, I haven't been cleaning my kitchen at all -
mainly because I haven't been spending enough time in it to make
anything dirty. Having loved cooking for the entirety of
my adult life, I'm a bit embarrassed, and I've decided to make a
concerted effort at changing that. As soon as I return
from an upcoming trip West, I am going to get back to my round of
throwing dinner parties and cooking great meals.
Speaking
of the trip West, Jen and I also took a little trip West about 6 weeks
ago, in order to be part of a photo shoot for this month's "Green
Issue" of Vanity Fair. It's currently out in NY and LA, and will hit the newsstands across the US this week, so check it out.
Aside from the fact that I got a lot of flack in Grist for wearing a sweater belt (as IF they let us dress ourselves), the shoot was a blast.
Green is definitely hitting the mainstream, and you, lovely Biters, are the vanguard.
-Heather... off to see if I can't tease my hair out like that again...
Biter Comments...
Congrats on the photo shoot! Nicely done! Just my two cents on cleaning - I swear by Sun & Earth products. They're readily available at grocery stores (even in my "what's health food?" area), and they work BETTER than conventional products, in my opinion. I use their laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, dish soap and fabric softener. Great stuff, good ingredients.
My sister turned me on to some great ecofriendly products. I am hooked, they work and I am saving MONEY and time while caring about the environment and the health of my family.
My favorite is the laundry products - with 2 kids and a husband in environmental clean up in the oil field, I do a lot of laundry and it needs to work hard.
This company offers great VALUE for customers and offers a home based oppertunity for qualified individuals.
http://www.stayinhomeandlovinit.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=id237305&action=show
Hi everyone!
I can never share about some things enough, especially when it's 'green'! I got "Clean House, Clean Planet" this past year and have been soooooo enjoying myself (as much as anyone can enjoy cleaning!). It's chock full of information on chemicals and products, alternatives that are green, recipes for replacing the old products (like soft scrub ie.), and a cost comparison of how much money you're saving with the product you make yourself. I absolutely love the bathroom cleaner and am tickled at how shiney the chrome comes out, and how yummy the cleaner smells. It looks like soft scrub, but is much fluffier and smells of Dr. Bronner's lavender. And, I know exactly what's in it. Although at times I have a eerie sense of being a mad-scientist mixing things in the lab (mwah-hah-hah!) The author (Karen Logan) has lots of integrity as well, in that she tells you if the safer alternative works just as well or not as well as chemically-laden products do. This is a huge plus in my book, that an author would admit this freely.
For my laundry, I use Ecos liquid and for an added boost, I add a bit of borax which works wonders.
I could go on for days and days, but I think I'll give some other people room to comment here (hehe) :)
I just subscribed to Ideal Bite about two weeks ago, and I've loved reading it. Then today, I opened my new Vanity Fair, and there you are! Congrats!
My mother-in-law was just in town and was using Comet on the kitchen sink, and she knows I'm really into eco-friendliness and said, "I know this may not be environmental." So when I saw your bite on surface scrub I was thrilled! So happy to have found an alternative to Comet. I bought some yesterday and am excited to try it out today! Who ever heard of being excited to clean the sink? haha So thanks again! And maybe I'll be bringing her some Mrs. Meyers Surface Scrub for Easter next week! :) Love you guys, thanks for everything. I feel like I have two eco-friends waiting for me every day in my email box. Congratulations on your publicity!
I'm new to ideal bite. I am doing some research on the toxicity of household and hospitality industry cleaners. There was some great information on the site. Could you share the sources for those statistics? That would be a great help! Also, if anyone knows where I can get any more stats on this problem that would be great. Thanks!
Sydni -
For a little further info, check out:
Environmental factors affect cancer rates
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2004/2004-06-28-02.asp
More stats:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/STT/stt_0.asp
http://www.laskerfoundation.org/reports/html/cancer.html
Rise in cancer rate since 1973
http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lcancerrise.htm
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Eric Snyder | April 10, 2006 at 07:27 AM