In the last 6 months, I've been making more of an effort to go green in my tiny little condo. Do a bit more recycling than I used to, reduce my overall waste, be more conscious of how much energy & water I'm using and when, and slowly changing over the products in my home to more "green" products.
"Going Green" has been popping up more frequently in my infrequent exposures to media, news, and social activities. No, I’m not referring to green beer…and since Guinness is the only beer I drink and is too dark to be green, I can’t really go green there.
People are becoming more aware of the products they use, and how it impacts the environment around. Due to this awareness, a large variety of "green" products are FINALLY becoming more readily available to the average consumer.
While choosing more environmentally friendly cleaning products isn't necessarily a difficult thing, I'm finding that changing how I perceive "clean" may be. If I think about it, usually "clean" with a scent, fragrance, or perfume associated with a favorite cleaner (former Mr. Clean sniffer addict here).
In the end, that probably means it's not all that good for us, after all, a majority of traditional cleaning products will have extensive warning labels listing the negative effects to prolonged exposure or ingested. Don't even get me started on bleach.
So my question is this: No matter how effective a product is at "cleaning" our things (i.e. cleaning microscopic "bad things")...if it's dangerous to be using it by breathing too much, or irritates our skin if it accidentally touches our skin...why are we using it to clean our homes? I mean, aren't we around it all the time? Isn't it evaporating into the air we're breathing? Aren't we touching the same places we just cleaned with toxic chemicals? I don't get it. If it's not safe to touch it while I'm cleaning with it...why is it safe to touch what I just cleaned with it?
Okay...I'm probably just digging myself into a big hole, or chasing my invisible tail that I'm never going to catch. I'm not a scientific mind of any sort. I can understand logic to a certain point, but can't really follow beyond a certain level. I couldn't tell you fact from fiction when it comes to chemistry. And although information is readily available via the internet...whether or not that information is correct is an entirely different matter.
Anyway, I've digressed. No one cares that I'm a scientific idiot. My point is...I'm trying to get to the point where I don't need unnecessary chemicals and products in my home. I want to use less “stuff” that will help lessen my environmental footprint so I don't have to feel bad about my existence polluting the world (I exaggerated, I don't have that much of a guilt complex).
However, to go straight from toxic cleaning to chemical free cleaning is a little tough, so I figure baby steps will help and do equivalent replacement. I’ve been coming across a variety of different products during my half-witted, random shopping technique, so I’ll be posting reviews of the products I’ve picked up after I’ve had a few uses.
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