From Guest Blogger Lana Hawkins: Are Green Cleaning Products Really Safe?

Due to the growing environmental awareness, and growing concerns about home safety, more and more people look for green cleaning products which are made with natural and biodegradable substances. Even though there has been an increase in popularity of these products recently, it is a doubtful manner how safe they really are for the environment.

Advantages of being green

To begin with, using commercial, chemical-based products has many drawbacks such as a high cost, damaging effect on both the environment and health of the whole family. However, most of the households keep these highly dangerous substances in their houses simultaneously neglecting the adverse consequences that might occur, especially if there are kids around. Luckily, there are numerous non/toxic cleaners available nowadays such as natural household cleaners, furniture spritzers, surface cleaners, laundry detergents, personal hygiene products, pet care products and so on. Also, car owners use practical car wax cleaners to protect their vehicles without using water or substances.

Firstly, they are much healthier, eco-friendly alternatives as they contain a verified amount of renewable biological ingredients and they are made from plant-based sources. Secondly, green cleaning products neither cause any irritation to skin and respiratory system nor trigger any illnesses or allergies which makes them even more practical and efficient. According to many people, this is considered to be the biggest advantage of green products, as they do not need to worry about possible side-effects that chemical-based products usually have.

Furthermore, there is a variety of home-made green cleaners that are cost-effective, easy to make and most importantly environmentally safe. Baking soda, soap, lemon and vinegar are just a few examples of natural green substances which are best options for home-owners who want to stay eco/friendly without buying cleaning products. Most of these are relatively harmless and practical to use.

Downsides of being green

However, how certain can we actually be about harmless effects that these green products have on the environment? Although, most of them are apparently natural, they may contain some chemical substances or ingredients that cause cancer and, therefore, are avoided by consumers. In addition, they are pretty costly for an average home-owner because they use natural ingredients which are often more expensive then regular chemicals. This is usually main reason why people decide to either use standard chemical products or home-made ones. Moreover, the green products’ performance is not as good as the performance of chemical products which makes them even less appealing to consumers.

Finally, according to some critics there are many irregularities on the market and, frequently, even green cleaning product do not involve all the ingredients on their labels. Nevertheless, most manufacturers argue that they are using environmentally safe and naturally derived ingredients. In order to prove what the truth is, an extensive research should be conducted which can be time-consuming and, therefore, not very efficient.

Using eco-friendly cleaning products unquestionably contributes to the healthier, more responsible and environmentally friendly environment, making the consumers become more environmentally aware and prevent any damaging effect chemical cleaners might have on the environment. There is a wide range of products available on the market which are aimed at safe cleaning without sacrificing effectiveness. Most of these ‘stronger’ products are needed in bathrooms and kitchens, for some more thorough cleaning, even can be used for unclogging blocked drains. They are ideal solution for people prone to allergies and infections and they do not have strong smell. However, a higher price and market irregularities regarding labeling make them less popular. Whether you will decide to buy one of those handy products or not, depends solely on your preferences. However, eco-friendly cleaners surely won’t hurt anybody, and, at the end of the day, what really matters is to keep our family safe.