Driven by the concerns of environmentally conscious consumers, many big-name makers of cleaning products now shy away from potent, synthetically produced ingredients, such as phosphorus and bleach, turning instead toward more green-friendly ingredients. Containing ingredients that are natural, nontoxic and biodegradable, today’s green cleaning products often scour and scrub as well as traditional cleaners, without the potentially serious health risks that may accompany chemical-based cleaning ingredients.
Baking Soda
Many homemade green cleaning solutions use baking soda, so it's no surprise that it makes a regular appearance in various commercially produced green cleaning products as well, including detergents and kitchen and bathroom cleaners. Also called sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is a naturally occurring mineral that people have used for cleaning for centuries. Tanya Ha, coauthor of “The Australian Green Consumer Guide,” states that baking soda serves as a disinfectant and eliminates odors through absorption. As a green cleaning ingredient, baking soda produces gentle but effective cleaning on various surfaces, including tubs, tiles, countertops, steel, enamel and plastic.
Citric Acid
The active ingredient in various citrus fruits, particularly oranges and lemons, citric acid finds its way onto many green cleaning products’ ingredient lists. According to Jeff Bredenberg, author of the book “2,001 Amazing Cleaning Secrets,” citric acid is an acidic substance that possesses low ph levels and works well when used in various kitchen cleaning products, especially for cooking and eating utensils, such as glassware and coffee pots. Citric acid serves as a natural bleach and grease cutting addition to green cleaning products.
Glycerin
A byproduct of palm and coconut oil production, glycerin is a vegetable-based substance commonly used as a preservative in the large-scale production of various green cleaning products. According to Michael Grosvenor, coauthor of the book “Green Your Home All in One for Dummies,” mild hand soaps and liquid dish soaps frequently use to help promote lubrication.
Essential Oils
Known and used in the world of aromatherapy for their potent power to boost the spirit and relax the body through scent, essential oils consist of the concentrated oil extracted from various plant parts, including leaves and flowers. Commonly used essential oils in green cleaning include lemon, orange, lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree. Lemon, orange and lavender essential oils give the fresh cleaning scent that comes with traditional cleaning products without the potentially harmful side effects accompanying synthetically produced scents. According to Ha, eucalyptus oil dissolves sticky substances, including fat and greases, so green kitchen cleaning products commonly use it to cut grease and as a fragrance. With a scent similar to that of eucalyptus, tea tree oil possesses specialized plant compounds that enable it to serve as an ingredient in cleaners and disinfectants, notes Ha.
References
- “The Australian Green Consumer Guide”; Tanya Ha; 2008
- “2001 Amazing Cleaning Secrets”; Jeff Bredenberg; 2004
- “Green Your Home All in One for Dummies”; Michael Grosvenor et al; 2008
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