"Earth Friendly" Household Cleaners

[Slow Triathlete]

In case you haven't noticed in the stores or in their commercials, retail giants like Target and Wal-Mart are now making "Earth Friendly" household cleaners to keep up with SC Johnson. Am I the only one that see the irony in the fact that the "Earth Friendly" cleaners are still in plastic bottles?

[Toasted Coastie]

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

In case you haven't noticed in the stores or in their commercials, retail giants like Target and Wal-Mart are now making "Earth Friendly" household cleaners to keep up with SC Johnson. Am I the only one that see the irony in the fact that the "Earth Friendly" cleaners are still in plastic bottles?

Now that is funny!

Use simple green. It is not trendy, but it is eco friendly, and smells nice.

[CaptainJeebes]

maybe its recycled plastic..

[shrtcrt-cl]

At least the stuff in the bottle is better. We use the new stuff from clorox and it works great. hmmm so we use natural cleaners to cleaning up after our natural waste!

[dartfrog]

Originally Posted by Toasted Coastie

Now that is funny!

Use simple green. It is not trendy, but it is eco friendly, and smells nice.

I work for a specialty chemical company, don't let the sweet smell of sassafras fool you. Not a pollutant as described by EPA but....

The only ingredient of Simple Green® with established exposure limits is undiluted 2-butoxyethanol (<6%) (Butyl
Cellosolve; CAS No. 111-76-2): the ACGIH TLV-TWA is 20 ppm (97 mg/m3). Based upon chemical analysis, Simple
Green® contains no known EPA priority pollutants, heavy metals or chemicals listed under RCRA, CERCLA, or CWA.
Analysis by TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) according to RCRA revealed no toxic organic or
inorganic constituents.

The main use of 2-butoxyethanol is as a solvent in paints and surface coatings, followed by cleaning products and inks. Other products which contain 2-butoxyethanol include acrylic resin formulations, asphalt release agents, firefighting foam, leather protectors, oil spill dispersants and photographic strip solutions. 2-Butoxyethanol is a primary ingredient of various whiteboard cleaners, liquid soaps, cosmetics, dry cleaning solutions, lacquers, varnishes, herbicides, and latex paints. It also seems to be excellent at killing most insects and arachnids.

It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial, and industrial cleaning solutions. It is manufactured by the Eastman Kodak company under catalog # EK1364579, and Kodak Laboratory Chemicals catalog # P2270.


Safety
It is recommended that one use precautions when working with glycol ethers such as 2-butoxyethanol. Employers are required by United States federal law to inform employees when they are working with these substances.

Some animal studies indicate that it produces reproductive problems, such as reduced fertility, death of embryos and birth defects. People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for several hours have reported nose and eye irritation, headaches, vomiting and a metallic taste in their mouths. In addition to inhaling 2-butoxyethanol vapor, research has shown that skin can also absorb 2-butoxyethanol vapor from the air, making skin a major pathway of exposure to this chemical.

2-Butoxyethanol is frequently found in popular cleaning products. It is difficult for consumers to know whether their favorite cleaner contains the chemical because manufacturers are not required to list it on the label.

This compound is on California's list of toxic air contaminants, though it was removed from the U.S. EPA's list of hazardous air pollutants in 1994.

In recent years 2-butoxyethanol has come under increased scrutiny in Canada, and Environment and Health Canada has recommended that it be added to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

So bottom line, never use this crap straight from the bottle, always dilute.

[texasmatt]

You know what's real earth friendly? Not using any cleaners. Ever. I'm pretty sure some new species has evolved in the bathroom in my dorm. I'm actually pretty glad to be getting away from my messy roommates in a couple weeks.

[Toasted Coastie]

Originally Posted by dartfrog

I work for a specialty chemical company, don't let the sweet smell of sassafras fool you. Not a pollutant as described by EPA but....

The only ingredient of Simple Green® with established exposure limits is undiluted 2-butoxyethanol (<6%) (Butyl
Cellosolve; CAS No. 111-76-2): the ACGIH TLV-TWA is 20 ppm (97 mg/m3). Based upon chemical analysis, Simple
Green® contains no known EPA priority pollutants, heavy metals or chemicals listed under RCRA, CERCLA, or CWA.
Analysis by TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) according to RCRA revealed no toxic organic or
inorganic constituents.

The main use of 2-butoxyethanol is as a solvent in paints and surface coatings, followed by cleaning products and inks. Other products which contain 2-butoxyethanol include acrylic resin formulations, asphalt release agents, firefighting foam, leather protectors, oil spill dispersants and photographic strip solutions. 2-Butoxyethanol is a primary ingredient of various whiteboard cleaners, liquid soaps, cosmetics, dry cleaning solutions, lacquers, varnishes, herbicides, and latex paints. It also seems to be excellent at killing most insects and arachnids.

It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial, and industrial cleaning solutions. It is manufactured by the Eastman Kodak company under catalog # EK1364579, and Kodak Laboratory Chemicals catalog # P2270.


Safety
It is recommended that one use precautions when working with glycol ethers such as 2-butoxyethanol. Employers are required by United States federal law to inform employees when they are working with these substances.

Some animal studies indicate that it produces reproductive problems, such as reduced fertility, death of embryos and birth defects. People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for several hours have reported nose and eye irritation, headaches, vomiting and a metallic taste in their mouths. In addition to inhaling 2-butoxyethanol vapor, research has shown that skin can also absorb 2-butoxyethanol vapor from the air, making skin a major pathway of exposure to this chemical.

2-Butoxyethanol is frequently found in popular cleaning products. It is difficult for consumers to know whether their favorite cleaner contains the chemical because manufacturers are not required to list it on the label.

This compound is on California's list of toxic air contaminants, though it was removed from the U.S. EPA's list of hazardous air pollutants in 1994.

In recent years 2-butoxyethanol has come under increased scrutiny in Canada, and Environment and Health Canada has recommended that it be added to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

So bottom line, never use this crap straight from the bottle, always dilute.

What's up captain MSDS? oflmao: Guess I won't be using that anymore.

As a side note, I noticed at the RV shop they had a lot of eco friendly cleaners too....

[Paint]

Wow did i learn something today!Just dont clean

[Nemea Zehn]

To write "earth friendly" on your label makes the average consumer feel like they are doing good in the world without having to think about whether or not it's actually earth friendly.

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by Nemea Zehn

To write "earth friendly" on your label makes the average consumer feel like they are doing good in the world without having to think about whether or not it's actually earth friendly.

I find the same thing is happening with using the term "Organic". Because it's not regulated there is really no way to tell whether something is truely organic or not.

[CGAR Girl-cl]

Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure ---Funny..that's what I called getting rid of my ex.

Terms 'eco friendly', 'green', and 'organic' have hit an all time high! My mom left Cali during the time when you flew into LAX you couldn't see the city skyline due to the smog. Now I'm out on the east coast surrounded by trees (and now the tree sprem and plant ovaries..aka pollen). I'm not desensitized to wanting to help Mother Nature and Earth, but I'm getting a bit foggy with the barrage of recycled-eco-green-organic- items out there. It's almost feeling like a 'fad'.

[dartfrog]

Originally Posted by Nemea Zehn

To write "earth friendly" on your label makes the average consumer feel like they are doing good in the world without having to think about whether or not it's actually earth friendly.

[Yesenia-cl]

In response to Sondra's comment on the green fad, I have to say that I agree. I am all for caring for the environment as well, but this "greenwashing" thats going on makes me sick. Educate yourselves and dont let labels fool you. Sometimes "All Natural", "Organic", "Certified Organic" is just a bunch of hogwash created to lure naive consumers.

If you really want to try earth friendly cleaners you can trust, you can always make your own. Some of the stuff thats already lying around your house make great cleaning products and are much more cost effective than buying cleaners all the time. Vinegar works great on grease, mold, mildew, and glass, rubbing alcohol makes a cheap disinfectant, olive oil and lemon make wood furniture look like new. If you want cleaning recipes, ask me, I'll post 'em

If you want to go with buying natural cleaners, Seventh Generation and Imus Greening the Cleaning make quality produts.

Sorry to go off on a tangent. This topic gets me all riled up!