Cleaning.
The mere word is enough to create dread and fear in many a ten-year old,
overwhelm in many a mother, and absolute bliss when someone is doing it for you
(unless of course, you’re a bit neurotic like me and see cleaning as therapy). Anyway, the way we clean can have significant impact on our health, and the health
of our planet. In the last two weeks, I have had 23 requests for suggestions
and thoughts on cleaning and while I could write an entire book on the subject, here is a brief summary. (If you’re really motivated I would suggest picking up a copy of Naturally Clean by Seventh Generation’s Jeffrey Hollender and Geoff
Davis).

Exposure
to many of the chemicals regularly found in conventional “cleaning” products
has been proven to cause a variety of childhood diseases including cancer, asthma,
reproductive disorders, and compromised brain development as well as being found linked to hyperactivity, behavior problems and learning disabilities.
The labels say
POISON, DANGER and WARNING for a reason. We would never give them to our
children to drink or bathe in but the residue after we “rinse” makes its way
into their bodies via food, drinks, sheets, clothes, baths etc. In a 2002 US
Geological Survey antibiotics, synthetic hormones, detergent metabolites,
plasticizers, insecticides, and fire retardants were found in 80 percent of the
streams sampled. Water that goes into the plants we eat, the meat and seafood we eat, the oceans we swim in etc., etc. Plenty of scientific evidence - if you  want more scoop, just let me know.

Still,
I know you’re attached to old faves and change is hard. My Mom has been using a
certain brand of laundry soap that comes in a red bottle and starts with T for
as long as I can remember. She was a loyal customer to say the least. But I’m
going to venture a guess that the pride she felt when I mentioned how happy I was
to see that she had switched over to an earth friendly alternative from Trader
Joe’s was well worth the initial trepidation she may have felt at trying a new brand. And
I am proud to say that her new tradition has continued!

As for
action steps, many stores now carry lines of eco-friendly cleaning products; if
they don’t, suggest they do. Get all the moms you know to sign a petition and give it to your local grocer (vote
with your dollars). Until you have more choices, you can always order
online. Takes a bit more effort and planning but you will feel so much better
about the air you are breathing and the home you are living in, it is well
worth the effort. I know I am kind of a nerd (as several past boyfriends have
been happy to point out), but I truly feel a sense of joy when I use products
that I know will not harm my son or my planet – or me. Some of my favorites
include Seventh Generation, Ecover, Sun and Earth and . . . I’ve got to give a shout out to my hometown (SF) boys over at Method:Home. All of their products smell sooooo good you feel healthier just breathing them in. Check out their candles too.

If you’re
feeling really motivated and have a few extra minutes (hey, it happens on
occasion), you can mix your own cleansers using everyday ingredients like baking soda
(sinks, ovens, toilets), vinegar (glass cleaner), lemon juice (disinfectant and
smells good), hydrogen peroxide (disinfectant) and borax. You can also add in
essential oils. Eco-me has a
starter kit for mixing at home. Ok, I imagine that’s enought to get you going.

Oh, and why the picture of the rocks? Well, one
of my earliest memories of nontoxic cleaning was while out backpacking with my
Dad and he taught me how to use rocks and sand to scour dishes. Besides, what else am I going to put here? One of those oh-so-common in cleaning ads photos of a mom mopping the floor while perfectly coiffed and made up? Yea right!