Evolution of Green Cleaning Products

Environmental science has come a long way over the last few years. Many advancements have been made in many different areas of the "green economy." This includes advancements in the green cleaning product industry. It is interesting though to take a look at the evolution of the cleaning product industry. For many years, people used just water to clean. Soaps were discovered and later developed into an established craft in Europe by the seventh century. These soaps were all manufactured using natural ingredients such as olive oil. This natural chemistry stayed the same until 1916, when the first synthetic detergent was developed in Germany. These products were "synthesized" from a variety of raw materials. Ever since this time in history, there have been many cleaning product manufacturers all creating their own proprietary cleaning concoctions (cleaning product manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on the labels). These companies have used products that have no toxicity, but many have used ingredients that are toxic to a human being when exposed over a longer period of time. These products are also very slow to biodegrade and have contributed to the pollution of our environment. It seems that these manufacturers only started looking at how well the products cleaned and how cheap they could make them for. They didn't take into account the risks of chronic chemical exposure or the impact these substances could have on our environment. These manufacturing practices continued on through the rest of the century.

Today it seems that everyone is "going green." Some of these companies may be doing it for the right reasons (safer, better for environment, etc.) and some are surely doing it only to profit. The fact is, these major cleaning product manufacturers are offering a green alternative to their regular line more and more. Our society is progressing towards the idea of environmental protection and of course the protection of our own health from exposure to toxic chemicals we once thought were harmless. This has spurred the huge increase in green products, including the eco-friendly cleaning products offered in stores today. The funny thing about all of this is that these cleaning manufacturers have simply digressed back to the earlier days of cleaners and have formulated recipes of natural, plant-based, non-toxic cleaners. So after the decades of research and manufacturing to create a cleaner that really cleans, the major manufacturers have actually gone back to square one.

Many people have the misconception that natural cleaning products are not effective. I own a cleaning company and can tell you first hand that this is absolutely not the case. There are different products with different ingredients that should be used for those specific tasks and thus will function just as well as a comparable chemical product, without the hazard. I have seen ads for the new green cleaning line offered by Scrubbing Bubbles and they claim their green product works just as well as the traditional one. So even the traditional companies are now claiming that green cleaners do in fact work! The only question now that these companies are putting money into green cleaning is, what will be the next big breakthrough in green cleaning technology?

 

 

Source: Soap and Detergent Association (cleaning101.com)

Why it Pays to Hire Help at Home

I came across this article and thought it was very interesting and wanted to share it with you all. The original article can be found here.

 

If you thought household help was only for the rich, think again. Heres a case for outsourcing time-consuming chores -- or ones you simply hate.

 By Jennifer Mulrean

When Kathy Fitzgerald Sherman decided to stay home with her first child, she thought shed pursue her lifelong dream of writing. Five years and another baby later, she realized the endless piles of laundry, diaper changes and general household upkeep were leaving little time, let alone inspiration, for the writing career shed imagined. 

I was exhausted, and I was not being intellectually stimulated, Sherman says. 

So, she analyzed how she was spending her time -- and found that she was putting a whopping 35 hours a week into housework. That was in addition to the three hours of cleaning by a paid weekly service. 

Sherman decided shed had enough. She hired a housekeeper for 20 hours a week to cook, clean, grocery shop and do laundry. 

The payoff was instantaneous, she says. Within the first week, I felt like I was Cinderella and had been freed from the hearth.

So what did she do with all her newfound time? She spent it with her family, wrote dozens of articles and a book on hiring home help called, A Housekeeper is Cheaper Than a Divorce: Why You Can Afford to Hire Help and How to Get It. She also enrolled in law school.

These days, domestic help isnt only for the rich. Nor is it restricted to typical household chores such as cooking and cleaning. If youre one of the time-squeezed masses, its worth it to consider paying someone else to walk your dog, mow the lawn -- even buy gifts or balance your checkbook. 

Why the time crunch?
You might be scoffing at the 35 hours of housework Sherman tallied in her own time study, but that happens to be the national average for women with children, according to a 1999 Whirlpool Foundation study. 

The proliferation of single-parent and dual-income households in the last 25 years makes the time squeeze even more acute. Thirty years ago, many households often had one person who was fully available for chores. Today, more of us have to squeeze those daily tasks around our work lives. Were overworked compared to other workers around the world, says Kathleen Gerson, a sociology professor at New York University.

This time squeeze may feel like a uniquely modern American problem, but outsourcing household chores started with industrialization, when we began paying other people for things like our clothing and food. The idea of hiring someone to help us with our housework is just an extension of this, Gerson says.

Whats your time worth?
Now that you know hiring help is part of the Natural Evolution of Civilization, you also might be relieved to hear it can make good financial sense -- as well as a boost to your mental health. 

Its the old money-time tradeoff. Lawyers, accountants and other workers who bill clients on an hourly basis can often easily make a slam-dunk case for hiring help. Their hourly billable rates often far exceed the cost of housekeeping services, for example. 

But anyone can get a better idea of what their time is worth by using the MSN Money Time Value calculator. Simply plug in your income along with information on your tax rate, work-related costs and time spent at work, and you get an idea of how much your time is worth on an hourly basis.

For her book, Sherman came up with a cost-justification worksheet that includes both tangible costs and benefits that can be assigned monetary values, and intangibles, such as general well-being and stress relief. This is important because the reasons for hiring help cant all be boiled down to dollars and cents. 

Hiring a worker who has special skills or training, for example, might make sense even when it costs more than what a strict dollar-value of your time may suggest. Think of the added value: Perhaps a lawn service can whip through your yard in two hours, doing what it would take you three times as long to get done on the weekend. If doing your taxes is a painful, drawn-out ordeal with the potential for costly errors, paying an account or tax service may be a better use of your resources.

What chores should you outsource?
To get started, Sherman recommends looking at your list of tasks not just with the question of how much it would cost to pay someone to do it for you, but also with these three questions in mind:

• What do I most hate doing? For Sherman, this was grocery shopping, which she says she hates with a passion. Think about what you loathe and tack it onto someone elses to-do list. If picking up dry cleaning, returning library books and waiting in line at the post office is sucking up prime-time weekend hours, it may pay you to hire an errand service for an hour a week.
  
• What requires the least amount of decision-making? A simple rule to keep in mind here is that the greater the discretion required of the hired help, the greater the cost will likely be. Mundane, repetitive tasks tend to cost less to outsource. Think window washing, ironing and pulling weeds.
  
• What are the most time-consuming tasks? Home-organization experts say these chores tend to eat up the most time: meal preparation, housecleaning, shopping for groceries and household supplies, washing dishes and laundry (including ironing and mending clothes). Of course, this can vary greatly from family to family; but those with children will probably have greater time costs for laundry and anything to do with feeding and meals.
  

Where to find help and how much it costs
Plenty of services are springing up to help you offload these tasks, whether you pay for them a la carte or go for an all-in-one plan from a concierge service.

In-House Staffing at Aunt Anns, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, helps match clients with everything from personal chefs and housekeepers to chauffeurs and butlers (also called household managers). Costs vary widely, with butlers starting around $55,000 per year (yikes!), and personal chefs at $25-$55/hour, according to Aunt Anns. But you also can hire a day cleaner, someone who comes once a week and focuses exclusively on cleaning, for between $16 and $35 an hour in the Bay Area. 

You even can pay someone to wait for the plumber when you need to be at work. (TimeWise Personal Errand Service in Tampa charges $15 an hour for the convenience.) 

Want to know what home services really cost? So do we. The problem is that rates vary dramatically depending on the task, what region youre in and whether you live in a city, suburban or rural setting. Still, we conducted a highly unscientific, non-comprehensive sampling to get an idea. Heres what we found by surveying local household-help agencies in three cities. 

Sample rates in three cities *

Chore Details Tampa San Francisco New York Housecleaning Day work, not live-in help, for general cleaning, floors, bathrooms, etc. $35/hour $16-$35 hour $22/hr-65/hour Chefs services Often includes meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking by a professional $35/hour plus food costs $25-$55/hr $20-$65/hr Errands/concierge service Picks up dry cleaning, buys gifts, goes to drug store and post office, dinner reservations etc. $10-$35/hr $18/hr and up $35/hr and up Grocery shopping   $20/hr $18/hr and up $35/hr and up Wait service Worker waits in your home for repair or delivery people -- plumber, furniture company, cable guy, etc. $15/hour $15/hr $15-20/hr and up Pet care Feeding, dog walking, changing cat litter, trips to the vet $20/trip and up $18-$30/hr; can be $25-$60 for overnight care $20/trip and up

*Note: Rates are based on unscientific survey of agencies in each city. Rates vary widely.

Hiring on your own
But hiring someone on your own can be cheaper still. Think neighborhood kids for lawn care, car washing and babysitting, for example. Barter with a neighbor . . . you wash the cars and she irons in exchange. Form a co-op through a community center. 

Or, find an experienced worker with a classified ad in a local paper, while thoroughly screening with background checks and multiple references.

And be careful to read up important tax issues before hiring household help. (The Social Security Web site has this guide, and you can read up on domestic help at the IRS site here.)

Costs of not hiring help
Dollars-and-cents comparisons aren't the only way to evaluate your situation. What may be less obvious are the costs of forgoing help -- costs to your health, relationships and time. 

I think one reason divorce rates spiked in the late 70s and early 80s was because more women were entering the workforce and men werent ready to adjust their behavior (by taking on more household duties), says Stephanie Coontz, co-chair of Council on Contemporary Families and professor of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College. Luckily, thats changed. Most experts agree that men have begun to take on more household chores, though theyre still not sharing the burden equally with women. (Also, Coontz points out that divorce rates seem to have leveled off.)

Sherman's view is that shouldering all your own household chores can cost you more than you realize -- for example, in time with your children, time exercising and time working on your marriage. All of these have significant emotional and spiritual costs, though at the extreme end (as with divorce), they can also be costly to your wallet if left unattended. 

The other alternative, of course, is to get comfy with a few more dust bunnies underfoot and more weeds in the garden, something Coontz says many Americans are already doing. People are just lowering their standards, she says. 

Well, white gloves are pass anyway.

Does Green Cleaning Really Work?

It amazes me how often I get potential clients calling in asking about the effectiveness of our green cleaning products. The cleaning product industry has ingrained into our minds that we need harsh chemicals if we really want to get our homes clean. We have it in our heads that there is no way something that comes from nature could compare to a man made substance. We need to remember though that these companies are out to make a profit. If it were well known that you could make all the cleaning products you need at home for a fraction of the cost, using materials you most likely already have, the companies making these chemical products would be largely unnecessary to some of us.

You can definitely see a big change though in the sentiment of these companies. More and more I am seeing green cleaning products being released by traditionally chemical cleaning product manufacturers. A good example is the new Scrubbing Bubbles green cleaning line. They have released a new product line that is made from natural ingredients and they claim that it still has the cleaning power of their original products. Hearing that a green cleaning product works, from the mouth of a traditionally chemical company, is a very good indication that yes, these products do work.

I believe that these companies are finding out that consumers are willing to pay a premium to have these green cleaning products pre-packaged and ready to use instead of having to make them at home with their own ingredients. Convenience is huge for our society, especially for people who need to clean and would prefer not to spend that extra time making their own products.

I think we will see this green cleaning trend take hold more and more, and eventually we may even see a disappearance of the large majority of toxic cleaning products. Time will tell, but you can be on the front side of the curve and use green cleaning products today to protect your family, pets, and of course our environment.

The Green Mecca

Being involved with green business in Northern Colorado has been a very enriching experience. Being a green business has opened up some doors to different "green" events that take place along the Front Range. One good example is the networking events put on by the ReDirect Guide. For those of you unfamiliar with the ReDirect Guide, they are a directory of green businesses along the Front Range. This is probably the single best source of green businesses in our area so if it is important to you to support green business in our area, please use the ReDirect Guide. The networking events put on by organizations like the ReDirect guide offer an opportunity for green business owners to talk and discuss their different businesses with each other. It is becoming the general consensus that the Front Range is developing into the Green Mecca of not only the US, but of the world as a whole. I truly believe that this whole green movement is not just a fad, but the beginning of a change in the cultural norm. With our population drastically increasing and the ongoing use of fossil fuels and various toxic chemicals, our earth is getting closer and closer to destruction. I believe that it is this green movement that will take hold of our society and save the world from ourselves. This may be an overstatement in the eyes of some, but time will tell and there is no good reason to risk ruining the environment we live in by using the many toxic products we use. I believe this change needs to come from individuals. It is our time to stand up and protect our world. Join the Front Range in becoming the center of green development and support green business. It is time for a revolution and the Colorado Front Range is the catalyst.

Caring for Microfiber Cloths

The following was taken from a newsletter I received from thejanitorialstore.com, a great resource for anyone in the cleaning industry.  I thought it was interesting that there are specific do's and don'ts to properly care for microfiber cloths. 

Do's and Don'ts of Caring for Microfiber Cloths

We recently had a couple members ask questions about how to make sure their microfiber cloths are sanitized after cleaning them. Some people have been washing them in hot water and/or adding bleach to the wash cycle. Many members replied that using hot water is not good for the cloth because it breaks down the fiber, and most agreed that adding bleach is never a good idea.

David Holly, co-author of Green Cleaning for Dummies and founder of Green Cleaning University offered this advice on the topic of laundering microfiber cloths:

"You really have no worry about machine washing in hot water - the typical hot water temperature of a home or commercial machine is below the temperature that can harm the fibers of a well made micro fiber cloth.

The two products to avoid are bleach and fabric softener. Bleach WILL damage the fibers. Fabric softener eliminates "static cling" or electrostatic energy - this is a critical part of what makes a micro fiber work. However, if you accidentally use some fabric softener - don't panic - just rewash the cloth(s) and you'll be fine. There is no permanent damage from this.

When washing, use a VERY SMALL amount of detergent. Micro fibers release the soil when washed very easily. Overuse of detergent is at best wasteful and at worst will load the cloth with detergent that remains after drying. A good starting point is 1/2 the amount you would normally use for a comparable size load. As with many chemicals in our business - more is NOT better.

A single cycle is fine for cleaning the cloths. There is no additional benefit from washing for more than one cycle - just wasting water and energy. The nature of the fibers helps prevent mold, mildew or other "nasties" from growing. By the same token, drying is not necessary either. They will air dry very quickly and will not mildew as they dry. If you choose to machine dry - this is where temperature IS an issue. Use a LOW setting. Dryer temps are MUCH higher than wash temps.

Do NOT dry any other cloths, rags, towels or other clothing with your micro fibers if you choose to machine dry them. They will pull all of the lint off these other materials and become so loaded that they may be worthless in the future."

Coyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)

A Clean House for the Holidays

It is the holiday season once again!  Most of us have family visiting and the kitchen tends to get even more use than normal.  With family in town and the kitchen being used so much, things are going to get dirty.  Why not get your home cleaned for the holidays?  With Green Sweep Cleaning & Maintenance you can get a great professional clean and impress all of your relatives.  Our highly trained professional staff knows exactly what needs to be done for the holidays.

Maybe you don't need any help with your cleaning needs.  However; most likely you have a family member or friend who you still haven't found that perfect gift for.  A gift certificate with Green Sweep Cleaning could be that perfect gift.  Our gift certificates can be made for any ammount or any number of hours.  Contact a Green Sweep Cleaning professional today!

How to Choose Safer Cleaning Products

Fact: The average household contains anywhere from 3-25 gallons of toxic materials, most of these found in our cleaners we use all the time. It is time to make our homes safer for our families. With all of the toxic chemicals we expose our bodies to on a daily basis, we need to start taking control of the aspects that we do have power over and start making some changes. There is no reason why we should be exposing our bodies and our families to the harsh chemical toxins found in many of today’s cleaning products.

The first step towards making your home safer for your family is to get rid of any toxic cleaners you have in your home. You may be surprised to find what some of your favorite products have in them to make them “more effective” at getting rid of that dirt and grime. With todays manufacturing processes and the years of research and development that have gone into the production of many of the green cleaning products available in most retail locations today, there is absolutely NO reason to buy cleaning products with these toxic chemicals.

Here is a list of some different chemicals you should watch out for and which types of products usually contain them:

• Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), common in detergents and disinfectants, are suspected hormone disruptors.
• Ammonia is poisonous when swallowed, extremely irritating to respiratory passages when inhaled and can burn the skin on contact.
• Indiscriminate use of Antibacterial cleansers containing triclosan may be contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs.
• Butyl cellosolve (aka butyl glycol, ethylene glycol monobutyl) is poisonous when swallowed and a lung-tissue irritant.
• Chlorine bleach (aka sodium hypochlorite), an all-purpose whitening agent, can irritate the lungs and eyes and in waterways can become toxic organochlorines.
• Dishwasher detergents
• Hot water ->steam chlorine gas
• Bleach is common use of chlorine
• Substitute hydrogen peroxide, bleaches that use oxygen or peroxide
• Diethanolamine (DEA) can combine with nitrosomes (often-undisclosed preservatives) to produce carcinogenic nitrosamines that penetrate skin.
• Fragrance frequently contains phthalates, chemicals linked to reproductive abnormalities and liver cancer in lab animals and to asthma in children.
• Phosphates soften water for detergents but contribute to algae blooms in our waterways, which can kill off fish populations.
• Sodium hydroxide, found in drain, metal and oven cleaners, is extremely irritating to eyes, nose and throat and can burn those tissues on contact.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common sudsing agent, can penetrate the skin and cause contact dermatitis.
• Petroleum based surfactants, chlorine, phosphates

Just by eliminating these particular chemicals from your home, you could be making all the difference in your families well being. With the higher risk of cancer and ever increasing rates of headaches, asthma, and other problems, we need to take action to rid ourselves of these potential causes. Give your home a real clean sweep and start cleaning with environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products now!

*more information on toxic chemicals and cleaning can be found here: All Natural Cleaning