Easy Ways to Verify "True Green" Cleaners for Earth Day

Danville, IL (PRWEB) April 4, 2008 -- As consumer interest in green cleaners (http://greenseal.org) grows, so does the number of green choices on the shelf. How can you tell if a "green product" is really green, or if the green logo on the bottle is merely a marketing ploy?

Caution, caution everywhere

Walk down the cleaning aisle in a grocery store and one will find just about every product has some type of cautionary language on the label. Many also have green logos. Determining the most environmentally preferred cleaner is not as easy as just reading the label.

There are two categories of household cleaners. Disinfectants and sanitizers are EPA registered products that follow guidelines for one set of cautionary "signal" words. Products that clean but don't kill germs, such as general cleaners, comply with the labeling required by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

As if having two sets of labeling requirements isn't confusing enough, many signal words are the same for both sets of guidelines. Cautionary words such as "DANGER," "WARNING," and "CAUTION," are used in both sets of guidelines, but indicate different toxicity levels. One commonality, however, is that "DANGER" indicates the most toxic category for both EPA-registered and non EPA-registered products.

Green the Professional Way

The professional cleaning industry has spent the last decade finding new, safer technologies. Today, custodians are using healthier, more environmentally preferable cleaning products that are just as powerful, if not more powerful, as the ones used years ago.

One environmental breakthrough in cleaning technology is the use of hydrogen peroxide. "We invented hydrogen peroxide cleaning technology about ten years ago in response to finding a healthier alternative for professionals who clean everyday," says Taylor Stewart, president of EnvirOx, LLC, a manufacturer of environmentally preferred cleaning (http://www.enviroxclean.com) products. "Today, we offer these professional-grade hydrogen peroxide cleaners (http://www.ourhouseworks.com) to consumers through Green Seal certified OurHouse products."

How does one purchase these professional products? Some janitorial supply distributors will sell to the general public, but a minimum order might be required. These companies can be found in a local phonebook under "janitor equipment and supply."

Some manufacturers offer a consumer line of products based on the professional line. EnvirOx, LLC is one company that packages its professional line for household use, and offers it through OurHouseWorks, a wholly-owned division.

Verifying Green Authenticity

Professional cleaners verify the environmental authenticity of their cleaning products by turning to environmental organizations such as Green Seal and Terra Choice Environmental Marketing, Inc. Both organizations have rigorous evaluation processes to certify both professional and consumer products. Each posts a list of certified products on their websites, including ones made with hydrogen peroxide.

Other resources to confirm a product's true "green-ness" include recommendation lists by the Healthy Schools Campaign and the Responsible Purchasing Network. The National Institutes of Health provides an online Household Products Database (http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov) that contains information about consumer products, the ingredients, and potential health effects.

Additionally, TerraChoice offers an online consumer primer in sorting through green product claims called "The Six Sins of Greenwashing."

About OurHouse

OurHouse is an EnvirOx company and is headquartered in Danville, Ill. EnvirOx, LLC. is a company founded on, and committed to, sustainability - from production line to pallet to company culture. It is a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of environmentally preferred cleaning technology and known for the invention of stabilized hydrogen peroxide cleaning technology, which was introduced to the professional maintenance in 1998.

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