Did you know that ingredient labels are not required on cleaning products? Good news for us, the Environmental Working Group recently released their 2012 Guide to Healthy Cleaning, in which they rated more than 2000 household cleaning products for non-toxicity and disclosure.
According to EWG, their grading system is evaluated considering the following criteria:
• Hazardous ingredients that pose threats to human health
• Little or no specific ingredient information on the label
• Contains ingredients restricted in some states and the European Union
• Products that release volatile chemicals
• Our grading system emphasizes full disclosure of contents right on the label.
Products are rated A through F; you can find the guide here. It includes a quick cheat sheet of Top Products, as well as those that made it into the Hall of Shame. There's also a glossary to help consumers decode labels on their own.
Find It: EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning
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• 30 Green Cleaning Posts You Might Have Missed
(Image: EWG)
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Vinegar and baking soda will just about clean anything.
From what I could glean from a few searches, I'd say the site is useless. What good is giving a grade without elaboration? As they state on the site, grades are assigned purely on ingredient lists provided by manufacturers and no consideration is given to level of exposure or personal sensitivities to any one substance. By that method, most municipal water systems would fail due to residual chlorine levels.
LyonStill - agreed. These are my cleaning staples.
Rural and rueful - also agreed. And arbitrary letter grade doesn't help me at all.
They do have a very elaborate explanation. You just have to follow the links.
http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/1522-SeventhGenerationAutomaticDishwasherPowderFreeClear
Hello I recall a page apartment theraphy did on cleaning supplies
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/melaleuca-eco-cleaning-product-285
I only use Melaluca. I find that they work better and are 100% safer than other name brand cleaners.
If any body is interested in becoming a member please let me know.
saferforourfamilies@gmail.com
http://www.saferforyourhome.com/