Green Cleaning and Greenwashing

I recently read an article in The New York Times entitled "As Shoppers Reduce Spending, Green Loses Allure," which turned out to be about shoppers' growing reluctance to pay a premium for cleaning products that have green labels but that are produced by major manufacturers of non-green products. The article goes on to say that smaller companies that offer exclusively green products are actually gaining market share. So perhaps what we're dealing with is at least partially a growing consciousness of greenwashing and distrust of unsubstantiated green labels. I'm not suggesting that major manufacturers are not reducing toxic chemicals in their greener products, but since the "recipes" for such products are proprietary, they are really asking potential buyers to take that on faith. Endorsements of cleaning products that are not based on tests by independent laboratories (or on full disclosure and scientific analysis of every ingredient) are meaningless, regardless of the prestige of the organization providing such endorsements, and are considered greenwashing. Although specialty brands might also keep certain things private, the fact that they make nothing but green products tends to inspire trust.

Green cleaning for commercial and institutional buildings is widely accepted, and the trend to use green cleaning products is growing. It's not because the owners and operators of such buildings care more about their occupants' health and well-being than people care about their families. It's because manufacturers of commercial cleaning products can, and do, voluntarily submit their products to highly respected independent laboratories for testing. Purchasers of products approved by Green Seal or Greenguard are assured that specific potentially harmful ingredients do not exceed certain levels.

For decades, if not longer, mothers of small children have said "Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been." As I pointed out in an article that I wrote for Sustainability: The Journal of Record, the old adage can be applied to what we put in our interiors, as well as our mouths. To a large extent, it is possible to clean house with things like baking soda, vinegar and lemons. So why pay a lot of money for something that you can't also use to prepare a meal?

As a professional interior designer who has always been concerned with the health and safety of my clients, I have often put locks on under-sink cabinets when there are small children in the home. But as a LEED Accredited Professional who specializes in indoor environmental quality, I now realize that highly toxic cleaning products do not belong in a home.