What exactly IS green cleaning?
For years you’ve been hearing it: these products are green, this detergent is green, everything is green, green, green, green, green. It has become a catchall for anything that claims to be more earth-friendly than an alternative, but what does it actually mean? We’re going to give you a simple explanation of the origins of green cleaning.
Humans have been using water for cleaning since they decided anything needed to be cleaned, in Ancient Egypt people used vegetable oil and salts to make traditional soap, and then around the turn of the twentieth century soaps like Palmolive (made with palm and olive oils) and Pine-Sol (made with pine oil) were invented.
However, over the last hundred years, cleaning solutions have evolved from the natural sort listed above to ones with synthetic chemicals that are not only harmful to the planet but also harmful to us. Ancient Egyptians weren’t worried about their kids drinking the soap, they’d probably just feel queasy and maybe vomit, but it wouldn’t endanger their lives.
Somewhere along the way, the products we use to clean our homes became dangerous for us and for the planet. Not just the solutions, either. And in all honesty, not just what we use to clean but all of the products we use in our homes. We started making everything out of plastic, creating more and more waste, and ravaging our oceans. Green living is a way to turn that around and green cleaning is a way to clean your home with products and solutions that do not harm the planet and are not dangerous for your family.
Humans have been using water for cleaning since they decided anything needed to be cleaned, in Ancient Egypt people used vegetable oil and salts to make traditional soap, and then around the turn of the twentieth century soaps like Palmolive (made with palm and olive oils) and Pine-Sol (made with pine oil) were invented.
However, over the last hundred years, cleaning solutions have evolved from the natural sort listed above to ones with synthetic chemicals that are not only harmful to the planet but also harmful to us. Ancient Egyptians weren’t worried about their kids drinking the soap, they’d probably just feel queasy and maybe vomit, but it wouldn’t endanger their lives.
Somewhere along the way, the products we use to clean our homes became dangerous for us and for the planet. Not just the solutions, either. And in all honesty, not just what we use to clean but all of the products we use in our homes. We started making everything out of plastic, creating more and more waste, and ravaging our oceans. Green living is a way to turn that around and green cleaning is a way to clean your home with products and solutions that do not harm the planet and are not dangerous for your family.