The Green Man Cleaning Company, Inc. has years of experience as a residential and commercial cleaning company, using all natural and non-toxic professional grade cleaning products.

We spent 5 years researching and field-testing many "natural" cleaning products offered in the marketplace. Some were natural, but didn't really get the job done. Some worked great, but weren't completely non-toxic and natural.

Here are a few things we've learned along the way . . .

Don't Buy The Hype

Just because you may buy your soaps and cleaners from a health food store, doesn't mean they are really "natural" or really "organic." Unfortunately, there are no regulationsóyetóon advertising, and an educated consumer needs to be aware. This is a regulatory area that could be driven by consumers themselvesÖGet involved!

An article posted 5/13/07, on NewsTarget.com, called "Narco Drug Test Kit Used By Cops Reveals Counterfeit ëNatural' Soap Products Made From Petroleum Chemicals," stated that:

"Detergents in fake soap products are usually made in part or even entirely from petroleum along with vegetable feedstocks. For instance, Sodium Myreth Sulfate, the main ingredient in JASON's so-called "Pure, Natural & Organic Soap" is made by attaching ethylene oxide groups from petroleum to vegetable fatty acid, which also produces trace 1.4 dioxane as a side reaction. Olefin Sulfonate, the main ingredient in both Nature's Gate ORGANICS "Soap" and Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic "Soap", is made from petroleum. Cocamidopropyl Sultaine, the main ingredient in EO's so-called soap, is in significant part petroleum based.

Dr. Bronner was interviewed and lamented: "Companies mislead consumers in conflating their detergent-based products with ecological biodegradable soaps, even calling these synthetic detergent products ëorganic'. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps are soaps made from real organic oils, while these other so-called ëSoap' products are detergents made from petroleum and conventional vegetable material. They are not soap, they are not organic, they are not natural."

Petrochemicals in "Natural" Cleaners?

An article posted in The Green Guide, 6/6/2006, by Emily Main, answered the following question regarding petrochemicals in "natural" cleaners:

A reader wrote The Green Guide:
"What is the difference between cleaning products that use petroleum-based ingredients and cleaning products that don't? I was told that Seventh Generation does use petroleum in their products but that some cleaners don't. How does that effect our health? Why would Seventh Generation do that if it is bad for you? Why is it bad for you?"

The Green Guide's response:
"Ever since the 1940s when scientists discovered petroleum could be broken down and its building blocks combined with other chemicals to create everything from polyester to plumbing pipes, it's become ubiquitous in our homes. And there is no clearer demonstration of this than in household cleaners."

"Petrochemicals are cheaper and more effective, manufacturers claim, than their plant-based counterparts, but at the same time, they have detrimental effects on your health." Yes, Virginia, you really DO get what you pay forÖ

"Petrochemicals emit harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which trigger asthma and other respiratory problems, can mimic hormones in your body and can cause liver damage. In extreme cases, petrochemicals can cause cancer.

"Butyl cellosolve, also referred to as 2-butoxyethanol, is a petroleum-based solvent commonly used in window and spray cleaners that can damage your liver and your red blood cells. Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), petroleum-derived surfactants used in detergents, can mimic the hormone estrogen and have shown up in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, APE's don't biodegrade and end up in waterways where they're absorbed by fish and harm the animals' reproductive systems.

"All of the above says nothing of the fact that petroleum is a non-renewable resource that is usually imported from another country. And shipping oil across the globe adds to greenhouse gas emissions, therefore contributing to global warming.

"Natural" Companies Use Petroleum Differently

"That being said, petroleum ingredients in household cleaners are really hard to avoid, even among environmentally preferable cleaners like Seventh Generation's. But in these cleaners, the use of petrochemicals is a bit different.

"Whereas conventional cleaner manufacturers will derive an entire ingredient, such as such APEs, from petroleum, companies like Seventh Generation mix a much smaller amount of a petroleum-derived ingredient with another less-harmful vegetable-based (also called "olefin" or "oleo") ingredient to create a new ingredient with fewer health risks and a better environmental profile.

"For example, instead of using APEs, many natural cleaning products contain alcohol ethoxylates, which are created when vegetable oils are combined with the petrochemical ethylene oxide in a process called ethoxylation.

"Alcohol ethoxylates are generally safe, but the process of ethoxylation produces a by-product called 1,4-dioxane, an EPA-classified probable carcinogen that is present in very small amounts in the final product. Little is known about the danger levels of 1,4-dioxane exposure, but the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health considers levels of 500 parts per million (ppm) to be "immediately dangerous to life and health," while many cleaner manufacturers only allow dioxane levels of five parts per million (ppm) in their products.

"Despite the health risks, alcohol ethoxylates biodegrade unlike APEs, drastically reducing environmental impacts on wildlife, and the process of creating them uses less petroleum and conserves energy. "It takes more energy to convert petroleum into a surfactant than it does to convert plant oil into surfactant," says Martin Wolf, director of product and environmental technology at Seventh Generation.

Using Petroleum to Avoid Using Petroleum

"It may seem strange to use petroleum to avoid having to use petroleum, but in most cases it's necessary in order to get the product to work. "Vegetable oils don't clean well," says Wolf, "so we have to modify them." He adds that the best way to modify a vegetable oil to enhance performance is to mix it with sodium hydroxide, or lye soap, a non-petroleum material. Lye soap, however, doesn't dissolve well in hard water, generating soap scum, and users would have to use more of the product to get the desired results. Sodium hydroxide is also very caustic to the skin and respiratory passages, posing a health threat to factory workers.

"Product effectiveness and, ironically, resource consumption are also two reasons why the makers of Method, a line of eco-friendly cleaners sold through Target, use a small percentage of petroleum in their products, says Adam Lowry, the company's co-founder."

Alternatives for Commercial Cleaning Companies

An article posted in The Green Guide, on 4/15/04, by Pamela Lundquist, answered the following question regarding alternative cleaners for commercial cleaning companies:

A reader asked The Green Guide:
"I have recently started helping out a friend with his commercial cleaning business and am very conscious of the "toxic," non-environmentally friendly liquids, solutions and sprays which are used (not to mention a HAZARD for the lungs). I therefore would like to make him more aware of all possible environment "safe" products to clean with instead! However, I'm not aware of what and "if" any are available for the commercial cleanerÖ"

The Green Guide responded with:
"You are right to be concerned. Cleaning products are one of the most commonly-cited culprits for poor indoor air quality.

"A Spanish study published in November, 2003, surveyed over 4000 women and found that twenty-five percent of asthma cases in the group were attributable to domestic cleaning work.

And chemicals commonly found in cleaners include hormone disrupting alkylphenol ethoxylates and lung irritants butyl cellosolve, and ammonia, and the extremely corrosive sodium hydroxide (found in oven cleaners).

"Furthermore, in the U.S., store-bought cleaning products are not required to have ingredients listed on labels, so consumers need to search out those brands that do list them.

"Improved cleaning methods involving less-toxic and non-toxic products can better indoor air."

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