Upper Green Side

There have been huge advances in the development of non-toxic household cleaners that can do the same job as old hard chemical cleaners. Green cleaning products are good for the environment by preventing toxic agents from entering our sewage system which can be dumped into our waterways. They are also good for the health of you and your family. To learn more about the potential harmful effects of toxic cleaners see Seventh Generation’s webpage on household hazards.
There is also a non-profit group called “Wellness in the Schools” of concerned parents piloting the use of non-toxic cleaners in the city’s schools. They state that “children are uniquely vulnerable to toxins” because;

• pound for pound children take in more contaminants than adults,
• they have certain behaviors like lying on the floor or hand-to-mouth behaviors which expose them to more toxins,
• schools are cleaned every day with industrial strength cleaners which leave behind residues,
• researchers have found that early exposure to environmental toxins appear more likely to produce chronic disease than simliar exposures encountered later in life,
• many conventional cleaners contain asthmagens (asthma triggers)
• asthma is the number one cause of absenteeism in the NYC public schools.

And to ask the question at the top of the page, here’s a short list of stores that sell at least a few non-toxic cleaner, including Seventh Generation products:

Give them a shot and you’ll be surprised and impressed. And send us emails about other good non-toxic cleaning products that you would recommend to your neighbors.