Use Less Toxic Alternatives in the Home and Garden

These days, more and more consumers are concerned about the health and environmental effects of some common household products. Even when used as directed, many of these can be dangerous or hazardous. Let’s take a look at some of your cleaning supplies. If you see words like flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic, it’s time to look for some safer and more earth-friendly choices.

Many retailers now carry products advertised as "environmentally safe" or "green." Make sure to carefully examine the label to insure that these products are indeed what they claim to be. The words "less toxic’ can be deceiving, since you can’t be sure what type of chemical the company is comparing it to. Currently, there are no standards these products must meet to make these environmentally friendly claims.

Look for specific statements such as: non-toxic; non-petroleum based; free of ammonia, phosphates, dye or perfume; and readily biodegradable. When trying to determine just how toxic a product is, look for the words CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER and POISON on labels. Products labeled CAUTION or WARNING contain the least toxic ingredients of the four.

Many people like to "mix their own" products. Baking soda, cornstarch, toothpaste, lemon juice, vegetable-based liquid soap, vinegar, and borax used individually or in combination will effectively clean, deodorize, or polish throughout your home. Never combine products that contain chlorine and ammonia, as this creates a poisonous gas. Products should always be clearly labeled and out of reach of children.

Using the right tool is as important as the product, always starting with the least abrasive. White nylon scrubber/sponges, toothbrushes, pencil erasers, steel wool, pumice bars and single-edge razor blades make the job fast and easy. If one alternative doesn’t do the job or seems like too much work, don’t give up! Try another – there are many options out there.

Use your consumer power and ask your grocer or hardware store to stock safer products and suggest them to your friends. Natural foods stores usually have a good selection of products or ingredients to make your own, and quite a few websites offer non-toxic cleaning supplies at reasonable prices.

The County of Ventura provides a brochures on Less Toxic Alternatives. View the brochure by clicking below or call 805/658-4321 to request a copy.

Clean It! Safer House Cleaning Methods that Really Work!

For information on the products used by the County of Ventura custodians, click here

For additional information, try these websites. This is a sampling of websites available and not an endorsement by the County of Ventura.

Environmentally Responsible Products:

EcoMall
http://www.ecomall.com

Earth Friendly Products
http://www.ecos.com

Cleaning Pro
http://www.cleaningpro.com

Seventh Generation
http://seventhgeneration.com

Alternatives to Household Chemicals
Clinton County, MI Department of Waste Management
http://www.clinton-county.org/waste/documents/NontoxicalternativestoHHW.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency
http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works http://ladpw.org/epd/hhw/alternative_recipes.pdf

Washington Toxics Coalition
http://www.watoxics.org/redirect/TIH_MAIN.aspx?fromMenu=0&pos=3&name=TIH_MAIN

Household Products Database (content specifications)
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/

King County Hazardous Waste Reduction
http://www.metrokc.gov/hazwaste/house/index.htm