Thoughts on cleaning "Green"

Brandi said- I've been thinking a bit about this whole "movement" if you will, concerning cleaning green. I am very aware of the environment and living in Southern Utah where I am surrounded by the best nature has to offer, I am concerned about the waste my family leaves behind. Being a Utah native, nature is a huge part of my being. Mother Nature is my God and is necessary for me to maintain my sanity. I say all this because it is important to me to express how much the environment means to me, but how overwhelmed I feel about this Green cleaning business!

I've never been one to buy the green cleaners because being on a real tight budget, they were just not affordable! I always wanted to buy them, but it just wasn't in the budget. I also have a hard time giving up my trusty old cleaners as well. Honestly, when my kids are as sick as they were earlier this winter (vomiting and diarrhea, YUK!!) I feel a lot better knowing that I am cleaning with a product that says on the bottle, "Kills 99.9% of flu virus" and is going to get rid of those nasty little germs altogether. Green cleaners don't say that on the bottle. Then there was the option of making my own cleaners, but honestly, I don't have the time to do this nor do I want to add yet another step to my long list of household duties. I am aware that this is an economical and environmentally friendly way to go, but I'm just not into it. I am not a lazy person, but I gotta tell ya, I'm just not interested in taking the time to do this! All the information out there about what we should and should not be cleaning with, what is toxic to us and our water supply, etc., etc., is just so overwhelming! I also don't have the time to research all this information and figure out what the heck we should and should not be cleaning with! It is all too much!

Now, I will say this, when Clorox came out with the Green Works line of cleaners, I bought them (I bought the bathroom cleaner and it was only $0.30 difference in price from what I normally buy), tried them, and I really like them a lot! I've tried the bathroom cleaner and the toilet bowl cleaner and I still buy the bathroom cleaner. I have found that it doesn't have such a strong odor and rinses off of surfaces easily. I have yet to try the other items (the dish soap is still not in my budget), but will when the need arises. I do however make sure that anything I buy is phosphorous-free. I do know that much.

So my theory is this, I use my regular cleaners when I am doing some real disinfecting, and the kids have been sick and I need something stronger. Then I use the Green Works when I'm doing my weekly cleaning that is lighter. (The Green Works are what we put in our Green Starter kit, because they do work well, are economical and available anywhere). So, I figure this is my plan of action for now when it comes to cleaning green! For now, it will have to do:)