Green Cleaning Products » safe disinfectant

Simple Green Cleaning Products #2

Admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:57:38 +0000

As we make Cleaning Eco Friendly, more of us are spending more money on Green Cleaners. But, not all Green Cleaning Products need to be pretty colored liquids with fabulous perfumes extracted from organic flowers. Most jobs can be tackled much more cheaply with Simple Green Cleaning Products. They are multipurpose cleaners meaning you need to buy less different things to tackle all the household chores.

Safe and mild, the range of Simple Green Cleaners is endless. Each item can tackle a multitude of different tasks. Earlier we looked at the ultimate Simple Green Scourer – a cheap green product if ever there was one. Here we’re moving on to the ultimate Green Disinfectant. Another cheap and simple cleaner, which you can never stop finding uses for. Yet mild enough not to be worried about using or keeping in the cleaning cupboard. The perfect Eco Green Cleaning Product if ever there was one.

Simple Green Disinfectant

Disinfectant cleaners are rarely Green or Environmentally Friendly. This is because to ensure every microbe is destroyed they tend to contain pretty toxic substances such as ammonia and bleach. The ultimate Simple Green Disinfectant is very different. Admittedly it won’t be used in hospitals. But unless your home is full of immuno-suppressed folks do you really need that kind of antibacterial cleaning?

White Vinegar – Click for Full Range

The best Simple Green Disinfectant uses one ingredient which is 100% natural. In fact it is actually a bi-product of the drinks industry which gives it pretty fantastic ecological credentials. And, as far as safety is concerned, this is a Simple Green Cleaning Product you can drink if you like – or just use as most of us do; to liven up a plate of fries or a salad.

Yes, you guessed it I am talking about vinegar as a green disinfectant. You’ve already got some I’m sure, so why not try it out?

People think because vinegar is safe to drink it surely cannot be that tough as a Green Cleaning Product. But, they are wrong. Vinegar has been used for centuries as a food preservative because it is such a powerful destroyer of micro-organisms. It’s high acidity makes life impossible for microbes in your pickles and it can do the same on your work surfaces.

The only thing about vinegar is that you must remember to buy the highest acidity you can, if you really want your Simple Green Cleaning Product to act as a disinfectant or anti-bacterial cleaner. 5% acidity is fine, and is what you will usually find. You can use any type you like, but distilled malt is usually the most economical. Again buy in bulk for the best savings on your Simple Green Cleaning Products.

This makes for one incredibly Safe Disinfectant, one you definitely won’t mind having in your home. But, for all it being a true All Natural Cleaning Product it still works. It has lots of uses. This Simple Cleaner is not just an anti-bacterial cleaner it is also a multipurpose degreaser. Able to cut through grease and soap scum it will even tackle limescale and can be used to keep your windows bright and smear free! This definitely one of the most useful Simple Green Cleaning Products, not just a Green Disinfectant.

Discount Simple Green Brand Cleaners

Admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:41:25 +0000

Having carried out a detailed review of the Simple Green brands range of cleaners, I thought it would be appropriate to have a look at where to buy them too.

For online sales I really think you cannot beat amazon. Reliable, reputable and offering so many other things you can buy at the same time. Amazon is now leading the way in far more consumer items than just books. Their automotive, grocer and kitchen sections offer a huge range of discounted green cleaners, including Simple Green brands.

Amazon now stock a huge range of Eco cleaners and are particularly good for great deals for Sunshine Makers range of Simple Green branded green cleaning products.

With purchases available direct from amazon and a huge range of affiliated stores you can find some great savings for Simple Green brands from them. A few of my favorite Simple Green brand Eco cleaning products are included below, but there are many more to choose from. If you have the budget and space to buy in bulk, the savings are even more impressive.

Discount Simple Green Cleaners from Amazon…

Simple Green Cleaners – Click for Full Range

Simple Green cleaners come in a wide range that should just about deal with all your household chores. Buy in bulk for the best prices of these award winning formulas.

Anti-Bacterial Cleaning – Eco Friendly?

Admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:58:30 +0000

Normally I am not one to be overly concerned with the anti-bacterial power of my green cleaning products. I have a strong belief in the power of improving our immune systems by coming into contact with small amounts of bacteria. So, normally a liquid soap or mild detergent really is as tough as my green cleaning gets. But a recent trip to see my parents and some discussion on the new medication my father is taking has made me see things a little more clearly. Sometimes we need our safe cleaner to be a really powerful one too. This is where Anti-bacterial Eco cleaners and a Disinfecting Safe cleaner is desired.

I do see that some degree of anti-bacterial cleaning power is very necessary in certain places. I am fit, healthy and like to think I’m pretty young too. But, what if I wasn’t. When suffering from certain chronic illnesses, elderly or taking immune-suppressant medication it becomes imperative that we do not become infected by harmful bacteria.

The same can be true for hospitals, care-homes and nurseries. Although my gut feeling is that we should teach our bodies to resist harmful bacteria through natural exposure, at times we must be more careful than that.

For something to be anti-bacterial it must be harmful to at least one part of our natural world – bacteria. So can anti-bacterial cleaning ever be Eco friendly?

Ordinarily the anti-bacterial and ‘germ busting’ cleaning concoctions tend to dominate at the ‘standard’ end of the cleaning product aisle, coming from brands we have known since childhood. But as more and more consumers turn towards environmentally friendly cleaners, there is more demand for the full spectrum of green cleaners. Eco cleaning products to tackle every job, and with every degree of power. The increase in the number of local government bodies and corporate entities also hoping to increase their green credentials has provided a further stimulus to manufacturers to come up with heavy duty but environmentally friendly cleaners.

Can you Make Anti-bacterial Cleaning Eco Friendly?

Well lots of very safe cleaners made from vinegar or lemon juice are anti-bacterial to a degree. Most natural organisms are not huge fans of acidic conditions. So even a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth and white vinegar will have some anti-bacterial effect. But, because vinegar is not a licensed green cleaning product we are unable to actively promote its abilities as such.

So although, vinegar and lemon juice or even salt are mild anti-bacterial cleaning agents, they are only suitable for home use. In a business or health-care environment, the power of cleaners will really need to be documented and proven. But, even there anti-bacterial can be Eco friendly. I’ve been looking at Green Antibacterial Cleaners and there is a very wide range of ‘greeness’ so be careful if looking to buy one yourself.

Eco Disinfectant – Click for Full Range

Green Cleaning Anti-Bacterial Reviews

There are several big anti-bacterial disinfectants or cleaners claiming to be Eco friendly. As anti-bacterial cleaning in theory is not as Eco friendly as maybe cleaning should be, there are only a limited number of truly antibacterial products which claim to be Eco friendly too, available. I’ve chosen a few from the UK and US for different situations. These four are the best I could find.

UK Commercial Anti-Bacterial Green Cleaner

In the United Kingdom Activ8 are supplying disinfectant in bulk and promote their use in hospitals and other particularly vulnerable areas. Activ8 claim

Independently tested against MRSA, Noro Virus, Avian Flu, Clostridium, Difficile, Hepatitis B and C .

Which really could make them useful in the health-care environment. The products are 100% bio-degradable, but maybe not as ‘all natural’ as we would like. Minerals and alcohol dominate the ingredients list. But, with even concentrated amounts being safe for wildlife and generally us too. It is definitely a step in the right direction. All the ingredients are safe as per EU hazardous substances guidelines and the product only poses minor risk with prolonged contact (skin irritation).

UK Home Anti-Bacterial Green Cleaner

Bio-D Disinfectant seems like a safer cleaning product for home use. Based on water, eucalyptus, Amphoteric Surfactant and Non-Ionic Surfactant. There is little of concern in the ingredients list. Amphoteric Surfactants are some of the mildest surfactants you will find, making them very mild on skin. While the non-ionic versions are tough degreasers, meaning the product should be effective for tough floors. The company claim:

A versatile, concentrated, general purpose disinfectant.

For me, this is a winner for home-use. It isn’t aiming to annihilate every virus or bacteria known to man, so shouldn’t be such a menace in helping to create super-bugs. But, at home if you really like to clean anti-bacterial, this product will provide a much greener way of cleaning than your conventional bleach or strong disinfectant.

US Commercial Anti-Bacterial Green Cleaner

Green Concepts in the United States have another alcohol based product, their ‘Neutrol Disinfectant Cleaner’, which they claim:

kills MRSA, VRE, Gram negative and Gram positive pathogens; it is mildewstatic, bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal. NDC cleans, disinfects and deodorizes in one step, helps fight cross contamination and has been proven effective against HIV-1, HIV-2, HBV and HCV

However, once again this is not green as we would think of green – no flowery plant derived ingredients, and it is alcohol so not 100% safe to have around the house. However, in a health-care environment where products must be economical and very effective this is much better than a bleach based alternative. Although an improvement over using bleach this product does not claim to be 100% biodegradable or safe to come into contact with.

US Home Anti-Bacterial Green Cleaner

In the United States the best anti-bacterial disinfectant which is also and Eco cleaner has to be PureGreen24. The claims for PureGreen24 make for good news for the germ fearful:

PureGreen24 kills super-bugs and everyday household germs. PureGreen24 is EPA registered, broad spectrum disinfectant, that also offers a unique 24 hour residual effectiveness. PureGreen24 has the lowest toxicity rating assigned by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. EPA IV toxicity rating! PureGreen24 is non-corrosive, non-flammable and has no fumes or skin irritation associated with other disinfectants.

Based on silver ions, water and citric acid the manufacturing process claims to produce NO waste or byproducts! One thing which really struck me about the PureGreen24 option is that the company website is so very informative. Rather like the Seventh Generation site, these guys seem only too willing to share all the information with you, and in a way which makes it easy to find.

Those products with less favorable safety reports and so on seem to make them inordinately difficult to locate.

The products listed above are all a more safe cleaner than the traditional bleaches and disinfectants. All are much healthier to be using, especially for those who have to use them repeatedly for work. Exposure to these safe cleaners is much less of a risk to health. Similarly they all have much less of an impact on waste water or the environment at large.

Is Anti-Bacterial Cleaning Eco Friendly?

Sorry to those of you who really do not feel entirely clean until you are sure there is no germ in your home, but I still do not think that kind of approach can ever be cleaning Eco friendly.

However, if that is your way, or you have a health issue which makes it your way, at least choosing one of these greener disinfectants is an improvement. Anti-bacterial cleaning won’t really be truly making cleaning Eco friendly (you are after all trying to destroy a little bacterial part of the environment). The over-use of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal disinfectants will make those organisms which do survive, tougher and more dangerous for future generations. So, whenever and wherever possible I would opt out of the whole anti-bacterial cleaning option. BUT I see using at least a greener option as an improvement. So as you try to wean yourself off the bleach and disinfectant habit, go for a greener cleaner alternative. Using a Safe cleaner which is a disinfectant is definitely better than a conventional product.

Simple Green Cleaning Products #2