Every product niche or industry has its skeptics. You’ve surely talked with someone who’s said,”I think all that talk about green cleaners being safer and better for the environment is overhyped so those companies can sell more.”

You can certainly see the line of reasoning.

…But what’s the truth?

Are green cleaners actually safer for you and the environment?

The Truth about Green Cleaners

The answer is that on the whole, yes, green cleaners do have greater safety for your health and the environment.

They do have an extra cost. But they are safer and healthier.

However, it depends largely on the manufacturer.

Some green cleaning products aren’t as safe and healthy as they claim.

For example, the Federal government doesn’t regulate how companies can use the terms “nontoxic” or “natural.”

So, companies can slap those terms on their labels, but really those terms can mean whatever they want.

Examples of Two Companies Doing It Right

The private company Method, for example, keeps a “dirty ingredients list” of chemicals it never allows into any of its products.

Seventh Generation does something similar with its “precautionary principle,” which requires its products don’t use ingredients with even a suspicion of causing harm to people or the environment.

However, even some of these company’s products have earned poor reviews from Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that analyzes and reviews products for public health and environmental safety risks.

Some dispute exists, as Method claims Environmental Working Group’s evaluation techniques are too broad.

So in reality, the truth may still not be known for some products.

What Can You Do?

Clearly, the true safety and health-friendliness of green cleaning products sits in question.

And as you know, creating official standards takes years, and possibly decades.

So, what do you do in the meantime?

For now, see if the green-cleaning products you want have been certified by Green Seal and/or the EPA’s Safer Choice seal.

Green Seal is an independent nonprofit with no financial interest in the well-being of any companies who produce green cleaning products. They were the first organization to specialize in certifying the safety and health of cleaning products upon their founding in 1989.

They have been reviewed and approved by ISO and Global Ecolabelling Network’s Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System, so they’re a credible organization.

And you know about the EPA.

Yes. Many green cleaning products do exactly as you hope and expect.

At the same time, you have to exercise some caution.

And now you know how to get a clean facility, while also protecting everyone’s health (including your own) and the environment.