Energy Matters Forums

[annalise]

Hi, I have just come across this forum, I hope to get a few replies re: Greencleaning in the home, just how many of "us" are really taking note? There was an ad campaign a few months ago that had people washing with Squid as a sponge and generally pushing the toxic waste in the drains and poisoning the waterways e.t.c. Other than the few ads like these that come and go quickly, there are so many more ads pushing the chemicals and harsh toxins in soap powders, promoting the "stuff" that we know is killing our bodies and the environment..when you go to the supermarket the shelves are crammed with chemicals....so why do I get the feeling the majority of us are allowing the advertising to do all the thinking for us, instead of researching just how damaging all these chemicals are to our bodies and the environment?

[Gordon-Loomberah]

Welcome to the Energy Matters forums Annalise

We run an organic vegie garden, cherry orchard and chooks here, so are very aware of what we buy to wash down the drain. We use soap nuts in the washing machine and find they do a very good job. In the shower we use enviro-friendly home made organic soaps. All our household greywater ends up in an absorption trench, so we definitely don't want any toxic stuff in there, as the chooks eat the grass growing near it.

For the rare occasions that a commercial tv station is turned on here, I always mute the adverts and do something else, so I admit to having no idea what sort of toxic stuff is being pushed these days

[jaahn]

Hi,
Just noticed this topic .

I am not sure what "greencleaning" is.
If it means being carefull and using the minimum amount and not using more than necessary to do the job then that's us. There are many isles in the supermarket we don't go into. We try and buy what we need, not what we have seen or ??? We seldom watch the commercial channels anyway so the impact there is minimal. The paper adds go in the bin. All the TV adds just grate so I cannot see we are influenced much by them.

We have found that using a small percentage of the 'recommended' amount is quite sufficient for most products. A soak or a manual scrub works OK on difficult things instead of a bottle of 'stuff'. I do mechanical work so a bit of soap or detergent is usually helpfull. Not being obsessive about 'cleanliness' or 'germs' help too. Having lived in third world countries I can appreciate what can be done without. In fact I am appalled by the pressure on people there to buy products like we have here ?? On that basis I avoid most well known brands

There is a movement to direct market "green cleaning" also which I avoid. While I have no problem with local people making a profit from selling good products, I suspect the 'organisation' is the main beneficery, and the good products are selected for their appeal ! Happy to be shown my error

Cheers John