Green Clean?

The last installment of my summer project is to look into "green" cleaners versus their traditional counterparts. This was a tough one for me because I am a clean freak. Somehow, the words "antibacterial" and "disinfectant" are just comforting to me. I realized I am a salesman's delight and have probably bought into the advertising gurus who want people like me to think I have to have these cleaners, but I have always believed they must be better. After all, no germs is better than germs, right? I only had to time to do minimal research on this, but I found several negatives to using the traditional chemical-based cleaners. The chemicals used in these cleaners can be bad for people, animals, and the environment. Children and pets were mentioned several times in the articles I read because they are closer to the ground and much more likely to put their hands (or paws, I guess) in their mouths, therefor ingesting the chemicals in the cleaners. And since I would certainly be concerned if my children were drinking the bottle of Windex, I was concerned when I thought about this. One article I read mentioned the spread of the chemicals in the air in a household and the increased risk of respiratory problems. Several articles also noted the negative impact on the environment when these chemicals were washed down our drains and found their way to drinking water supplies, rivers and lakes, and ground water. So I am grudgingly giving up my treasured bottles of Windex and Lysol and and using some of the new "green" alternatives. At least most of the time. I may sneak some heavy stuff in for those spring cleaning blitzes! On the positive side, I did read that even just warm, soapy water is effective at removing germs from surfaces. And we have found some fairly inexpensive Meijer-brand eco-friendly cleaners to replace or chemical-laden favorites. In my mind, I believe these new cleaners are better for my family and the earth, but you may see me slowly walking down the cleaning supply aisle at Meijer with a tear in my eye for the next few months! It is a tough break-up for a clean freak like me.