Mommy Goes Green

Recently, Christina asked in the forums whether or not anyone had used Nature’s Source cleaning products. I’ve seen their ads everywhere ( I’m a bit of a magazine fanatic – another topic for another day! ) and have been meaning to check them out.  Thank you Christina for the motivation!

This jury is still out on Nature’s Source.  They definitely have some great qualities : no ammonia, bleach or phosphous, the bottle is recyclable and their main cleaning agent is a plant based cleanser ( also used in Seventh Generation products ).  I’m also really impressed that the manufacturer, S.C. Johnson, has started putting their product ingredients online.  However, the first red flag for me is the word “FRAGRANCE” and I’ll tell you why.

Fragrance is considered a trade secret and companies are not required by law to divulge the ingredients but they may include synthetic materials such as: allergens, phthalates, sensitizers and neurotoxins.  According to the EWG, fragrance is one of the top five allergens known to cause and trigger asthma attacks and neurotoxins are chemicals that are toxic to the brain. Probably the most worrisome are phthalates, a set of industrial chemicals linked to birth defects, asthma, early puberty and decreased sperm counts, according to animal and human studies.

One thing I find utterly confusing is that they say the Nature’s Source products contain no dyes but the toilet bowl cleanser clearly states that it DOES include dye “to provide a pleasing color”.  I don’t know about you but I could care less about my toilet bowl cleanser being blue.

I understand that S.C. Johnson plans to further describe their “fragrance” in the future and I think I’ll wait to hear what that is before I render a verdict.  I also believe they are working to remove phthlates from their products.  Until then, I’ll use other products.  Next Tuesday, in the MGG newsletter, I’ll go through several safe cleaning products and even provide a recipe to save some green by making your own products! 

If you have a favorite line of cleaning products, tell us about them!