Get Squeaky Clean with Mary Findley - Huddler Interview

When you're cleaning your home, the last thing you want to do is bring IN toxins!  If you clean the green way, not only can you get your windows sparkling and your floors shiny, you can make your home healthier for yourself and your family.  But where do you start?  What do you need to look out for?

Since it's time to start spring cleaning, here's some inspiration.  You asked Mary Findley, co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Green Cleaning (Second Edition) all your cleaning questions.  Here's Part One of her two-part interview.

Read on.  Get clean.  And check back here later for Part Two!

Q: How did you get started in the green cleaning industry? (question by MagdalenaC)

A: Thank you Magdalena for your question.  People are often curious about my early beginnings. It started when I was cleaning homes and got totally disgusted with mops. I was spending over $600 a year replacing mop head - this was back when a sponge mop cost $10 to $12 so this was a considerable number of mops. I quickly became disgusted with all these mops headed to the landfill and I needed a mop that would last so I invented my own that uses ordinary terry cloth towels.

Several of my cleaning clients also had allergies to the toxic products I was using so it forced me to find alternatives to use in their homes. It didn’t take too many years into the cleaning industry that congestion started building in my sinuses and lungs so I knew I have to change what I was doing or I would end up with lung cancer.

It all came to full circle when I started selling my products to RVers. These are recreational vehicles like motorhomes, 5th wheels and trailers. Their living areas are quite small, which multiplies any ill effects of a cleaner.  So I started teaching my green cleaning seminars based on what I learned during years of my green cleaning. Gratefully the awareness has grown over the years. So I jumped on the green cleaning bandwagon long before it became popular.

Q: What are some specific ingredients in non-green cleaning products we need to watch out for? (question by jessg)

A: Hi Jessg, boy have you asked the right question. My answer is going to be lengthy because your question is more involved than just the ingredients. It is important to understand the multiple layers of this problem to get a full understanding of the issue.

 First of all manufacturers are not required to state the chemicals or ingredients used in their products. Yes this must change. We have a right to know if a product is harming our health and a good part of them do. But also remember that if ingredients are listed, the really toxic ones are usually left off the label because there is not enough of that chemical in the bottle to force a listing. 

This problem means you may never know what is contained in a cleaner even if you can find the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) sheet on the internet. To find an MSDS sheet, type in "MSDS for Simple Green" or whatever product into a browser. I used Simple Green as an example. When you find the sheet, look for health ratings. There are four ratings from 1 to 4.  If any one of them is above a 1 - do not use the product and the same goes if the product lists two areas with a 1 rating.

To make matters worse, companies are allowed to put words like "green, eco-friendly, earth friendly" etc on their labels even if the cleaner or personal care product contains toxic chemicals. I’ve seen many of them with labels that give the impression of being wholesome. So look for your seals of Approval. Some of these certificates are listed in a later question.  

Here is a list of the worst of the worse offenders. Definitely stay away from Sodium laurel sulfate. This is covered in another question that is just below. Naphtha, petroleum distillates, chlorine or bleach, ammonia, phenols, hydroxides, trisodium phosphate or TSP, sultates, thanolamines, phosphoric acid (which is in many soft drinks and you wonder why you have stomach pains. Stop drinking that stuff), sodium sulfite, ethyl alcohol (it can be combustable) floride, DEA, TEA, MEA are abbreviations normally used, collagen, phthalates, alcohols, aphtha, sutyl cellosove. These are but a few of the worst offenders.

If you can’t pronounce a word, do not know what it is, it is best left on the shelf.

Q: There’s a lot of talk about sodium laureth/lauryl sulfate both in cleaning products and in personal care. Some people say it’s horrible, others say it’s made from coconut oil and is natural. What do you think? (question by nightmancometh)

A: Oh Nightmancometh I am so glad you posted a question on sodium laurel sulfates or SLS for short. I don’t know where these people found that SLS is made from coconut oil but nothing is farther from the truth. Ah let me guess, perhaps the gods of creative marketing have struck again.

Sodium laurel sulphate is a detergent and surfactant - not coconut oil - that is used as a foaming agent in toothpaste, hair shampoo, soaps, cleaners, hand lotions, liquid dish soaps and a host of other products. It is often added to soft swirl ice cream. Stay away from this stuff. SLS is carcinogenic.

SLS also has the ability to leach the petrochemicals from the plastic bottles it’s stored in and off gasses into a very highly toxic product called sodium dioxin. I discussed this in an earlier question. Sodium dioxin is also known as Agent Orange and is the most toxic agent known to man. It penetrates into the eyes, brain, liver, heart and is bio-accumulating. In other words, the liver does not flush it out of the body so it is retained for long periods of time in the tissues of the body.

If you want to check the toxic level of your beauty products like soaps or shampoos, go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. You don’t need to sign in just click on “What’s in your products” they type in the product you are using. You’ll be shocked at the toxic levels of most of these beauty care products. I was surprised to read that Aveeda, long claimed to be very human friendly, is not friendly at all.

Q: I know about chlorine and ammonia, but I was wondering if there anything that I should NOT combine with VINEGAR? I use it all the time for cleaning. (question by Sherrye)

A: Congratulations Sherrye for your choice of vinegar for a cleaning aid. Let me warn you though to use only food grade distilled white vinegar. It the label does not specifically state "food grade" it can be made from petroleum. I’ve seen some distilled vinegar listed as being safe for pickling. This does not mean its food grade.

Unfortunately there has not been sufficient testing of the interaction between vinegar and any chemical. So to be on the safe side, don’t mix them. There are hundreds of chemicals, a few of which are listed above. It would be an impossible task to test them all. I do mix vinegar in with my certified laundry detergent and have not smelled or sensed any reaction. Vinegar boosts the cleaning ability of the detergent so I use less detergent. It would be safe to use with a certified liquid dish soap as well.

If you are unsure always use vinegar separately from the cleaner. Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are both excellent products for removing mold and mildew but combine the two and they are worthless. They aren’t toxic they just counteract each other.

Q: Do you have a favorite Do It Yourself recipe for a cleaner? (question by smallone)

A: Hi smallone. Yes you bet I do. Use a new spray bottle and fill it half full with water. Then add two squirts of a certified liquid dish soap and one-third cup of food grade distilled white vinegar, mix then fill with water. This works well for most surfaces but it is not effective to clean showers, tubs and toilets nor can it be used on any stone surface. My CleanEz does an excellent and safe job in bathrooms as well as being a good cleaner for kitchens.

Q: If you were to recommend just 5 products for someone to have in their green arsenal of cleaning products, what would they be? (question by Deej)

A: Hi Deej, I’m glad to hear you are thinking green and reducing the dizzying array of cleaning products that congests broom closets and land fills. First, head to the store to purchase a gallon of food grade distilled white vinegar, a plastic parmesan cheese shaker and a large box of baking soda. Make sure the vinegar says food grade distilled white vinegar otherwise it can be made of petroleum. Do an online search for the hundreds of uses for vinegar. I have a blog on my website www.goclean.com with several of them.  

Baking soda does come in a plastic shaker container but you have to replace it when it’s empty. So buy the large box of baking soda, which is cheaper, and refill the parmesan cheese bottle, which is far healthier for our Earth. Use the soda to scrub the toilets and sinks.

Next up you need a good all purpose cleaner that is earth friendly like my CleanEz. Make sure it removes grease and oil and can be used in the bathrooms, kitchens and as a stain remover. There is no need for separate products to do all these jobs when one will do nearly everything.  If you buy from the store look for a certified organic product then you know it does not contain harsh chemicals.  

Your fourth item is a good window cleaner. I do carry a streak free cleaner but in the store look for your green certificates. You cannot use an all purpose cleaner on stone surfaces like slate, tile, granite or marble so look for a window cleaner that states it is safe for those surfaces. It must state that it does not contain alcohol or ammonia.

Finally you need a good wood conditioner for your furniture and cabinets. Otherwise they will dry and crack and when that happens it generally means replacing them which is expensive and means cutting down more trees. I do carry a good conditioner called Wood Care.  Finer furniture stores carry bees wax based conditioners but make certain it does not contain petroleum distillates.  

Q: Are there any certification programs for green cleaners?  And if there are, can you trust them? (question by vs23)

A: Good question vs23 Yes there are some good programs for green cleaners. And there are the fakes as well.

The Green Seal of Approval is generally good. I read some negative reports about them a few years ago but I understand those issues have been resolved.  

Green Blue certification is for green product design. Look for Green Label when you buy rugs or carpet. Eco Logo is another certification you can trust. The EPA has their own certification known as Design for the Environment. LEED-EB are given to sustainable buildings. Greenstar is another good program to trust. If you are looking to buy furniture or flooring Greenguard is a good one. Greenguard is now certifying cleaners as well.  

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. Copyright @2009 All rights reserved worldwide.

Here is the long awaited Part Two of Mary Findley's Squeaky Clean interview!  Enjoy!

Q: Most cleaning products in the US claim to be "antibacterial". How accurate or even desirable is this quality, and what are some green alternatives? (question by eris)

A: Hi Eris boy am I glad to see you are up to snuff on this antibacterial propaganda. The EPA claims that the triclosan generally used as an antibacterial agent in soaps and cleaning supplies is a pesticide with high health hazard risks. Please do not use these products. They are also a risk to the environment. 

Our bodies need a healthy balance between good and bad bacteria. Upset that balance and you have disease. Stop to think about this next point as well. By the time you wash your hands or clean a surface, the bacteria that could cause illness, has had more than ample enough time to attack your body. Stop sorrying about killing germs that are already dead.

The one exception is if you drop raw meat, milk, egg ect on the counter or floor. Head thee to the pet store for a bottle of Nature’s Miracle. It’s a completely earth and human friendly enzyme product and it kills the bacteria naturally without chemicals.

So Nature’s Miracle is one green alternative. Straight food grade distilled white vinegar is another. I did an article several years ago for a Canadian magazine and found that vinegar kills more germs than bleach.

If you really need to make sure the germs are dead and gone follow a day later after using the vinegar with a 20 to 35% dilution of hydrogen peroxide found in health food stores. Don’t mix the two together. They negate each other’s effectiveness. You can’t get any greener than vinegar and peroxide.

Q: Cleaning a bathroom without a product that contains bleach seems impossible to me.  What alternatives do you recommend for tough jobs like tubs and showers (mildew, soap scum, stained grout, etc.)? (question by teej)

A: Hi teej, After cleaning homes for 12 years professionally I’d rather wash windows than clean bathrooms so I developed a few preventive things to keep the buildup from building up. This is another long answer so hang in there with me ok?

By the way the bleach you are using that is mixed with other chemicals in your cleaner could be off gassing into sodium dioxin or Agent Orange. It is the most toxic chemical known to man. Please stop using chlorine bleach. It’s very toxic and unnecessary. You are lucky you are still able to breathe.

Soap scum on shower walls is the toughest of tough areas in the bathroom to clean and the one job you don’t need to do. Oh if the soap scum is there, yes it must be removed but if you will simply switch soap you don’t get the buildup. Switch soap to glycerin soap or soap from a health food store. Standard soap contains lye and animal fat that builds up on your showers.

By the way guess where else it builds up? Yep in your drains then you can’t figure out why your drains keep clogging. Switch soap and you end both problems. Yes organic soap is more expensive but not compared to the time and expense of cleaning soap scum then having to call a plumber to unclog your drains.

Now it’s going to take a good strong acidic cleaner to get rid of that soap scum. I have a safe one called TerraPlus that will take that stuff off in just minutes. Or look for Bi-o-Kleen in the stores. It’s a good safe cleaner as well.  Dilute either 3 parts water to one part cleaner and spread it on the walls starting from the bottom and work your way to the top. Let it set a good 10 minutes perhaps more, then scrub with a white scrub pad that you can usually find at a hardware store. You want a scratch free scrubbing pad.

Scrub rinse and you are done - no bleach. It may take a couple of times to get all the soap scum off the showers. TerraPlus does it in one step but other products may take 2 applications.

Mold is an entirely different problem. Since you didn’t tell me where the mold is located I’m going to do some guessing. If the mold is in the grout around like the sliding glass door and is the rubbery grout then you need to remove the grout, clean the area good with straight food grade distilled white vinegar and apply fresh grout.

If the mold is in tile grout then I have a product call The Stain Eraser that will take it out without chemicals and it won’t remove the color from the grout. The Stain Eraser will also remove stains from tile grout as well. So you have both those problems solved.

 If the mold is on the ceiling, which is what I often found cleaning homes, then use straight distilled white vinegar and wipe it on the ceiling or walls. Don’t rinse it off just leave it on. It will continue to kill the mold. Then the following week wipe on straight hydrogen peroxide. It’s best to use the 20 to 35% food grade peroxide from the health food stores. The 3% found in grocery stores might work but you usually need a stronger solution. Repeat if needed.

Now prevent mold from forming by taking shorter cooler showers and turn on the fan. Sorry but it’s all the steam that causes the problem and shorter cooler showers usually prevent the problem.

The next worst problem in bathrooms is ring around the toilet. If you have just hard water rings and it’s not iron or rust then dump a cup of distilled white vinegar in your toilet over night and scrub good the next day. It should come out. If that doesn’t work or you have iron or rust problems I have a product called The EraseIt for Bathrooms. A pumice stone will work but they scratch toilets. If you use one do so with extreme caution.

Q: Are all waterless car washes considered eco-friendly (because they don't use water)?  Or are there some that are better than others?  In your opinion, is there a place for silicone and Teflon in car care products? Are there more suitable 'natural' alternatives?  (combined question by jessg and MCarthwright)

A: Oh boy you want my soapbox out huh? This answer is going to be very long because it’s more involved than what first meets the eye and I want to make sure you and other readers are fully informed.

Isn’t advertising great? Gee we can tell people how much water our product saves making is eco-friendly but we don’t bother to folks that using the product as a waterless wash can scratch the paint.

I am the leading expert in the RV (recreational vehicle) industry so let me go into this in more detail. I have presented my seminars with paint manufacturer’s representatives present during my seminars. They have all approved and back what I am teaching people. So my information is backed by these paint companies. I also sell a waterless wash called Advantage and I will not sell it by using sales gimmicks. Telling people that it’s eco-friendly because you don’t need water, is a sales gimmick. Let me explain.

Waterless washes, my Advantage included, are designed to dissolve dirt. No product on earth can dissolve sand and grit. So when you wipe with a waterless wash and the surface is gritty, it will scratch the paint, which means eventually it will need to be repainted.  It’s far more costly to our environment to repaint a car than to use 2 buckets of water to wash it.

Furthermore nearly all waterless washes contain petroleum distillates, which is toxic. My Advantage is one of only two that does not contain distillates.

If the distillate used is a low grade distillate, which many are, the distillate over time will erode the gel coat or clear coat finish. Unfortunately you have no way of knowing if the distillate is low or high grade. The MSDS (material safety data sheet) does not tell you the grade of distillate. In fact it will not even list the product as a distillate. It lists it as aliphatic hydrocarbon, hydrocarbon, petroleum and mineral oil to name a few. To make matters worse, a product can contain 7 to 8% distillate and not state so on the bottle.

A low grade distillate will cause the vehicle to oxidize over time and unless the oxidation is removed with a product like my RenewzIt, the paint will be gone within 5 to 7 years. You see this on cars that look faded and have a silvery hue to them.

You want to apply a protectant to your vehicle three to four times a year. So if it is time to apply your protectant and your car is lightly dirty without sand or grit then use Advantage or another waterless wash and you don’t need to wash it. That part is accurate.

If you are in a drought area like Georgia or California it’s easy to wash your car using very little water. Get 2 plastic buckets. In the morning as your shower water is heating, catch the water in the buckets. When they are full, add half a cup of vinegar to both buckets. Wash with one bucket and rinse with the other. You do not need toxic soapy water to clean your car. It ruins the paint.

Okay for your answer to the silicone question. Stay away from silicone products. A low grade silicone will deteriorate the gel or clear coat finish. Most places that paint cars will not work on a vehicle that has silicone applied because nothing sticks to silicone. Ever try to paint over the silicone caulking on your home windows? The paint will not stick.

It is nearly impossible to completely remove silicone so the paint ends up bubbling and coming off your vehicle. That is why car shops will not paint them. They don’t want to be sued.  Since you have no way of knowing the grade of silicone used in the product, stay away from it. Of course the manufacturer tells you it’s a high grade silicone. No one is going to put out a product and discourage sales by saying it will ruin the finish.

And that brings up another comment. If a company says that the product they use in their car wax is proprietary (or private) information, it probably contains silicone. These companies don’t want you knowing they use silicone so they hide behind this proprietary information comment. My Advantage uses polymers to protect.

Now for the Teflon. With all the research I have done, I have not found anything to indicate that Teflon will deteriorate the finish like silicone. Before you apply Teflon you must test for oxidation on several areas of the vehicle. A vehicle can start oxidizing if that section faces the sun all day. The other side won’t show oxidation. The roof is usually a good place to check. Teflon is also difficult to remove and paint won’t stick to it either.

Are there suitable alternative for car waxes? Not that I have found. I tested several of them before I had Advantage formulated for me. The ones I tested were dust and dirt magnets and made washing my vehicle harder as a result. Nothing the products contained seemed to indicate they protected the paint from UV ray damage.

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. Copyright @2009 All rights reserved worldwide.