You return from your latest shopping trip and are putting your purchases away. As you unpack your reusable shopping bags of the latest cleaning wonder, you look at your cleaning cabinet. It may actually qualify as a miniature superfund site.

As you look in the cabinet, you notice cleaners for polishing wood, cleaners for your stainless steel appliances, cleaners for the window/glass, carpets, drains, bathrooms; the list is endless. You admit to yourself that perhaps you like a clean house way too much and that you've got a soft spot for the high tech cleaning gadgets, but is any of it eco-friendly?

Consider your municipal water system - what do you think is the biggest challenge for them? It isn't the organic waste that is difficult to deal with. Organic waste settles to the bottom where it is then taken care of by special enzymes. Chemicals are another story. Cities and municipalities have to use a series of filtration systems to remove chemicals from the water. Other chemicals are often added to help neutralize some of the more hazardous chemicals. However, this water isn't even completely purified; it is merely purified enough to be pumped down the river, or into a lake.

If you think businesses and manufacturing facilities are the biggest problems - think again. They are closely monitored for chemical pollution to waterways. Homeowners like us are the real problem. With thousands of people on a local water system, and millions on a big city system it is impossible to control what gets washed down the drain or flushed down the toilet. While some offenses are blatant, such as pouring antifreeze or other used car chemicals down the drain, most comes out of ignorance, as most people assume that the manufacturer of the product is selling you something that is safe and look no further. But enzymes and cleaning boosters can have effects from altering the algae growth to reducing oxygen in the water, all of which can harm marine life.

So, what can we do? Like most things, it all begins with a little education. For instance, home cleaning can be done with several safer cleansers like alcohol, ammonia, bleach, detergent, oil and soaps. Make sure not to mix these chemicals since doing so can be deadly.

Take laundry, a common household activity, for example. While there are tons of fancy cleaners on the market, it really only takes a simple detergent to keep clothes clean. Bleach is great for light clothes. Soaking extremely dirty clothes first, and then washing with a simple detergent is generally effective. Most stains will come clean with the use of alcohol. Vinegar can help with grease or oil stains. What about glass and windows? A simple solution of ammonia and water mixed equally is all you really need. The best cleaner for wood surfaces is simply a mild oil soap. There are even natural, eco-friendly cleaning techniques for virtually every mess or stain out there that involve the use of oils created from things like peppermint and lavender!

The rule of thumb is if there are more than seven to ten ingredients in a cleaner, there is probably a better and more eco friendly choice. Next time you are shopping for home cleanup products you may want to remember that it's not just buying or bringing your organic cotton bags, its what you put in, or don't put in it.

The ambiance of a perfect environment is not the only basic point to select a green house. When the perfect environment conditions play its part,the location of your house is also has its own importance,here it is not mentioning of any commercial hub but the availability of your daily needs are within the reasonable reach. When you drive around for your basic needs every day for a considerable distance and the proportionate consumption of fuel will cause concern.

Normally we will find two types of houses. The one which is having all the facilities within a reasonable reach and the other one will be a place where we will find the entire perfect ambiance of a good environment but far away from the availability of all the basic requirements. The former one we may classify as a green home because we will be using less fuel and less driving. The saving on fuel is the direct contribution for the good environment.

In most of the cases the perfect condition is a far cry,that is to have a good location and a good environment. The alternative to this is to make it near perfect by become self sufficient. Some of the simple requirement for self sufficiency is to have a well tended garden which can give enough food for a normal family and for energy requirements having some sort of indigenous methods. This may be harnessing of solar energy duly supported by water/wind mills within the compound itself.

There will be a common meeting point if these two conditions are met. The green houses of this nature will be less dependent for their energy supply from their local grid which means more contribution towards a better environment.

Now you have made a reaching point with reasonably good conditions but still not reach the perfect point,though there will be still rooms for the perfection. You are self sufficient for your many needs or that is easily available from within your reach and not instrumental in drawing less power from your local grid. Still you can add towards perfection by selective in getting energy saving appliances which are duly certified to that effect.

You are already in the right track by less using of the air-conditioning and heating and by this healthy designing you have further reduced the power consumption. But you can add still further when you insist on certified energy content appliances and the consumption of energy will be further less again.

The acquiring of a green home is not the only avenue for helping the environment. We have to insist for the products which have caused less damage to the environment at the time of their production and have to compulsorily use the products which are bio degradable for cleaning purposes etc.

We will be significantly contributing to the well being of the environment. So be a part of the elite who are on hell bent to create a healthy environment for self and future generations.

Timothy Greensland
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We have enjoyed the quick and the momentary effects of chemical based cleaning materials so far. The cleaning base of bleach, chlorine and caustics are having the momentary effect and saving a lot of trouble for our house hold. But it leaves a permanent damaging effect when they are pushed out after the cleaning job, to the environment due to the effect of their non degradation properties. In addition to this most of them are allergens creating very unpleasant side effects.

The eco friendly products are by and large safe even for the pets and children. Because of their safe characteristics many parents are eager to keep in the house as against the products which are based on harsher chemicals. The accidental exposure to them will create un pleasant side effects.

However, there are exceptions, all eco friendly or organic products are not necessarily safe in the strict sense. There are products which harm the skin or create very un pleasant experience if consumed accidentally or otherwise. So you have to take safety precautions even if it is eco friendly. Eco friendly means it is for the environment.

The eco friendly products are distinct because of their properties of bio degradation. Bio degradation is a biological process by which the products are breaks into smaller parts and form a part of the earth quit contrary to the chemical products which do not break itself but will form a separate mass in the earth.

The eco friendly companies are particular about to evaluate the raw materials they are using. They ensure to confirm before using the raw materials the following characteristics, they are not damaging the rain forest, by using this will it damage the living conditions of the endangered species or not. If they find any of this is affecting the existence of the above they will refrain from using it.

So with this stringent conditions the eco friendly companies will only use the products like citrus, coconut or certain plants and herbal oils. These items can very easily will grow in a green farms and they do not pose any threat to the environment.

Besides doing a wonderful job as the producers of environmental friendly products, these companies are also the model employers. Most of the green companies are the signatories of the fair trade policy. This policy ensures the fair wages and living conditions for the people who are engaged in the activities. By supporting the fair trade companies you are not only contributing towards the healthy environment but also appreciating and support the workers of the third world countries.

The idea of eco friendly companies are fast catching up the imagination of all progressive communities. Let us hope that there will be many more positive additions to it so that our future generation would be a contented society.

Timothy Greensland
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