WHY WE STARTED GREEN WORLD HOME CLEANING?

Julianna had a small housekeeping company (about 60 homes), and she was cleaning with traditional cleaning chemicals. Her health was not so good: she had issues with her lungs and her skin. We had to conclude that it was directly related to the chemicals, because when we switched to nontoxic cleaning products last January (01/06), her health problems slowly disappeared. So, last March, we officially created a brand new company, adopted a different philosophy, and went “green” all the way.

How did we select our products, and do they do as good a job as more traditional cleaning products? We underwent extensive trials of many “green” nontoxic products: well-known major players like Seventh Generation or Shaklee and less-known, smaller compagnies, and we also created some homemade products as well. After six months of tryouts, we selected a few product lines that worked the best in all areas of a typical household.

Ten years ago, green products were behind in efficiency compared to the “evil” chemicals, but today, green products are at least equal and often superior to household toxic products that unfortunately too many people still use.

The problem with toxins in our homes. On average, people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Sixty-five percent of that is spent at home. What’s worse is those who are most susceptible to indoor air pollution are the ones who are at home the most: children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses. Children breathe in 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults do.

EPA studies have found that pollutant levels inside can be two to five times higher than outdoors. After some activities, indoor air pollution levels can be 100 times higher than outdoors, so it is important to identify the main causes of indoor pollution. Anyone could do some quick research to find out easy ways to reduce the amount of indoor pollutant in their homes.

Here is a list of five main causes of indoor air pollution:
1. The chemicals used to clean and maintain our homes and ourselves.
2. The materials used to build and furnish our homes.
3. Modern construction techniques (such as homes built to be better insulated and therefore tightly sealed).
4. Household combustion equipment (like furnaces, hot water heaters and gas stoves).
5. Polluted outdoor air that goes indoors (particularly true in urban homes near automobile traffic).

By providing a service that takes care of number one on this list we feel we can help residents in our communities live healthier lives