Know Your Product; Know What's On The Surface (...And Your Skin)

• Labels

• Cleaning Agent Ingredients

• The pH Scale

• Healthier Choices

This is a quick lil' read-and-remind about a crucial but often ignored subject - chemicals in your cabinets. It's never a bad time to shine a light on the stuff we spray and spread all over our surfaces in the name of Clean! With a few facts in your arsenal, you can confidently choose the cleansers, polishers, detergents, and disinfectants that jive with both your cleaning needs and your desire to keep your surfaces, and self, safe. None of us wants to cause more issues than we fix as we work to keep life clean; these facts offer some wisdom.

READING LABELS:

Easy enough, right? Well, sometimes it seems you might need a Rosetta Stone to decipher those bad boys. Once familiar with label layout and some of the vernacular, however, you can glean a great deal of information from them to aid your chemical choices.

A typical label includes the following:

• Type of Product- usually falls into 2 categories:

*All-purpose - designed to clean multiple surfaces

*Specialty - designed for specific materials (glass, tile, metal, wood, carpets, etc.)

Now, many folk just stop the label reading right here with a screeeeeech after they discern if their particular task is covered by the cleaner....well, quite regularly some miniscule little print is tucked up in the label mix and it is our firm stance that "knowledge is power"!! Do like we and grab the magnifying glass for that fine print - we strongly encourage you to read on!!! That info could prevent irreparable damages to surfaces and the body.

•Directions for Use - this section delivers the details on the amount of product to use, how and when to dilute it, what sort of cloth, towel or tool is needed, and how long it should sit to emulsify the dirt and the grime.

HEY HEY!! Handy TidbitToRemember: Using more product than recommended does not ensure a better clean - it wastes resources, money, and could potentially damage materials and/or the environment in the process; we've found it's best to live by that label.

•Ingredients - Further in, we'll get a mite more in depth on the details of some common ingredients, but you might be a speck shocked to learn that it is not required by law for manufacturers to disclose ingredients unless their product kills microorganisms (commonly called a "disinfectant") or is known to be hazardous.

*Products known as disinfectants will have an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registeration number on their labels.

•Safety Information - This is the spot on the label to locate any warnings and explainings of potential risks, guidelines for safe usage, and first-aid instructions should some sort of breech occur.

Words Indicating a Hazardous Material (duh...):

*Caution

*Poison

*Danger

The latter two better bring a snap to attention if safety is supreme; they indicate the highest chemical hazard level and warrant a strong think-session before use. A hazardous product is toxic, flammable, corrosive, and/or reactive. If you see "poison" or "danger" and decide to move forth, best to bust out the stoutest rubber gloves and thickest protective lenses you've got after ventilating the area über-well and maybe even suiting up with a mask.

•Storage Guidelines - Labels often clue you in on the best way to keep the cleaner stored to maintain effectiveness and lessen any horrors. Both heat/cold levels and light exposure can be factors in the efficacy of your product. Also, it's a keen practice to pay good attention to the"use by" date given so you can dispose of any oldie goldies when their golden days of usage are gone.

•Disposal Guidelines - Before you trash a bottle or container of cleaner, look for label instructions on how and where to toss what's left. This is crucial to the environment as we all are trying to leave less of a footprint and enhance our care for our Mother and Father Nature.

PRODUCT INGREDIENTS - The Promised 'More':

Speaking of oldie golds - some classic lyrics come to mind - "I need a miracle every day!!!" Fact is, the modern day's product labels boast robustly about the miraculousness of the clean awaiting in their varied containers. Chemicals have become remarkably advanced and somewhat complicated; they are being designed for an ever-diverse array of materials and the demands modern man puts on that which he buys. We expect each to work its miracle, and in many cases, we are pleased with results due to chemical innovations.

Most ingredients and the products they are part of can be categorized as one (or more) of the following:

*Abrasives - substances used for rubbing away the surface of something, usually to make it shiny or smooth

*Bleaches - chemicals used to whiten or sterilize with a main ingredient of sodium hypochlorite

*Disinfectants - chemicals used to kill bacteria and viruses from surfaces

*Surfactants - molecules that reduce the surface tension of water so it spreads better and more deftly rolls up the grime

*Fragrances - chemicals used in products solely to improve their aromatic appeal and that of the space where their used depending on strength

*Solvents - cleaners that chemically dissolve oil, grease, and solids

*Enzymes - compounds belonging to the proteins, they break down soils at a neutral pH (more soon!)

*Builders - minerals that raise the pH of a product to alkalinity (more commeth below!) and emulsify oil and grease

A pH PRIMER:

Every cleaner has its miracle, its claim to fame, its suit of strength. Behind all of these wonders are two little combined letters - pH. Every solution has a pH, and the pH level of any cleaner determines what types of dirt, grime, and stain it's best at obliterating.

The pH scale ranges from 0-14 with 7, of course, being neutral. Levels below 7 are considered acidic; levels above 7 are alkaline.

*Acidic pH Solutions - remove mineral deposits, oxidation, rust, discoloration, scaling, tarnishing, etc.

*Alkaline pH Solutions - effectively cut through and break down grease, oils, fats, proteins, and other common household grimes or “organic substances”

***pH levels at the extreme ends of the pH Scale are to be understood as corrosive, seen as dangerous and used with care - requiring rubber gloves, eye protection, and certainly good ventilation if you aim to keep in good health your skin, eyeballs and lungs.

CHOICES FOR BETTER HEALTH

Tying back in the ol' olfactory subject of fragrance, many people are conditioned to believe a house is not truly clean unless it smells of chemicals. In fact, nothing indicates a clean house more than a complete absence of odor (unless you're reminiscing about those fresh-picked and crimson Lincoln’s Roses you placed on the table back in the summer....). Due to this belief in scent, we sometimes risk not only undue wear and tear on our home’s multiple sufaces, but polluting the air inside as well as “home outside”- the planet! Unusually strong fragrance can signal unusually strong chemicals, and most of these smells are added and unnatural. You have to be the decider on exactly what you want from your cleaners and go forth.

Fortunately, there are now a multitude of products on the market that are better for your health and the environment surrounding us all.

On a real note - most products claiming to be more naturally derived are actually more effective than they’ve ever been before. The chemists with green minds and hearts are innovating the clean scene with products that live up to their claimed power AND soft eco-ripple. Keep in your head that many health and environmental claims are minimally regulated, so light up that label looking for words like organic, plant-based, non-AEP, sustainable, paraben-free, no animal testing, etc. and use what you know to discern as you read and evaluate the product for yourself.

Terms and catch-phrases like “environmentally friendly,” “natural,” and “biodegradabble” do not necessarily always mean a product is totally free of harmful chemicals.

To Get The True Story:

Buy from manufacturers that readily disclose a full list of all ingredients, and while you're at it, you health nut - we suggest trying to avoid products with even a single hazardous ingredient. It's up to YOU to decide what you consider 'a hazard' to your home and health....We support and applaud that kind of grande nuttiness 111%.

On The Ingredients Train Once Again:

If you feel inclined to really "clean up" your use of any chemically-questionable cleaners, you can start by investigating and then avoiding usage of products with the following (any of which have been shown to pose health and environmental risks):

alkylphenol ethoxylates (AEP’s)

antibacterials

ammonia

butyl cellosolve (also known as ethanol)

butyl glycol

ethylene glycol

monobutyl

chlorine bleach

d-limonene

diethanolamine (DEA)

triethanolamine (TEA)

disinfectants

fake fragrances

hydrochloric acid

naphtha

petroleum-based ingredients and surfactants

phosphates

lye (also known as sodium hydroxide)

sulfuric acid

.....among others. Knowledge is Power, and the research is plethoric! Go get some and arm yourself with wisdom!

A FEW PARTING MORSELS FOR THOSE WHO WOULD BE WISE

*Always try the least-toxic products first before moving to something stronger (Ex. Clean your oven by starting with baking soda and water [it may be all you need!] ; don't use a highly corrosive and harmful commercial spray cleaner unless you absolutely must).

*Buy only as much product as you plan to use within a month or two. Products can lose effectiveness if they sit for long periods.

*Keep products in original containers so you’ll always have access to the label.

*Never mix cleaning products. Period.

*Always store cleaning products out of the reach of children and pets.

*Call poison control at (800) 222-1222 if you suspect contamination, keeping the number written near the chemical storage space.

We want clean. We want it for ourselves and for you, too - but not at the expense of the health of your surfaces and your body. The labels are there for you to bring your wits to the chemicals and choose with wisdom what brings the clean to you

And if you're looking for a safe and brilliant clean with no time to put one on yourownself, try our Green Clean Plan offered by The Gleam Team Cleaning Company! It's a Plan that's natural and true and "Like the sun, we're always shining!" Check out all of our Plans on the Services page here on our website where you can research and choose what's right for you and yours today!