What?

Chemical agents are damaging to the environment. First while they are being produced, and later on when they are drained. In addition they are toxic and dangerous for children.

Organic cleaning agents are in sharp contrast to their chemical counterparts. Their production is mindful of the environment and with biological degradability by the bacteria that are active in normal water cleansing systems.

Organic cleaning agents exist for the same pruposes as their chemical counterparts, for example:

• Multi-surface cleaning
• Floor cleaning
• Washing up, both manual and machined
• Laundry powders and liquids
• Stain removal
• Glass cleaning
• Limescale remover
• Abrasive
• Toilet cleaning

These cleaning agents are often produced mainly from plants, and they smell better. They are as effective as chemical cleaning agents. Users often mention that it "feels better" to clean with organic agents.

Why?

A pleasant side of a cleaning agent of which you know it will break down easily is that you start treating it less like a poison. For example, it doesn't matter if bits of it end up in your plant's pots, or in the garden. Some agents are even safe to use on the working surface in the kitchen.

Our bodies are better adapted to handle plant-based materials than chemical ones. Those alergic to cleaning agents stand a good chance of feeling perfectly allright using these products. Headaches caused by laundry detergents and such may also disappear.

The environmental advantage of ecological products is that the ingredients are grown at the Earth's surface, where they also decay. This is different for petrochemical products, which are dug up from deep underground, and which usually end up polluting air and soil.

A good example is the laundry detergent. Those used to contain phosphates, that had a series of nasty effects on nature. The use of phosphates is now being abandoned, but this was not an initiative of the producers of those laundry detergents -- except of those who already had an ecological approach to their production.

How?

To the best of our knowledge, the largest brand for ecological cleaning agents is Ecover, a Belgium-based company that has been active in this field for many years. The product range of this company is broad, and useful at home and work. Where possible, Ecover even supports refills of empty packaging.

There are lots of countries where Ecover is well-spread. A good guess is usually an organic store, but many countries also sell Ecover in supermarkets. Do not be alarmed by the wide variety that is being offered! And do not hesitate to demand a refill. Your shop is able to arrange this, all it takes is usually a reasonable demand.

Another brand known on the Dutch market is Klok Eco. This brand produces cleaning agents which are free of phosphates, en often also of parfume.

These brandes primarily aim on replacement of cleaning agents without changing the way they are used. Other approaches do change the way of working.

Ha-Ra cleans all sorts of surgaces using specially developed fibres. By lightly rubbing the right kind of fibre over a surface it gets cleaned. All that needs to be added, is water and a minimal amount of maintenance fluid that alters the properties of water to co-operate with the fibres. The fluid is 99% bio-degradable but Ha-Ra is not willing to divulge what the remaining 1% is. Packages can be refilled.

Ha-Ra does not only produce durable products. They also make a washing agent based on soap stone, which is a passing naturaul resource because it actually is a certain kind of stone, which has come into existence over an extended period of time.

Where?

• Ecover is probably the largest manufacturer of organic cleaning agents. For sales locations please refer to their website.
• Klok Eco is a brand with washing and dish washing agents, which are usually free of parfume and phosphates. Klok appears to use chemical ingredients.
• Ha-Ra is mainly known for their window cleaning kit. The distribution of the expensive/professional cleaning tools is done through a network of consultants that handle these sales from a home office.
• Green Clean is a book about cleaning in an environmentally sane manner. The book is full of tips and ideas that were tested in practice, using very modest materials. ISBN 978-1-59592-004-2.
• GreenPeace also provides cleaning tips, partly from grandmother herself.