As I show my mother-in-law my cleaning company’s website, she asks a question that is more complicated than it seems- "What is meant by green cleaning?" This query is especially interesting coming from her, because she has owned and operated a janitorial company for almost fifteen years.

"Green cleaning" is the use of minimally hazardous products and environmentally sensitive cleaning practices. Note that I did not say "environmentally safe" products because most cleaning products simply aren’t. When comparing and selecting cleaning products, several steps must be taken. First, read the label. If it is covered with strong warnings regarding the health hazards of the product, move on!

Make sure the products you use are clearly marked bio-degradeable, as most cleaning products end up going down the sink one way or another. Try to avoid products that contain phosphates as they cause algae blooms. Products with bleach may irritate your eyes and lungs. Products containing citrus cleansers are effective and smell good, but are highly acidic.

So what’s left? The most common answers are baking soda, vinegar, and borax. None of these products are regularly used by commercial cleaners, although their home use is more common.

The chemical name of baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It comes in powder form, but requires intense manual effort (scrubbing) to get acceptable results. It also usually takes three or four extended rinses to wash away the residual powder after use. So in a very real sense, baking powder is a chemically sound product that has an unexpected environmental impact due to heavy water use.

Vinegar requires less labor, but it is acidic. Most vinegars contain 4-6% of acetic acid by volume. It also has a strong lingering odor which many find unpleasant.

Borax contains no phosphates and no chlorine. The chemical name of the cleansing ingredient is sodium tetraborate decahydrate.. It cleans with less manual effort than baking soda, and gives excellent results. The biggest downside to borax is its toxicity if consumed in quantity, and that the cleansing agent is a mined product.

Any professional cleaning company should be able to engage in an informed discussion on the various methods they offer. Don’t be fooled just because a company’s website has a green background! Make sure you approve of the products and methods used.