If you’re like me, you’ve often wondered why cleaning products are not required to list their ingredients.
I’ve always been concerned that there is no government agency responsible for overseeing what ingredients are used in our household cleaning products. The excuse (my opinion!) is that since cleaning products aren’t food, beverages or drugs meant to be ingested, they aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Manufacturers are, however, required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to list ingredients that are active disinfectants or potentially harmful. Manufacturers claim that they keep their other ingredients secret so competitors can’t duplicate their formulas. Well, if there was some great secret, why are there so many competing products with identical ingredients?
Manufacturers are only required to list ‘chemicals of known concern’ on their labels. In reality, the government has no idea whether most of the chemicals used in everyday cleaning products are safe or not because it doesn’t test them, and it doesn’t require manufacturers to test them.
EPA, under the terms of 1976’s Toxic Substances Control Act, cannot require chemical companies to prove the safety of their products unless the agency itself can show that the product poses a health risk-which the EPA does not have the resources to do since it receives over two thousand new applications for approval every year. Environmental Working Group (ewg.org), found that the EPA approved most applications within three weeks even though more than half provided no information on toxicity.
It’s up to consumers (US!) to study what the warning labels on household cleaners really mean. All household cleaners that contain known hazardous chemicals must carry a warning label that spells out potential risks, along with precautionary steps and first-aid instructions. If a label advises you to keep it away from children, you probably want to keep it away from yourself and your pets as well.

Michael Pollan, in his wonderful little book “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual” says, “Avoid foods containing ingredients that no ordinary human being would keep in the pantry.” I would amend that advice to include avoiding cleaning products that contain ingredients that the average person would not keep in the house. I mean, do you keep sodium laurel sulfate (the chemical that causes suddsing) under your sink?

Life was once less chemically drenched. It can be that way again…at least in your home. Read the label, think, and make a smart choice.

Peace,
Diann

 Talkin’ clean and green with Herb’N Organics!

 Sunday October 19, 2008

Welcome to Herb’N Organics Blog Page!

Thanks for visiting!

First things first- Hi! I’d like to introduce myself to you. My name is Candice Hartwell. My business partner Diann Peart and I own and operate Herb’n Organics- a  green and highly sustainable , natural, non- toxic, and chemical free household cleaning products business in Tempe Az. You can read about our story at http://www.herbnorganics.com/story/   and our mission statement at http://www.herbnorganics.com/mission/.   We’ve been selling our products at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market http://www.foodconnect.org/phoenixmarket/ now for about 6 months. We’re thrilled with the response we’ve had and continue to have there. We knew WE loved our products and now it’s so nice to know that our new friends and customers love it too! Everyone continues to keep us informed on all their new found uses for and experiences with  Arctic Blast, O…So Orange Furniture Frappe, and Peppermint Power Cleansing Powder. Especially the Arctic Blast. We were told by one new customer that it works to kill ants! Smells better than insecticide and safer too! Let us know how you’re using our products and what your thoughts, comments, and uses are!