EXPERT
Tips
This Month’s Expert: Going GreenHouse
April Prothero shares her non-toxic cleaning tips
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Do non-toxic cleaning products work as well as other products? Short answer? Absolutely!
On top of having a sparkling clean home, you’ll have the benefit of knowing that your home isn’t teeming with toxic fumes! At Going GreenHouse, we have been in the nontoxic cleaning business for over 10 years. We have procured a green cleaning kit that we arm all of our team members with that allows them to clean any surface thoroughly, without harm to the surface or the indoor environment—and, leaves it fresher and cleaner than before. One objection that I hear from people is that they just can’t understand a clean home without it smelling “clean.” Some say that it’s not clean unless you are blasted with the scent of pine trees and bleach upon entering the home. The smell of clean has evolved, and if it smells strongly, that’s a good indication that it is also toxic to your environment. Not just in the air that you, your children, pets, and guests breathe, but also waiting on those countertops and floors
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to absorb into your skin when you touch it. If you are one of those who grew up with this philosophy but want to give non-toxic products a shot, we have a couple of tricks up our sleeve. We use peppermint castile soap to clean the shower, as well as mop the floor. It leaves a lovely, gentle mint essence that can only be described as a clean scent. One product—which also took us a while to perfect—was our stainless-steel cleaner. You can’t really skimp or substitute here, and if you do, the streaks left behind on your fridge door will show that the product isn’t perfect. A lot of stainless-steel cleaning products are wipes, which we find wasteful, or aerosol cans, which were only acceptable back in the ’80s AquaNet hairspray days. We finally found a soy-based cleaner made by the good people at Ecos that cleans and
