10 Ways to
Make Cleaning Fun!

How Cleaners Work

Many cleaning products found in the home contain dangerous chemicals some of which can be harmful to children and pets. The U.S. Poison Control Center has nearly 1.5 million reported cases – most children under 12 years of age — of accidental ingestion of poisons commonly found in the home.

Why aren’t consumers informed and protected from the potentially dangerous chemicals contained in cleaning products? Well, there are several reasons:

• Our government has very limited power to regulate and require proper testing, thanks to heavy lobbying by the soap and detergent industry.
• In the U.S., only about 30% of the 17,000 household chemicals have been adequately tested and less than 10% have been tested on the nervous system.
• Currently, no law requires manufacturers to list the exact ingredients on the package label.

optionsforlife cleaning products are made from bio-based, naturally-derived ingredients that are much safer to use around kids (and pets) than cleaning products that contain harmful chemicals.

How can you be sure that the products you buy are safe for use around children and pets?

In the U.S., for example, the U.S. Department of the Interior issues criteria for products to be considered safe for humans and the environment. Options bio-based cleaning products meet all these criteria. Here, for example, are just the top five criteria:

• Product must be bio-based and from renewable sources, a fruit, vegetable or plant.
• The cleaner must not contain petro-dyes.
• Green cleaners must not contain petro-artificial perfumes.
• The product must be biodegradable.
• The cleaner must not contain petroleum distillates or crude oil.