Green cleaning

							h E a lt h




Green cleaning
many carers and educators find it difficult to make informed decisions
about cleaning products. Bridget Gardner, director of Fresh Green clean,
provides advice on selecting methods that are both safe and effective.



Fresh Green Clean runs workshops in early childhood services which primarily focus              Three Swinburne University faculties are
on improving cleaning practices. However, the questions that most participants ask are          assisting the SASI Cleaning project:
‘which brands are safe?’ and ‘do green cleaners really work?’ Unfortunately, there is no        . The National Centre of Sustainability is
easy way to separate marketing spin from facts.                                                    developing criteria to assess the safety
h ow Sa F E i S SaFE ?                                                                             and sustainability of cleaning products
                                                                                                   which will require manufacturers to
There are currently two methods of assessing the safety of a cleaning product:                     provide proof that their product is safe.
. Label warnings like ‘Caution’, ‘Keep out of reach of children’, ‘Poison’ and                 2. The Faculty of Life and Social Sciences
   ‘Dangerous poison’ mean that a product contains scheduled poisons.                              is challenging the belief that green
2. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are provided by manufacturers and list health                cleaning is not effective by testing
   effects and first aid information. All children’s services must keep an MSDS onsite for         selected methods in two early
   every product they use.                                                                         childhood centres.

the problem is that these warnings are based on toxicity tests that must prove a certain        3. The Faculty of Design is taking a user-
compound causes disease and, as canadian toxicologist dr. herbert needleman                        centred approach to represent the
said in 1997, ‘toxicity testing has not even begun to keep pace with disease. we are               results of the pilot project, to ensure
conducting a vast experiment on our children which will affect generations to come.’               that the concerns and requirements of
                                                                                                   management, staff and parents are
                                                                                                   addressed.
 c lE a n i n G t i p S
                                                                                                The project intends to deliver a website with
 It’s not difficult to find ways to clean that are both safe and effective:                     a simple guide to safer cleaner purchasing,
 ß Warm soapy water can remove dirt and bacteria from most surfaces. Mix a little               to be launched mid-year, and the SASI
   readily biodegradable and pH neutral detergent or pure liquid soap into warm                 Cleaning certified program which will be
   water.                                                                                       extended to other early childhood services in
                                                                                                Victoria by 2008 and, nationally, by 2009.
 ß Basic products such as bicarbonate of soda and vinegar are very effective
   cleaners.
 ß Window and surface sprays can contain toxic solvents in order to quickly                     Bridget Gardner
   evaporate. Instead of using these products, wash surfaces with basic agents then             Director
   remove moisture with squeegees, microfibre glass cloths or flannelette rags.                 Fresh Green Clean Pty Ltd.

 ß Always make sure bathrooms are well ventilated and use essential oil sprays                  To contact Bridget or find out more
   instead of air-fresheners, which often contain highly toxic compounds.                       about the SASI Cleaning project, email
                                                                                                bridget@freshgreenclean.com.au or visit
 In a nutshell, all effective cleaning requires is clean hands, water, tools and a little       www.freshgreenclean.com.au.
 elbow grease!
                                                                                                reference and further reading
                                                                                                Needleman, H. (997). Quoted by P. Landrigan
                                                                                                at the Toxics Release Inventory and Right-to Know
Sa F E a n d S u S tain a Bl E cl Eanin G                                                       Conference, Washington, D.C.
In order to address the confusion about cleaning products, Fresh Green Clean has                For more information, read the National
received funding from the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund, managed by                Health and Medical Research Council’s
Sustainability Victoria. This funding will be used to develop the Safe and Sustainable          Staying healthy in childcare document
Indoor (SASI) Cleaning project for early childhood services. The project will be piloted        (www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/
                                                                                                ch43syn.htm) and the Department of Health
this year in partnership with the City of Yarra, in three Yarra Council childcare centres and   and Aging Infection Control Guidelines
The Lady Gowrie Child Centre.                                                                   (www.icg.health.gov.au).


28      Every Child Volume 3, Number , 2007