Saturday 14 June 2014

Bleach and Green Cleaning - Shall we or shall we not?

When I first came to work in the cleaning industry I didn't know what a good clean was or what cleaning products to use to assure a good clean. The tablets which you drop down the toilet, close the lid, wait a minute or two and get a toilet bowl sparkling seemed to be an amazing find. We used them a lot while doing heavy duty End of tenancy cleaning. It wasn't advised though to touch them without robber gloves The equally enthusiastically used was the bleach; in fact at that time the smell of bleach was the smell of cleanness for me, although not very pleasant.




Oven cleaners for the greasy kitchen appliances are another field where very strong chemical are used. There are some very powerful sprays that you cannot use in a closed room and of course a protective gloves needs to be worn. We had a cleaner who incidentally sprayed the solution onto her forearm in a minute the skin was red and chemically burnt. Goes without saying it is always required to wear a protective face mask while using this strong chemical so the vapours could not be breathed in. This is really how professional cleaning is done in many cleaning companies operating in London and the country to ensure a cost-effective and fast cleaning.

I always thought it is the right way; it is how the industry works and how money is made in the field. Nowadays either I have changed or times changed or in fact we all changed and cleaning materials which you do not want to touch, breath in etc. suddenly and swiftly losing their appeal. Using eco-friendly cleaning products sometimes means harder work and more time put in but in a long run it is a much better option for everyone: for you as an individual, for your family and for the environment.

Just why exactly is bleach bad for us you might want to ask Well if the burning sensation you felt in your throat and eyes while using the bleach is not convincing enough and for that you don't need to have a degree in Chemistry, here are a few other facts:

- The use of bleach and cleaners with chlorine aggravate problems associated with allergies and asthma,
- Cause damage to the nervous system,
- The chlorine mixed with some chemicals and household products such as ammonia, dishwashing soap and others create poisonous gas which sometimes not detectable but still very dangerous to the human body.The chemical reactions produce a number of very toxic elements. Most of these are known as carcinogens, build up in the body as it is exposed to them, and get into the food chain through the water.
- The toxins produced by the chemical reactions with chlorine kill aquatic life and harm animals.

There are 8.173.944 households in London according to data.london.gov.uk. Every household has at least one toilet and by each of those toilets quietly stands a bottle of a toilet cleaner or a bottle of bleach. Now let's do a bit of math. Even if the two thirds of households use bleach as their choice of a toilet cleaner, a standard 700ml bottle a month, which means that 3.814.507 litres of bleach go down the drain every month in London alone. It is nearly 4 Olympic sized swimming pools (the Olympic size swimming pool is 1 mln litres).

That whopping amount of the chemical goes into the soil, waterways and potentially to our bodies with the water and food products we consume.

While some of the cases do justify using bleach cleaning operating theatre for example or blitz cleaning after squatters and drug-users, the majority of the households could be perfectly well taken care of with eco-friendly products, the variety of which is now available from every reputable supermarket.




Tips and Advice from Award Winning GreenLeaf Cleaning Company in London, which provide Eco Green Cleaning Services for Homes and Offices as Domestic and House Cleaning, One Off Cleaning or Spring Cleaning, Move in, Move out, End of Tenancy Cleaning, Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning, Commercial and Office Cleaning. For more information and advice please visit our website: http://www.greenleaf-cleaning.co.uk/

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