Second-Hand Scents

Forgive me if this is a bit erratic. I'm very dizzy today, and so thoughts don't flow as well when that happens.

Scents - we all like them. Some of us a lot more than others. You know the kind - if a little dab is good, the whole bottle is better. But do you know what makes that scent? And do you know how many things in your home have scents added?

Here's a list of just some products with scents added:
Tissues, Toilet Paper, Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Lotion, Hairspray, Mousse, Gel, Deodorant, Makeup, Aftershave, Cologne, Perfume, Toothpaste, Mouthwash, Floss, Body Powder, diapers, incontinence pads, feminine pads, Window Cleaner, Floor Cleaner, Dish Soap, Dish Washing Detergent, Fabric Detergent, Fabric Softener, Dryer Sheets, Furniture Polish, Silver Polish, Dust Cloths, Cat Litter, Garbage Bags, New Furniture, Air Fresheners, Candles, Bleach, Blue, Ammonia, Car Cleaning Products, Lamp Oil, Pot Pourri, Carpet Cleaner, Snack Foods, Microwave Popcorn, Soft Drinks, Powdered Drinks, Jello, Candy, Chewable Vitamins, Ink.

The Chemicals In Scentology
The fragrance industry uses over 3000 (3 thousand) chemicals to create the scents in the products we buy. Most are petrochemical - also known as volatile organic compounds (banned from paints in NYS). This is actually being studied as part of indoor air pollution. Yes, the fragrances in your clothes and on your body contribute to the poor air in your home and office.

75% of all products with chemical fragrance added have phthalates http://kermitsteam.blogspot.com/2007/12/air-fresheners.html. This about this. You smear these things on your hair, your scalp, your face, and your body. They cling to you from within the fibers of your clothes, transferring to your hands, your face, and your furniture, children and pets. You inhale them as they release from your skin, your clothes and the air fresheners you can't live without. Considering your skin is the largest organ of your body, you have inundated it with these chemicals. Your lungs absorb more chemicals faster than any other organ in your body. Inhale deeply!

All fragrances are untested - the government doesn't see a need to - unregulated - you can't regulate what you don't test - and unlabled - if they aren't tested or regulated, they must be safe, so why lable them as being in the product to begin with?

Many personal care products have one of dozens of artificial musks. Most of these have been linked to hormone disruption. This is bad since these particular chemicals bioaccumulate, meaning they are stored in the fat. This also means if a woman is using perfumes with one of these mictures, it will be transferred to her baby during breast feeding. Hormone disruption is attributed to the feminization of boys and early development of girls Essential oils found in many products, has been linked to hormone disruption in prepubescent boys.

Scent-Free
More and more people are suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Environmental Illness, and Sick Building Syndrome. Take away these chemicals and these people's health improves immediately. Fewer asthma attacks are reported, fewer sick days, sinus infections, allergic responses and more productivity is attributed. For more information, please refer to www.MCS-Global.org

Countries are starting to take the initiative by requiring scent-free locales within buildings - much as smoke-free areas have occurred in this country. Much of the research that has been done regarding the deliterious effects of chemical fragrances has been done in Canada, which is also leading the way in scent-free zones for sensitive people. I'd love to make all elementary schools scent-free, but that's just my soap box issue of the day.

How?
Many products are now unscented. You must pay careful attention since they'll say fragrance free, but not be unscented. Unfortunately, there is a difference and product manufacturers know this.
Use unscented laundry detergent. Rather than fabric softener or dryer sheets, use a 1/4 C of baking soda in the wash. It leaves clothes softer than anything you can buy specifically for that purpose.
Get rid of the candles and air fresheners in your home. If you need, sprinkle baking soda on your carpet weekly and vacuum it up after 20 minutes. It works wonders.
Use unscented soaps. Don't layer scents onto your skin with soap, then lotion, then whatever is in your clothing. Use scant amounts of lotion. You don't need nearly what you think you do.

Once you take some simple measures as above, you'll be far more aware of other scents around you. You may wish to cut more out of your life. Or, you may fall in love with your perfume again. Who knows?

Regardless, why use them? Why subject your body and the bodies of your children to unknown chemicals? And, to work with a popular scare tactic, if China put chemicals that are dangerous to pet and person in knowingly tested products, what are they putting in to products that are completely unregulated? Are you truly willing to risk that?

Is Your Home Causing Breast Cancer?

Robin Kay Levine, the founder and CEO of green cleaning products company Eco-Me, started her business in 2005 when her 35-year-old sister, with no family history, was diagnosed with breast cancer. "How does this happen?" Levine wondered at about the same time she was overwhelmed by fumes her sister's housekeeper left behind. "When you start thinking about it, there are so many chemicals we use until the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep," she says. "But no government agency tracks the chemicals being used in these products. Who's looking out for the consumers?"

Instead of offering premade batches of cleaning supplies, Eco-Me sells kits so people can brew their own at home, with ingredients Levine says our great grandmothers used -- vinegar, baking soda, essential oils. How's her sister now? In remission with a new baby.

Levine is on to something. Experts say that even products that meet government standards aren't completely safe, and can contribute to a variety of ailments, including breast cancer, ADHD, and asthma. Read on to find out if your home is harboring any hidden dangers.

Warning Labels

"Watch warning labels," says Robin Kay Levine, the founder of Eco-Me green cleaning products. No one expects consumers to be experts, however, or to know which funny-sounding chemicals are known carcinogens. Levine advises, "Look for products that give away the ingredients. Stay away from anything with a color in it. Labels that say 'keep windows open' and 'use in a ventilated room' are a dead giveaway."

Foam Containers

Foam containers are made of polystyrene, whose chemical ingredients can seep into food and your morning cup of coffee. Styrene has been blamed for skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, depression, fatigue, decreased kidney function, and central nervous system damage. Xenoestrogens like styrene are suspected hormone disruptors, meaning that they mimic estrogen in the body and disrupt normal hormone functioning. They are found in many common home products, including plastics and cosmetics and could lead to breast and prostate cancer. You asked for a doggie bag -- not a health risk.

Dryer Sheets

The slinky little sheets that keep clothes fresh are chock full of chemicals, including ethanol and chloroform. The ingredient benzyl acetate has been linked to pancreatic cancer and benzyl alcohol is known to cause upper respiratory irritation. When it reacts with ozone, the ingredient limonene can form formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. "We have gotten used to these wonderful lifestyles with 'better living through chemicals,'" says Kathy Loidolt, a consumer health advocate and author of the Shopper's Guide to Health Living. "But our bodies are being overloaded with toxins. We don't need to be scared of everything. We just need to get different habits."

Plastic

Baby bottles (and other refillable hard plastic bottles and plastic flatware) are commonly made from polycarbonate plastics, the most common type on the market. Unfortunately, when washed and heated (say, in the microwave), these plastics give off bisphenol-a, or BPA. BPA is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and has been tied to developmental and neurological problems for unborn children. In animals BPA has contributed to reproductive system abnormalities such as infertility, enlarged prostate, and abnormal chromosomes, as well as obesity and insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Look for BPA-free alternatives when shopping for your next baby shower gift!

Figuring out whether plastic containers are safe can be confusing: polyethylene is safe, polycarbonate isn't; polypropylene is safe, bisphenol-a isn't. After repeated reheating, polycarbonate, a chemical seen in several plastic storage products, can leak BPA, the dangerous hormone disruptor found in some baby bottles. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the chemical in most plastic soda bottles, leeks the hormone-disrupting carcinogens called phthalates after repeated use. Deli plastic like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can also release dioxins.


"Ordinary" Cleaning Products

In addition to containing known harmful ingredients like ammonia, lye, phosphate, and chlorine, the majority of home cleaning products (just about everything under your kitchen sink) contain a vast array of chemicals, including toxic ethylene-based glycol ethers and non-toxic terpenes that become dangerous when they interact with ozone in the air. Experts say the single most important thing to remember about cleaning products is that you need good ventilation when using them.

Second Hand Scents

Dr. Anne Steinemann, a professor of engineering at the University of Washington, has long warned about the effects of "second hand scents" in everything from air fresheners to laundry detergent, spray disinfectants to scented candles. In 2007, she performed a chemical analysis of 30 of the bestselling scented household products and found that they contained known carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals. (The study appeared in 2008 in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review.) The products she studied contained more than two dozen volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which the EPA says can cause nose and throat irritation, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. Together, the products Steinemann tested contained more than 100 different chemicals, none of which were listed on the labels. "The labels look benign," Steinemann says. "But some of these chemicals are classified as toxic under federal laws and can be affecting you even without your knowledge." She recommends making your home fragrant with scents straight from the source, such as mint leaves or cinnamon sticks.

Dye

The color dyes that make soap more fun to use and frosting more fun to eat have been linked to increased hyperactivity in children. "What you put on your skin can go straight through to the bloodstream," says Loidolt, the consumer health advocate. It's the same reason she recommends avoiding perfume and chemical-packed lotions. Countless studies have produced countless opinions on exactly how great an ADHD irritant color dyes are, but there is some consensus that FD&C yellow #5 isn't something we'd prefer to eat -- or bathe in.

Hobbies

Superglue and other super-strength adhesives (you know, the kind that take two trucks to pull apart on TV) induce sensitization, according to Dr. Paul Blanc, a professor of medicine and chair of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and author of How Everyday Products Make People Sick: Toxins at Home and in the Workplace. Exposure can start with allergies and lead to asthma. Other hobby materials can be dangerous, too; people who deal with leaded toys, the chemicals involved in stained glass making and amateur metal refining should be careful. "People think there's a magic wall between occupation exposures and home exposures, but in fact it's a spectrum," Blanc says.

New Home Smell

Between the adhesives, stain protectors, flame retardants, and the chemical behind that mysterious and distinctive "new carpet smell," carpeting combines a lot of potentially unhealthy elements. The dyes and solvents used to produce and install it emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including styrene, xylene, butlylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and 4-Phenylcyclohexane (4-PC). Put together, these chemicals have caused respiratory and nervous system damage, as well as allergies, headaches, and nausea. Let the carpet air out for a few days in a well-ventilated area to reduce the VOCs and everyone will breathe easier.

Particle board, fiberboard, plywood, paneling, and some insulation, popular in homes of the 1970s and budget decorators, can emit formaldehyde, which the EPA calls a probable human carcinogen. Some of these materials contain urea-formaldehyde in the glue, which the EPA says is the highest indoor producer of formaldehyde, the chemical that can result in asthma attacks and other upper respiratory irritation, and burning of the eyes, nose, and throat. It has also been tied to cancer in animals. Unfortunately, these emissions can increase in humid summer months and some people are more vulnerable than others. The trailers the U.S. government provided to Hurricane Katrina survivors were giving off dangerous levels of formaldehyde.

Flame Retardents

Flame retardants used on upholstered furniture, mattresses, and electronic equipment have undoubtedly saved many lives, but there is a trade off. These polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, have caused memory and learning problems in rats and mice, as well as slowing their thyroid function and neurological development. It is not known what effect the chemicals may have on humans, though most people have them in their system.

Your Printer

Laser and ink-jet printers sure make our lives easier, but recent studies show that they also release volatile organic chemical emissions and ozone particulates, which have been linked to heart and lung disease after being inhaled. The jury is still out on whether the exposure levels in the average home are safe.

Hormone Disruption Cologne

"A single fragrance typically contains several hundred chemicals," says Dr. Steinemann, who studied the fragranced home products. Fragrances and other beauty and personal care products often contain the man-made chemicals called phthalates, or plasticizers, molecules absorbed through the skin that have caused birth defects in male genitalia in animals and may cause lowered sperm count in boys and premature breast development in girls. These chemicals have been banned from baby toys, but not your perfume. "Most of our exposure to toxic chemicals comes from the products we choose to use, not chemical waste sites," says Steinemann.

Non-Stick Pans

Nonstick and stain-resistant coatings, used on everything from your favorite omelette pan to your suede sofa, include perfluorinated acids (PFAs). Though their toxicity in human is still unclear, in animals, PFAs cause birth defects, thyroid hormone abnormalities, and liver damage.

Products With All Chemicals Listed

Found on The Grist:
Online petitions rarely do any good, but it's worth it to try. It may get someone's attention.

If you want to know what the ingredients are in your cleaning products, DL the widget or program for your cell phone or even use it on their site:
7th Generation's Cleaning-Products-Ingredients-Guide

Laws don't regulate cleaning products in anyway, so this is of particular interest if you don't use simple things like salt, baking soda, or white vinegar for the majority of your cleaning.
And remember - the largest organ in your body is your SKIN. It can absorb just about anything.

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Did you know the current law regulating toxic chemicals was passed in 1976? And it hasn't changed since, even though 20,000 new chemicals have come onto the market since then.

Go to http://www.notkidsafe.org/ to watch the video, then sign the Declaration to stop pollution newborns.

WATCH THE VIDEO: http://notkidsafe.org/
SIGN THE DECLARATION: http://notkidsafe.org/

People are polluted with hundreds of industrial chemicals. Babies are born pre-polluted with 200 industrial chemicals in their bodies when they enter the world.

We are at a tipping point, where the pollution in people is increasingly associated with a range of serious diseases and conditions from childhood cancer, to autism, ADHD, learning deficits, infertility, and birth defects.

It's time to step up and protect our children. Tell the U.S. President you won't stand for this any longer.

Green Cleaning

This is a composite from a couple of sites: (Updated with new purchasing sites 11/5/08)

From Live Earth

According to http://www.naturalproductsmarket.com/, the average American uses approximately 40 pounds of toxic household cleaning products every year. You’d think things would smell better, wouldn’t you? These products contain loads of super fun ingredients like: neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system depressants, heavy metals and other garbage linked to cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergic reactions and behavioral problems. Yikes! And all these pretty things end up in the air, the water and ultimately our bodies. So let’s take a look at some alternatives that are good for you, the environment and your wallet.

Homemade Cleaning Products You can pretty much make any cleaning product you might need from these three ingredients: lemons, baking soda and vinegar.

Lemons Lemons are acidic and therefore contain anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties, plus they cut grease, dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits and can be mixed with baking soda and vinegar to make a nifty cleaning paste. Lemon juice is also very effective for removing stains from counter-tops and for cleaning copper and brass, especially if you add a little salt to the mix.

Vinegar Vinegar is another extremely effective cleaning agent and disinfectant and can be used as an all-purpose cleaner by combining one part vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle. If you don’t like the smell, you can mellow it by adding lemon juice.

Baking Soda Then there’s baking soda, which appears to be the Universal Cleanser. You can use it in your dishwasher, on your counter tops, on bathroom tile, even in the toilet. You can use it to freshen and unclog drains, as a furniture polish, to clean pots and pans and microwaves and as a deodorizer for the fridge, the garbage, shoes, laundry, the list goes on. And of course, you can brush you teeth with it and make a cake!

A great resource for homemade cleaning recipes can be found compliments of Sarah Aguire at www.housekeeping.about.com. Here’s a few to get you started.

All Purpose Cleaner Make a solution of 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1 gallon of hot water to clean grease and grime as well as eliminate odor.

Unclogging and Freshening Drains
Option #1 Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar. Try heating the vinegar in the microwave before adding it to the drain. Wait 5 minutes before flushing the drain with 2 quarts of hot water. You can repeat this process a few times if it is necessary. If this is the first time you have cleaned your drain in a long time it may be necessary to repeat the baking soda flush a couple of times.
Option #2 Try pouring 1 Cup of baking soda and 1/2 Cup of salt down the drain. Let this mixture sit in the drain for several hours, overnight is best, before flushing the drain with 2 cups of boiling water.

Clean the microwave Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with water in a microwave safe cup. Boil in the microwave for a few minutes. The insides of the microwave will be damp and easy to clean with a paper towel or dishcloth. This has the added benefit of removing odors that may be clinging to your microwave oven.

Non-toxic Ready-Made Cleansers
With the boom of environmental awareness (and babies), consumers are demanding products that safe to be around, effective at getting the job done and friendly to the environment. Needles to say, the number of non-toxic, environmentally friendly products now available has multiplied in leaps and bounds. Some of the best and most readily available are:
- Seventh Generation
- Ecover
- Green Mountain
- Eco-Labels
- Earth 911
- Biokleen
- Holy Cow
- Dr. Bronner Sal Suds
- Safe Choices
- Planet Inc
- Green Guide

Most recently, former not-so-green Clorox and the Sierra Club have partnered to create a new product line called Green Works, which makes a whole line of non-toxic cleaners made from plant based ingredients.

So what’s greener?
Making your own, of course - less impact from shipping and production and fewer plastic bottles. But we understand that people are busy so do what works for you. Buying ready made, eco-smart products are certainly greener than buying toxic, chemicals any day.

From The Grist

A Review of Cleaning Agents

Read the product labels -- if they have strong warnings about the product's hazards, that's a good sign to steer clear. Check out this handy guide [PDF] for more information.

Pure Baking Soda 16 oz. powder, $1.15 Eco-claims: Safe, effective cleaning and deodorizing Ingredients: Sodium bicarbonate (an antacid)
Cleaning instructions: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge or cloth for cleaning of all countertops, appliances, metal cabinets, and tile.
Smell: No scent. At all.
Elbow grease required: elbow injury imminent
Resulting sparkle: a glint
Buy one little box of this stuff and you're set for litterbox odor control, tooth whitening, laundry, household cleaning, minor skin irritations, fridge freshening, and upset stomachs -- not to mention baking, of course! It was a little messy sprinkling the powder onto the damp sponge, and I had to reapply it a number of times, but the baking soda's grit did get some of the grime out. This one required a lot of elbow grease though -- for not as much return as some of the other products.

Biokleen Soyblends Kitchen & Bath Soy Cream Cleaner 32 fl. oz. cream, $4.69
Eco-claims: Natural, nontoxic, biodegradable; no negative effects on rivers, streams, plants, or wildlife; kind to those with chemical sensitivities and allergies; no artificial fragrance, colors, or preservatives; 99 percent VOC free and ozone safe; contains no: phosphate, chlorine, ammonia, petroleum solvents, alcohol, butyl, glycol ether, SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) or SLES (sodium laureth sulfate), EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), DEA (diethanolamine); No SARA Title III, CA 65, or EPA priority pollutants; no materials listed by the ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) as hazardous; no animal testing; no animal ingredients
Ingredients: Soybean oil extract, surfactants from coconut and/or corn, xanthan gum, zeolite, low pH silicate, linear sulfonate, food-grade lime extract, less than 0.2 percent environmentally friendly polymer, natural volcanic perlite, filtered water
Cleaning instructions: Apply with sponge, soft brush, or directly on stain. Rub lightly, letting the microscrubbers do the work. Rinse with damp cloth and water.
Smell: Strong citrus scent
Elbow grease required: a little scrub'll do ya (per instructions on bottle)
Resulting sparkle: let's just call it "less dirty"
This orange creamsicle-esque bottle lists fewer actual ingredients than it does noningredients -- which is great, except that other products containing very simple ingredients out-cleaned it. The bottle said "let the microscrubbers do the work," and I just kept waiting ... but no apparent microscrubbing occurred, even after I did some macroscrubbing of my own. This guy was also the worst on the grout. But hey, it smelled yummy!

Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser 14 oz. powder, $1.29 Eco-claims: No chlorine, perfume, or dye; contains no phosphorus; biodegradable
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate
Cleaning instructions: Wet surface. Sprinkle on Bon Ami. Rub with wet sponge or cloth.
Smell: Slight flour-y scent, though hardly noticeable
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: ooh! shiny
The holes at the top of this cylindrical container are grouped in the center, which made for messy pouring onto the sponge -- meaning I had to clean twice (once on the tile, and once on the floor where I spilled). The upside, though, is that this stuff has barely a scent and barely an ingredient -- so by default, there's no ooky stuff inside. It required some elbow grease, but did a pretty good job cleaning off the muck.

20 Mule Team Borax 4 lbs. 12 oz. powder, $4.49 Eco-claims: Does not contain phosphates or chlorine; safe for septic tanks
Ingredients: sodium tetraborate decahydrate (a chemical compound and mineral)
Cleaning instructions: Sprinkle on damp sponge or cloth and wipe.
Smell: Almost none -- a very slight soapy scent
Elbow grease required: a little scrub'll do ya
Resulting sparkle: blinding bling
Sign me up to be on Team Borax ... aside from the messiness of it being a powder and the big, heavy box, this product was amazing! I tested it because you readers recommended it, and I have to say -- y'all know what you're talking about. Using Borax, I was able to get the shower twice as clean in half the time -- almost no effort for a sparkling clean. I'm a convert! Next up: washing those soiled t-shirts in this stuff.

Ecover 16 fl.oz. cream, $2.69 Eco-claims: Plant-based ingredients, not based on petrochemical ingredients; no chemical residue; optimum level of biodegradability -- far exceeds legislative requirements; safe for all river and marine life; no animal testing; safe for septic tanks; recognized by the United Nations for outstanding practical achievements for the protection and improvement of the environment; Ecover's factory is built using a grass roof for insulation, wood beams from sustainable forest, and bricks made from coal mine waste
Ingredients: Plant-based, nonionic, tension-active surfactants, water, chalk powder, clay, natural gum, glycerine, and 100 percent biodegradable preservative
Cleaning instructions: Apply either directly to surface or onto wet sponge. Clean surface and then rinse off.
Smell: slight soapy scent
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: bright
The not-quite-powder-not-quite-liquid cream consistency was less messy than either alternative, but I did end up using a lot of it. Because there was some grit in the cream, I was able to scrub off more grime than I thought with less work. Overall, this would be a good choice if you didn't want to mess with a powder.

Method Tub + Tile 28 fl. oz. liquid, $5.99 Eco-claims: Nontoxic and biodegradable; naturally derived; never tested on animals
Ingredients: Soap scum dissolver, nonionic surfactant, naturally derived solvents, essential oil fragrance
Cleaning instructions: Spray and wipe.
Smell: strong, lingering spruce-y, lemon scent (container says eucalyptus mint)
Elbow grease required: wipe on, wipe off (per instructions on bottle)
Resulting sparkle: a little scrub'll do ya
Because it's a spray, application on the vertical wall of tile was a bit messy as the liquid followed gravity's call. Per the bottle's instructions, this one didn't require much scrubbing -- but it also didn't do much to dent the deep-set dirt. Furthermore, the smell (while more clean-smelling than some) was a bit overpowering and definitely lingered long after I finished spraying.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Surface Scrub 11 oz. powder, $5.99 Eco-claims: Chlorine and phosphate free; cruelty-free and not tested on animals
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate, oxygen bleach (natural cleaning activator), plant-derived surfactants, fragrance, and essential oils of geranium, rose, and clove
Cleaning instructions: Wet surface, sprinkle on powder and scrub; if facing a difficult stain, sprinkle powder on wet surface, lightly scrub, and let sit for a few minutes before final scrub.
Smell: strong flowery scent (container says geranium)
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: ooh! shiny
I really liked the clever packaging on this one -- that is, until I tried to use it. Built like a powdered Parmesan cheese container, the lid required some swiveling and poking. I'm not sure if it's meant to be child-proof or just dummy-proof, but either way, I failed. It wasn't until my lovely assistant suggested I poke the top with a pen that I was able to get it open. And even then, the powder lingered on the cap after I poured it onto my sponge -- much like powdered Parm. For the amount of scrubbing (not much), there was good return sparkle-wise, but the scent -- pretty as a perfume, but overpowering for the bathroom -- was too much for me.

Seventh Generation Natural Tub & Tile Cleaner 32 fl. oz liquid, $4.69 Eco-claims: Nontoxic, biodegradable, no fumes; free of chlorine, petroleum based solvents, glycol ethers, phosphates, strong acids, caustics, and dyes; not tested on animals, no animal ingredients
Ingredients: Natural lactic acid (to remove soap scum and lime scale), coconut surfactants (for soil removal), whole and natural plant essences (a blend of emerald cypress, balsam fir, and lime essential oils), water
Cleaning instructions: Spray the area and wipe clean; for heavy soils, spray and allow to sit for one minute, scrub or wipe clean.
Smell: strong piney, lemony scent (container says emerald cypress & fir)
Elbow grease required: wipe-on, wipe-off
Resulting sparkle: let's just call it "less dirty"
It was nice to spray on this cleaner and leave it for a few minutes (though it dripped down the tile walls), then come back and have the grime in the grout wipe clean without much effort. This might also work in a shower stall that starts out fairly clean. But for this grimy floor, it couldn't do the trick -- no matter how much I scrubbed