Tuesday October 7th, 2008
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Clean, Green & Ritzy
Posted by Su Avasthi on April 23, 2007 - 5:36am.
Eco-friendly cleaning products are moving up to those deluxe apartments in the sky.
I got a kick out a feature article in the New York Times about how some Park Avenue socialites are having upscale Tupperware-like parties to introduce their friends to green cleaning products.
Ladies who lunch -- the guest list included names like Rockefeller and Trump -- recently got together to talk about the merits of non-toxic detergent and reasons to switch to biodegradable countertop wipes.
Chances are that most of these women haven't ever touched a cleaning product. (Scrubbing a bathtub can be hard on manicures, after all.) But at least their housekeepers are now likely to stock their cleaning buckets with eco-sensitive products.
Considering that members of this crowd have several houses (and private jets to get them there), you may have questions about what they're really doing to reduce their massive carbon footprints. But their laundry room -- make that laundry rooms -- are now likely to be contain products that are safer for the environment. And we all have to start somewhere, right?
I doubt that green cleaning products will ever attain the objects-of-desire status as the next must-have handbag or ultra-exclusive jeans label. But it is does mean that non-toxic cleaners just got a certain upmarket cachet.
After reading the article, I admit that I was looking for a silver lining to come from raising the consciousness of those born with silver spoons. What I came up with this: Non-toxic cleaners -- and green lifestyles -- just got a seal-of-approval from high-soceity matrons. If a green lifestyle is coveted by Park Avenue sophisticates, it stands to reason that they'll spread the word to their friends as well as fashion & lifestyle editors at major magazines. Ultimately, the ethos will trickle down to your average housewife (whoever that is, anymore).
Even if that average housewife isn't terribly influenced by the cleaning habits of the rich and famous, I'm willing to bet that Wall Street will certainly see a potential market to tap into. And, if she hasn't already made the switch, it's only a matter of time before Martha Stewart starts touting the reasons to upgrade to eco-friendly cleaning products.
In fact, I'm embarrased to admit that my own laundry cabinets are stocked mostly with the mass-marketed toxic stuff that I've used all my life. Now that it's the thing to do, maybe I ought to replace my detergents and countertop spray with eco-friendly alternatives.
After all, I want my laundry cupboards to be classy too.
Topics:
- Cleaning
- business
- cleaning products
- eco-friendly home cleaners
- green homes
- non-toxic
- non-toxic cleaners
- non-toxic detergent
Green cleaning is not just for the rich and famous! Although as a business owner who sells green cleaning/personal care products, I would certainly love to be able to include those ladies on my customer list! But, more importantly, going green takes effort and must be done in small steps to prevent becoming overwhelmed (and depletion of your income!). Please visit our enviro blog (address below) for tips on green cleaning and environmental issues that are relevant for all, regardless of their income status. THANK YOU for being a green cleaning advocate!
Debbie A. Roberts, Owner Mama's Lap, Inc. Nature's Best Cleaners - Safe for Planet Earth http://www.MamaBeMe.com see our enviro blog at: http://cafeverde.blogtoolkit.com
For those of us who want to make the world a better place in by how we spend our money on household help in cleaning, LaborFair.com (like Kiva) provides a person-to-person (P2P) approach, a jobs matching community. If you can afford to hire someone to help you clean your home, then you can find reputable help faster at LF, then directly contact that person by email or moble phone.
Because LaborFair.com provides worker profiles, photos, references and reviews, ready-to-hire consumers can find the right, reliable person they need faster than on other sites, such as Craig’s List. Further, once they find a likely candidate to hire, consumers can click to contact someone directly by email or mobile phone.
But it gets better.
Good workers can get more jobs and build their reputation through the online reviews they receive from people like you. They can stop papering neighborhoods with promo flyers or going through agencies that take a chunk of their pay.
Thus, with LaborFair, those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder can work their way up to a better way of life.
In collaboration with worker centers, collectives, and worker coops, microfinance institutions and faith-based organizations LaborFair.com is creating a growing network of community organizations to provide people with more training, then listed on the site.
Think of LaborFair as an eBay for household services with fair trade built into the business.
See LaborFair as a triple “do good” business – good alternative for ready-to-hire consumers, good for quality workers and good for keeping a local economy thriving.
Hire a worker and change a life
Say it Better
I pass by the Myers products in Whole Foods all the time and then walk pass them again. I always mean to buy them and give them a try, but as usual I am always running low on cash and their is food to be bought.
So next time I am vowing to you that I will give them a try. As I was cleaning my toiletbowl last week, I did think about starting a cleaning service that is green. If I am concerned, other moms must be too. I'll think about that further next time when I'm on my hands and knees.
I can relate to your msg. Just wanted to let you know that I finally started buying green cleaning products and- Wow! For example, the dishwasher tablets I bought do a MUCH BETTER job than the name brand gel packs I used to buy- and the green costs a bit less.
Try "ecover" dishwashing tablets. I purchased them at Wholefoods.
http://www.ecover.com/gb/en/Products/Dishes/20050711+vaatwastabs+UK.htm
Anyway... love 'em! I couldn't believe how much better they clean.