As I note in a Sunday article about the new, low-phosphate
dishwasher detergents, consumers are not always thrilled about
the performance of environmentally friendly cleaning products.
But such products have been gaining acceptance, mainly because
of health concerns. Many states and local governments have
passed laws requiring the use of these products in schools and
other government institutions. Labor unions representing
janitors and housekeeping staff have meanwhile begun to push for
language in their contracts to also require less toxic products.
Some consumer and environmental organizations even argue that
many cleaning products marketed as environmentally beneficial
are not green enough. One group, Women’s Voices for the Earth,
advocates the use of homemade products because most
manufacturers still use potentially harmful ingredients like
dyes, fragrances and preservatives — their formulas undisclosed,
as trade secrets — in products certified by third-party green
labels. “There’s still toxic chemicals i