One of the big success stories of the environmental scene is the uptake of green cleaning products. According to this article on SFGate, Clorox’s Green Works will likely generate sales of well over $40 million this year. The great news is that it’s not taking business away from other green cleaning product companies, but actually luring “mainstream” customers away from synthetic chemical cleaners.

Clorox Greenworks products are said to be made up of 99 % natural ingredients with the remaining 1% being substances such as sodium lauryl sulfate and lauramine oxide.

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a very common substance in cleaning fluids and shampoos. It can be a skin irritant and tests on animals indicate itmay cause mutagenic effects. Regardless, Clorox’s efforts are still a huge improvement on “non-green” cleaners and the company is striving for 100% natural ingredients.

Consumers should always be wary when purchasing cleaners that tout to be environmentally friendly as there’s a whole lot of greenwashing going on. At least Clorox Greenworks products list all the ingredients on their labels. Any  “green” cleaner that doesn’t should be treated with a great deal of suspicion.

If you’re after a really green cleaning fluid alternative, check out this all purpose green cleaner you can make at home, made up of just a few ingredients you may already have – it’s incredibly cheap and easy to make.

Additionally, there’s many simple substances found in most homes that make great cleaners and cost far less than their commercial countparts; you’ll save a ton of cash! Check out my articles on baking soda, vinegar, borax, hydrogen peroxide, lemons, castile soap and a ton of others tips and ideas in my green cleaning section.