REDWOOD NEEDLES

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The REDWOOD NEEDLES

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A Sorted Affair
Committment to Cleaning Naturally

By Jane Bogner, Solano Group

On a rainy Saturday in January, a couple dozen people gathered at Building 505 on Mare Island to clean it up for the fourth annual Flyway Festival. Each year the job gets a little easier but a year’s worth of dirt and peeling paint in an unused building is noticeable.

Big jugs of industrial cleaners and paper towels were purchased, but not much of it used. Most volunteers brought their own cloth rags and less toxic cleaners. The window washer had his bucket of water with vinegar and a trusty squeegee. Volunteers wearing masks and rubber gloves did use bleach to clean more sensitive areas but most of the cleaning was accomplished with regular detergents in water aided by lots of elbow grease.

In the January issue of The Green Guide there was an article entitled "Eco-Safety for Teens at Work." Eighty percent of all high school students will have held a job before graduation. Half of these working youth do some cleaning on the job and they use industrial-strength cleaners which contain chemicals and acids.

Most of the teens aren't aware that protective equipment (gloves, goggles, face masks) is needed to use these products. One teen working as a hospital aide in Massachusetts splashed cleaning solution into her eye while washing pans which resulted in temporary blindness.

Restaurants, grocery stores and nursing homes all use toxic solvents to keep their businesses clean and free of bacteria. Other businesses also use products with serious warning labels. There are paints and glue used on construction sites and in auto body shops. Printers' ink, even soy-based ink, contains VOCs (Volatile organic compounds). The glue, nail polish and acetone (polish remover) used in nail salons can easily make one gag. Lawn Care companies and farmers use toxic pesticides and herbicides. And don’t forget those drive-through windows, loading docks and gas stations which are filled with vehicle exhaust.

Mindy Pennybacker, editor of the Green Guide, states that "Scientists are becoming concerned that chemical exposures during adolescence might contribute to cancers or reproductive disorders later in life. Adolescent immune systems may be more vulnerable, too." If your child is fatigued, has headaches or dizziness, it may be job related. What can a parent do? Ask your children about the tasks they do, what cleaners are used, and if properly fitting protective equipment is available.

For more information on this report visit Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet at www.mothers.org, call 888 ECO-INFO, E-mail to greenguide@mothers.org, or write to 40 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011.

Have you ever been chased out of your bathroom by an overwhelming cleaner? Most of these fumy concoctions can be avoided by using common kitchen products.

I recently scoured our bathtub with fresh lemon juice and baking soda. I have to thank Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE's manager for the book "Baking Soda Bonanza" by Peter A. Ciullo that reminded me just how easy it is to clean with baking soda. This book has solutions for greasy stains on auto carpeting, fishy cutting boards, garlicky hands, annoying roaches and even blowing up balloons.

Other favorite books for less-toxic cleaning are "The Vinegar Book" by Emily Thacker and "Clean & Green" by Annie Berthold-Bond.

Jane Bogner is President of the Board of Directors of a grass-roots recycling center (VALCORE Recycling) in Vallejo. "A Sorted Affair" appears bi-weekly in the "Vallejo Times-Herald". E-mail questions about recycling, reducing waste, and composting to jabogner@juno.com or call 707-644-9183.

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