Come on, folks: Can’t we try to see the glass as half full for a moment?
Clorox last month launched a line of environmentally friendly cleaning products under the name Green Works.
The “natural” product line — cleaners for glass, the bathroom and for toilets, as well as an all-purpose cleaner and a dilutable liquid for heavy-duty jobs — is made from biodegradable plant- and mineral- based ingredients, including coconut, lemon and corn byproducts.
With all that good stuff in it, Green Works products smell, well, clean, without a hint of those burn-your-nose chemicals. (Clorox says the line is 99 percent “natural,” with the remaining 1 percent being coloring and preservatives.)
The price (about $3.49 to $4.49) is comparable to those of other environmentally friendly cleaning products — all of which are a bit higher than traditional cleaners. And because stores including Safeway and Wal-Mart stock it, it’s not difficult to find.
Even the Sierra Club endorses Green Works. (That’s a big deal: It’s the first time in its history that the group has endorsed any product.)
So what’s the problem?
According to some whiners on , plenty:
• Clorox still conducts animal testing on its traditional product line.
• Clorox will not reveal all the active ingredients in said traditional product line (but does for Green Works).
• These “natural” products don’t disinfect.
• They contain corn-based ethanol, which is bad because of pesticides and other negative agricultural implications.
• Green Works comes in nonbiodegradable plastic bottles.
• Using coconut byproducts can contribute to the decline of the rain forest.
It’s always something.
Now, I don’t mean to belittle anyone’s concerns about our planet. Really, I don’t. But shouldn’t the fact that Clorox has finally joined the green game and is actually trying to do right by the environment worth something?
Sure, Clorox might be jumping on the green bandwagon just to increase its profit margin. Animal testing is terrible, certainly, and should not occur. Plastic bottles are, indeed, contributing to a global trash pile we can’t get rid of. The rain forest is vital, and we must fight to protect it.
On all that, we agree. But here’s something to consider: Green Works works. We found the glass cleaner’s sudsy spray worked better than what we’d been using (Glass Plus). It easily wiped sticky hairspray gunk off the bathroom mirror and didn’t leave any streaks. The toilet cleaner did the job quickly, as did the all-purpose product, which cleaned off toothpaste and soap splotches from the sink.
On a tiled shower, soap scum didn’t stand a chance. But not even the heavy-duty Green Works could do much to eliminate mold and mildew. And on that greasy kitchen lamp, all hope was lost. But nothing short of a blowtorch will take care of that.
In short, Clorox’s Green Works isn’t the perfect solution, but it’s a step. So come on, people. Quit griping.
Barbara Ellis can be reached at 303-954-1751 or bellis@denver . For more information on Green Works, go to green . or tree .
