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For Nicole Dyk of Jupiter, less is more when it comes to household cleaning products. Not that her house is dirtier than any other in town—far from it. Dyk just prefers to use fewer of the dyes, harsh chemicals and pungent fragrances she describes as “awful” that are the staple ingredients of most cleaners.

So when she shops, she seeks the products that are eco-conscious. “I don’t have a particular list of favorites…” she notes. “The fewer synthetic chemicals the better, especially when it comes to fragrances.” Dyk’s uncomplicated approach to cleaning comes from a concern for her health as well as the environment. She’s a cancer survivor, and says that 25 years ago, after her diagnosis, she departed from mainstream medicine. She has since widened her view about natural products to include those she uses in everyday life.
“I clean as much as possible with water alone, and use a water softener for my whole house,” she says, “which means the products I do use go farther. I like clean, but I’m not hung up on antibacterial products for every little thing. The microbes are always around, and I strongly believe the best defense is a strong immune system.”

According to Emily Main, senior editor of National Geographic Society’s Green Guide, the best defense for the environment and for health is to use the natural cleaners that are already in your home—products like baking soda, white distilled vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil.

“White vinegar is a miracle,” she says. “Using products like these is the greenest alternative, and also the cheapest. Baking soda is nonabrasive; lemon juice is a spot remover and disinfectant.” In her own home, Main uses a combination of items she purchases, and those she makes. She keeps vinegar in a spray bottle, and adds a little tea tree oil (available at vitamin and natural foods stores) to curb the pungent smell and also as a natural germ killer. She swears by Bon Ami for cleaning the shower and tub, and a little white vinegar diluted in a bucket of water for the floors. In the kitchen, Main says she uses white vinegar to clean the counters. “I have a small kitchen, and I use the counter for a lot of things,” she says. “I like to know that if I’m laying lettuce directly on the counter, it’s not picking up the residue of harmful cleaning agents.”

Dale Kemery, spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency, says that while some homemade cleaning recipes work, they might not perform as well as those that are commercially sold. That’s because the mix of ingredients is what makes them effective. “If baking soda’s cleaning power alone were acceptable, then we’d probably see more commercial cleaning products formulated with simple, one-ingredient recipes,” he says. Kemery also cautions that if items like baking soda and vinegar are mixed in improper proportions, they could be ineffective. So for those who are not inclined to make a batch of their own cleaners, how do shoppers navigate store shelves full of products claiming to be green? Not all of those claims are true, Main says, and consumers have to be diligent about reading the list of ingredients. At the Green Guide, she says, “We have set the standard that if a company doesn’t tell us what is in the product, we won’t consider it green. Those who are willing to tell you aren’t afraid to say what’s in their product.”

Kemery says the EPA recognizes safer products by allowing them to carry the Design for the environment (DfE) label. The label means the EPA has scientifically screened the ingredients and determined they are safe for human health and for the environment, based on currently available information. The DfE label is on more than 800 products, Kemery says, with retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot adopting the standard for products. “In 2008, the use of ‘chemicals of concern’ was reduced by 237 million pounds, up from 188 million pounds in 2007,“ he adds. Harmful cleaning agents for the environment and for your health include chlorine, bleach and ammonia. Used in combination, items like bleach mixed with ammonia will form toxic gases. Main also cautions against products containing surfactants, which are wetting agents that help other ingredients in the product penetrate dirt and grime.

Petroleum-derived products—many fragrances are composed of elements from petroleum, for example—are contained in a variety of items we use every day, not just those we use to clean. Main says ingredients made from petroleum disrupt aquatic reproductive cycles when they leak into our water. But it’s not always simple to determine which cleaners in themselves are unsafe, because they each contain a different mix of ingredients, making it difficult to track the ones that do specific harm to the water supply. And to complicate the matter, many products don’t have to disclose all of their ingredients under the protection of trade secrets. Aside from reading labels and researching which companies are truly making products that can claim to be environmentally friendly, consumers can use their collective purchasing power to force companies to go green. Clorox, with its Green Works line, and Colgate-Palmolive have marketed green products that Main says are “pretty good.” When consumers push for laws regulating environmental and health protection, and pressure companies to manufacture better products, it usually results in action, according to Main. “We’ve found that the health side is usually what drives the change, for parents especially,” says Main. “Ammonia is a very serious asthma trigger and chlorine bleach can be extremely hard on the airways.” The future looks green for household products, Main says, if consumers remain diligent and aware. Many are skeptical of the plethora of products claiming to be green that are usually more expensive, she says, but some manufacturers have responded with better solutions to their old standbys.

Make Your Own Cleaners

Here are a few recipes for natural, inexpensive household cleaners from the Green Guide.

IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM: 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide per load instead of bleach

TILE FLOORS AND LINOLEUM: 1 cup white vinegar in two gallons of hot water. No need to rinse.

FURNITURE POLISH: 1/2 cup of white vinegar mixed with 1 teaspoon olive oil

TUB AND TILE: Juice from 1/2 lemon and Borax TOILET BOWL: Baking soda and white vinegar. Let sit and then scrub.