Our #1 goal at Eclectic Domestics is to leave our client's homes, "Clean and Serene". Staring this fall, we will be leaving them Clean, Serene AND Green.

This summer, we have already begun taking steps to a greener-cleaner system, that will not only leave client's homes sparkling clean, but also less toxic and more safe for our staff, our clients, children and pets. 

The challenge for us was to use safer products without sacrificing our service quality, so hours of research and field-testing has been done in order to narrow down our core products.

Our first step was to brainstorm ideas and feedback among our clients, crews and team leaders. Then we set our goal to be "green" by the end of this year. We began to research and identify each ingredient in the products we were already using. We compared products with the help of resources such as the EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning , networked with a variety of Green Cleaning companies via social networks, and local business groups. 

Next, we identified the changes that would have the most initial impact-and that were financially sensible to the company budget. For example, we were able to eliminate the use of glass cleaner (ammonia) completely by purchasing reusable microfiber glass cloths & trowels, that our staff and our clients love. In this case we improved the quality of service and eliminated one toxic chemical from our list. In addition, the staff's caddies are now that much lighter, placing less strain on the body.

Next, we found a citrus/hydroxy cleaner that is biodegradable and safe for pets & humans. It is a virucide and a de-greaser, and can be used in residential as well as commercial settings. This works on any surface, (except wood floors)  including soap scum, so we were able to eliminate bathroom cleaner. One less bottle and a dozen less toxins!

We replaced our toilet bowl cleaner with Sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate - (Oxy-Clean) and powder cleanser with Bon Ami . We are now looking into safer, nautral pH wood floor cleaners. 

We are on a roll-and right on track to reach our goal to be 100% green by 2018!

For more Green Cleaning Resources:

http://www.ijcsa.org/Green-Cleaning-Services