A Safer Choice for Spring Cleaning
by Mindee Osno
In my house, once winter is over, it’s spring cleaning time. I’m not alone, nearly three-quarters of American families are planning some sort of spring cleaning. This spring, I’m going to look for cleaning products that carry EPA’s Safer Choice label.
“What is the Safer Choice label?” you may ask.
EPA spent over a year collecting ideas and discussing options with partners and consumers to create a label that makes it easier to find cleaning products which meet EPA’ requirements for protecting human health and the environment. Today, almost 500 partner companies and more than 2,000 products currently qualify to carry the Safer Choice label.
The Safer Choice label gives consumers assurance that EPA scientists have evaluated every ingredient in products that carry the label to ensure they meets Safer Choice’s stringent criteria, and helps choose less toxic products – including all-purpose cleaners, kitchen and bath cleansers, carpet and fabric shampoos, laundry detergents, car and boat care products, and deck and siding washes – that are safer for our families, our workplaces, and our waterways too!
In addition to safer ingredients, EPA’s Safer Choice standard also includes requirements for performance, packaging, pH, and limiting volatile organic compounds or VOCs.
To learn more about Safer Choice, visit EPA’s website. There, you’ll find a list of Safer Choice products, and answers to frequently asked questions. Happy spring cleaning!
About the author: Mindee Osno has worked for EPA Region 3 in Philadelphia since 1991. She has been working on Pollution Prevention and Sustainability efforts in the Land and Chemicals Division since 2008. Prior to that, Mindee was the regional ENERGY STAR Program Manager for over 10 years.
A Safer Choice for Spring Cleaning
Source: EPA Pesticides recalls news