Green business — the drive to make Canada’s businesses more environmentally friendly — is really taking off in British Columbia. Now it’s time to turn that same level of attention to Squamish residential homes. Cleaning a home has long been a contest between toxic chemicals and the grime and bacteria they’re supposed to kill. But today’s professional cleaners have a lot to teach homeowners about green cleaning.

What’s the difference between cleaning your home in the new green style and doing it like your grandmother did? It start with your health. The old bleach, ammonia, and the volatile organic compounds that used to be the norm aren’t healthy to have in your system — even in tiny amounts. They can, over the years, build up in your system and cause fatigue, dampen your immune system, and damage your DNA (which can potentially cause cancer.)

Then there’s the long-term effects on the environment. Every home that dumps bleach and other toxins into their grey water has to know that eventually those chemicals make it into our water supply. Plants, animals, and humans get sick when they consume the tainted water. In particular, fish, whose bodies basically suck contaminants out of the water and store them in their muscle fibers, are profoundly affected by our cleaning waste.

Finally, there’s the economic impact. The sickness caused by the old-style household cleaners increases health care costs. The environmental cleanup that the old-style cleansers necessitates are paid for largely by your tax dollars. Furthermore, many of the volatile organic cleaners actually cost more to purchase than their green counterparts (government subsidies of green cleaning products helps.) It’s a lose-lose situation: you pay more at the counter, and you pay more invisibly in the long run.

Those homes that don’t already employ an eco-friendly Squamish cleaning service would do well to look at how those companies are cleaning these days. Switch to organic cleaners — conscientious home owners can do amazing things with baking soda and lemon juice in a pinch — and be confident that you’re doing the right thing for your family, your neighborhood, and your economy.

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