Corinne DeCost

While I’ve gone on and on about how I’m working towards a more eco-friendly consumer profile, and have swapped out my cosmetics for cruelty-free products, one area of my house remains the same…

My cleaning closet.

I know these changes are a process, which is why I’ll never critique anyone for where they are in theirs. Little changes can help too – removing one meat & dairy based meal per week, being more cautious of recycling habits, using up your cruelty-friendly (?) products – only purchasing cruelty-free products when you need to restock, and swapping out harmful chemicals and excess packaging for something with a smaller carbon footprint.

Nothing NEEDS to happen overnight. We were born into a time where less information was available. We were fed meat-based diets as kids, we didn’t know about global warming, we envied our mom’s Olay creams and Maybelline lipsticks at her vanity, and we were familiarized with popular brands through consumer marketing and pretty packaging.

I’ve been making changes as I go. I can’t drop everything I’ve known all at once – while it would be ideal, it’s not realistic. I started with beauty products because that was what I knew, and that was a market I knew how to research.

I don’t know how to start in the cleaning world.

I’m so used to the ease of a Clorox Wipe, the grit destroyer of the Magic Eraser, my Clorox refillable toilet wand. These things create unnecessary waste (you need a new one nearly each use), and who knows what is in them. The packaging is familiar. I know how the product works.

But that’s no excuse! I want to be better.

I just have no knowledge of the cruelty-free cleaning market.

So – on to the product of the day.

It kind of reminds me of that horrid green and purple Heinz ketchup. Why does it need to come out colored? Because that makes it “fun”? Are we that bored that we need to be entertained by our ketchup and cleaning products?

Well, it is fun. I admit it. It was fun spray painting my bathroom blue with no security deposit sacrifices. The product works. The foamy quality reminded me of when I was a kid and foam soap was first introduced and oh man was I excited by that.

It works, but there’s no way these chemicals are totes fine to go down my shower drain. I don’t know the harm caused in the process of creating the formula. I don’t know the environmental impact of the packaging. I don’t know the worker conditions in the factories. These sorts of things don’t appear in the ads on the label…so as a blogger, I don’t totally feel comfortable recommending these products.

I’ll use this for as long as it lasts, but I still advocate for being a mindful consumer. Make a life for yourself that you are proud to live.

And PLEASE, send me your favorite cruelty-free and eco-friendly cleaning products!