We were thrilled when we watched the Today show this morning and saw a segment entitled “Green Your Routine,” which brought attention to green cleaning products.

Do you know what goes into the cleaners we all use in our homes today? If you’re trying to go green, it’s not as simple as merely looking at the back of the bottle. There are about 9,000 cleaning products on the market that have not been fully tested for safety. This doesn’t mean that they’re all unsafe, however not knowing what chemicals are in products can be dangerous as they aren’t required to list ingredients. You can’t know what you’re using.

Companies are shockingly allowed to use summary terms for chemicals such as “fragrance” or “preservatives.”  What we need is national regulation so that companies must disclose every ingredient in a product.

How do we consumers navigate such a sneaky marketplace? Today reports that many people have gone retro, mixing natural products like water and vinegar to create a product that effectively cleans without using toxins. For example, did you know that you don’t need to pour that crazy blue gunk in your toilet? Simply pour vinegar directly into the toilet bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Next, sprinkle baking soda onto toilet brush and scour. To keep the bowl fresh, pour one cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl once a month and let it stand overnight.

Also, products that have the Green Seal certification are ones that have been approved by the program. Green Seal has really good standards behind it so that consumers don’t have to figure it out themselves. Also, check out Pink Solution. It’s a cleaning solution that is biodegradable, natural and non-toxic. We at Sustainability Ninja have actually tried the stuff - and it works!

Green cleaning products create a toxic-free environment for families as well as for the planet. Big kudoes to Today for bringing national attention to green cleaning products!

Are you buying green? If so, then you’re among the 82% of consumers who are also opting for eco-friendly products. Even with the economy tanking, a new study  by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, shows that people are spending the extra cash to have a product that’s better for the environment.

“This research suggests that consumers are buying green products second only to participating in recycling,” said Arthur Weissman, Ph.D., Green Seal’s President and CEO. “This increased consumer demand sends a signal to manufacturers to produce products that are truly green.”

Hopefully this study will prompt companies into making their products more eco-friendly. It’s what the people want - and often, they are unsure whether they are getting it. The study also revealed that about one in three consumers say they don’t know how to tell if green product claims are true.