Question from ellen f
Can anyone suggest a non-toxic cleaner that would satisfy the antiseptic requirements for use in an “industrial” setting?
My husband goes to a health club where they use something so strong and nasty-smelling to clean the weight machines, it’s gotten to the point where when he comes home I can’t be around him even if he changes his clothes.
Emphasizing that the products pose a threat to everyone at the club, I finally got him to talk to someone there about it, and amazingly, the manager was concerned and told my husband that he would try to find something less toxic. He would like to know what I might recommend.
The replacement product has to be a germicide and must not degrade the vinyl on the machine seats.
Debra’s Answer
Hmmm…well here are some suggestions. I haven’t used these products so I can’t vouch for them. They probably want a commercial product and won’t go for something like an essential oil that has disinfectant properties.
One commercial product that says it is a nontoxic disinfectant is Shaklee’s Basic G, which you can get from a local Shaklee distributor. I’ve linked to this particular distributor not because I know her (I don’t) but because she wrote a very informative blog post about the product. It kills 99% of bacteria and lasts 3 days after application.
The other lead I have is from a children’s play center called Leaping Lizards. They say they use a non-toxic, 7 day germicide that keeps all of their inflatables and play areas clean and smelling fresh.
I couldn’t get them on the phone, so I don’t know what the product is, but since they are using it in a public space your manager might go for it.
Those were the best leads I could come up with for a public space.
Readers, any other suggestions?
Debra, I came across this product and would like to know if you believe it is a safe product.
http://www.puregreen24.com/
And if it is safe, perhaps it will be useful to anyone else reading this thread.
The active ingredients are silver and citric acid. Those are fine for a disinfectant. They don’t say what the other 95% is, so I can’t evaluate this. I suggest calling them and finding out the rest of the ingredients. Report back and I will check them out. It could simply be water, but it could also be fragrance.
Hi Debra, I did contact them as you suggested and they promptly confirmed that the other 95% is water. They directed me to section 2 of their MSDS. Apparently I overlooked that line on the MSDS that indicates >95% water. So it seems like something that would be safe for occasional use, right? I’m thinking along the lines of using when traveling, etc. Not for daily use, of course. And I looked at their FAQ which indicates there is no fragrance, which is great.
Sounds fine to me.
Seventh Generation’s line of disinfectants may work. As effective as any EPA-registered disinfectant. http://shop.seventhgeneration.com/disinfectants/
Try cleaning products from either Tropical Traditions or Thieves cleaning products from Young Living Essential Oils. Thieves products smell heavenly.
What about the Decon 30 Disinfectant from Benefect? I know of a cleaning company (maid service) that uses the Benefect products. And it looks to be very effective, based on the info on their site. My only question would be whether the botanical/thyme smell is very strong. (But it would, as far as I’m aware, be a non-toxic botanical scent.) They have a video on their site which I don’t have time to watch right now, but it looks like something worth watching. They appear to be aware of all the right things, so it might be an option to look into. Do you have any experience with this brand, Debra? Ellen, it might be worth contacting the company to ask whether they know if it’s been used in gym settings, if they can describe the level of scent and let you know if others with chemical sensitivities have used it successfully, etc.
I don’t have any experience with this brand, but you’re right, the botanical scent would not be toxic.