Question from Reenie
Hi! I have a green cleaning business and besides cleaning I’ve been giving workshops and educating customers on green cleaning and more lately about healthy homes.
I’ve had to request of my customers that plastic shower curtains made with PVC be replaced with a shower curtain made of healthy fabric. I’ve got recent concerns over those ubiquitous plastic mats. I’m about to inform a customer about plastic and it’s impact on our health and the environment. Although she does all green cleaning, the tubs and showers in her house have this odd, “tacky” feel from the plastic’s interaction with hot water and ceramic tile has some sort of film on it. It doesn’t feel healthy for me to clean in these areas.
Are there any eco friendly bathtub and shower stall mats that aren’t made with plastic?
I’ll have to draw up specific green guidelines for customers that include “no plastic bathmats or shower curtains.” It seems out of my realm, as a green cleaner, dictating about curatins and mats, and yet as a housekeeper (who lives very green myself) I am exposing myself to phthalates in plastics not to mention other nasties in conventional shampoos that leave their residues in the tub and showers. I see that some customers have conventional antidandruff shampoo that probably has some nasties in it as well! I don’t like getting so picky but feel I must for my sake as well as the customers. It’s really not easy earning a green cleaning living at this stage of the evolution. I may lose some folks as my guidelines become more specific but hopefully will gain more and more green customers.
Any comments or suggestions (and sourcoes for green tub and shower mats) are very much appreciated!
Reenie
Debra’s Answer
At the moment I don’t have time to research this, but am posting so you can get thoughts from others.
Here are my initial thoughts.
1. I don’t use a shower mat in my shower, so eliminating it may be a possibility. I know they are there for safety reasons, but I haven’t used one in more than 20 years and neither my husband or I have slipped and fallen.
2. There may be mats made of natural rubber, but a search would need to be done to find them.
3. Yes, many of these mats are made from toxic vinyl.
4. Maybe we could all “think outside the box” for a better way to make a tub less slippery without using plastic.
