Terms such as “certified organic” or “ecologically consistent”, as well as some manufacturer names, convey the naturalness of many organic cleaning products. But which organic cleaning products are particularly environmentally friendly? And what should you pay attention to when buying?
By loading the video, you accept YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
What is in the cleaning products?
Five different organic cleaning products were tested in the sample. Marcus Gast from the Federal Environment Agency explains that so-called surfactants were found in all cleaning agents. These are used for cleaning in many cleaning products and are also biodegradable. Therefore, this substance is not harmful. According to experts, fragrances, alcohols and preservatives are more problematic.
Problematic ingredients in household cleaning products
Fragrances and alcohol in cleaning products can pollute indoor air. Fragrances can also trigger allergies. Sewage treatment plants cannot always filter out fragrances, which means that they end up in bodies of water. Citrus and orange peel oils are also a warning signal for the expert. This is the ingredient “limonene”, which is one of the so-called terpenes and is considered to be difficult to degrade, can be toxic to aquatic organisms and is said to potentially cause allergies. Natural does not mean harmless at the same time.
Where can content lists be found?
Not all ingredients are always visible on the product label. If you want to know more, you can search on the manufacturer's website. According to the expert, however, this is very complicated and consumer-unfriendly.
Which seals should you pay attention to?
When selecting cleaning products, reliable seals can help you find products with positive environmental properties. The “Blue Angel” bans many allergenic substances in the products and labels products as better tolerated by health. At the same time, the products awarded the Blue Angel do not pollute wastewater too much and clean just as well as conventional products. This is verified through tests. Similar strict criteria apply to the EU Ecolabel. But the most important thing is: When it comes to cleaning products, you shouldn't blindly rely on organic and eco-friendly promises. So it's better to take a closer look so that it is really ecologically clean after cleaning.
Conclusion
When it comes to organic cleaning products, you have to look closely. Critical ingredients include fragrances, alcohols and preservatives. Reliable seals help to keep track and find products with actually positive environmental properties.
You might also be interested in: The Climate Report 2021 - Unfortunately record values in many respects
Source: SWR Marktcheck
Author: Wolfgang Weber
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )