Spring has sprung (although it seems winter wants to stay forever!) and cleaning is again a hot topic to cover. According to the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), the current economy is influencing a lot of consumer's buying choices and cleaning habits this year.
In their 2009 Spring Cleaning survey, more than four in ten (44%) say they are buying less expensive cleaning products; one-third say they are buying fewer cleaning products. Other respondents say economic factors influenced them to make their own cleaning products at home (22%) or clean less frequently (17%).
The survey also reported consumers are increasingly seeking sustainability-related benefits in their cleaning products, as 61% of those surveyed looking for those features in 2009 compared to 38% reported in 2008.
Maybe that is why there seems to be more pressure for cleaning products manufacturers to be greener and launch more new environment-friendly products.
Here is a video from Today show talking about the growing advocacy for cleaning products manufacturers to reveal the ingredients they use.
An advocacy group called Earthjustice even filed a lawsuit in February against Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, Church & Dwight, and Reckitt Benckiser, stating that these companies refused to follow a New York state law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products and the health risks they pose.
They said that a long-forgotten New York state law requires household and commercial cleaner companies selling their products in New York to file semi-annual reports with the state listing the chemicals contained in their products and describing any company research on these chemicals' health and environmental effects.
The SDA says the arcane law lacks legal standing and are not supported by state regulation.
Amid the back-and-forth legalities, to green or not to green when it comes to cleaning products is not anymore a question it seems.
Many companies, small and large have been increasingly launching different kinds of environment-friendly cleaning products. US market research firm SPINS said that consumers purchased $290 million dollars worth of natural household cleaners and supplies last year.
Market research company Mintel said the US green cleaning category quadrupled sales to $64.5 million by 2008 from $17.7m in 2006. The gap between the SPINS and Mintel values could be from retail sales-based versus manufacturers' level as well as product categories included in their report (this one has to checked of course).
I recently used the P&G Aerial Gel on a pair of White Ralph Lauren trousers only to find where the gel had lay on fabric in washer it has left a blue stain, Not Happy at all, I phoned the company only to be told this could only happen if I used too much of the gel. They told me to wash the garment again and it would comeout, I told them I had washed them twice and it was still there. will be contacting them again
Maria