KEY POINTS:
Winter is officially behind us - hopefully taking the rain with it - and the ritual of spring cleaning can begin.
But before you get out the sprays and floor cleaners, have a think about the chemicals being liberally applied all over your home, and running down the drain into our waterways.
It's become trendy again to mix our own cleaners using lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda. But for those of us without the time or inclination, a new generation of natural cleaners are gaining market share.
From soaps to toilet cleaners, and laundry powders to cream cleansers, a clutch of New Zealand companies are making products that are kinder to the environment and our health.
Kim Taylor, business manager of Clorox New Zealand, said several studies had been carried out in the United States and Europe on the risks that ingredients such as phosphates, formaldehyde and nonylphenol ethoxylates posed to people's health.
"There are regulatory bodies within New Zealand that monitor the chemicals that are used in cleaners. Many of these require special handling, and not all are appropriate for all people," said Ms Taylor.
She said the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation reviewed products to ensure they contained no known asthma triggers.
Clorox's Green Works products had just been launched in New Zealand and were the first to obtain the foundation's approval.
Known triggers for asthma and respiratory illnesses included glass-cleaning and furniture sprays and air-fresheners.
"Children are especially vulnerable to chemical toxicants," said Ms Taylor.
Ecover spokeswoman Janet Southern said the arrival of children was often the catalyst for people to switch to non-chemical-based products in the home.
Her own daughter's eczema provided the motivation for her to remove petrochemical-based cleaners from her house, as well as anything with synthetic perfumes and fragrances, such as washing powder and toilet paper.
"When your kids are crawling on the floor and then sucking their fingers, they're consuming whatever chemical residue has been left behind after you've cleaned it," she said.
And you had to think of the environment's health too, said Ms Southern. "Whatever you wash down your drains eventually goes back out to sea."
Brigid Hardy, founder and managing director of B_E_E (Beauty Engineered for Ever), said many of the chemicals in regular cleaners could do serious damage to the environment, adding to the build-up of heavy metals in rivers and in one case even changing the sex of fish.
Many of the ingredients in cleaners used 50 or 60 years ago were "outright illegal" now.
But chlorine, phosphates and mineral hydroxide - like the lime in limescale removers - were still commonly used despite mounting evidence about the risks to human health and the environment.
"It's impossible to tell from the outside of a package what the risks are," said Ms Hardy.
She said it was vital to be ahead of the game in research and testing.
"I love the idea of naturally derived products and we take that to the nth degree but naturally derived doesn't automatically make something safe," Ms Hardy said.
"Our exports are subject to the strictest European controls but even then we are formulating them according to the research that's feeding into those requirements, years before they become law."
B_E_E, which got its start with the help of The Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, had received accreditation with New Zealand's Environmental Choice labelling scheme, which Britain's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently named one of the top international standards.
THE NZ MARKET
$35.8 million: Total annual market for cleaning products in NZ.
11.8: Percentage of the total market taken by natural cleaners.
58: Annual percentage growth in natural cleaner market.
0.7: Annual percentage growth in regular cleaners' market.
Source: Nielsen
THEY SURE DO CLEAN, BUT WHAT ARE THEY?
Nonylphenol ethoxylates: Nonylphenol is the base for surfactants used in cleaning products. There are concerns that when combined with ethoxylates they are slow to break down and clog waterways. Also thought to inhibit reproductive function.
Optical brighteners: Used in washing powder to enhance the colour of fabrics but can cause eye irritation and skin reactions.
Ethylene diaminetetraacetate (EDTA): A common dirt remover added to household products. Some claim it can redistribute toxic heavy metals in water, introducing them back into the food chain.
Sodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA): Used in detergents to improve their cleaning ability. Suspected carcinogenic effects but not banned.
Formaldehyde: Commonly used in cleaning products in small amounts. Linked to cancer and birth defects and can cause eye and skin irritation.
