Tree Hugging Family

More on the Palmolive eco+ Situation - Is It Even A Little Green?

by Jennifer on March 27th, 2008

In my last post; Are We So Clean That We’re Breeding Super Germs? I noted that next I’d cover why I think the whole Palmolive eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent issue is bunk. Peggy wrote about how Palmolive is greenwashing - I agree. Not everyone agreed though.
From the comments:

“Just thought you might like to know that regular Palmolive dish washing detergent also contains chlorine bleach. (I am looking at both labels right now) So at least with the “Eco” you are without the phosphates.From what I hear, 7th Gen does a horrible job at cleaning. Not sure about other alternatives.”

AND

“My friends have tried the no chlorine products (7th, Ecover, etc.) and they just don’t work. And Method also claims to be a natural brand, but they have plenty of non-natural stuff in their products (and people seem to love them). I don’t know, I’m going to try this eco+ stuff. It may not save the world, but it’s a lot closer than the rest of the mainstream products (and with any luck it will actually clean dishes).”

First off, I totally appreciate that people feel free to say what they want here. Believe me, the comments above are typical to what I hear from people out here in the real world. I always hear stuff like “Green cleaners don’t work - you can’t even smell them working” and “It seems too light too work.” Sigh. Green cleaners are in the minority for sure.

Here’s the deal though. A few select green friends of mine and me have been using green cleaners for years and years. They’ve worked just fine. Also, as you may have noticed, I haven’t been struck dead from germs that made it past my green cleaners. I seriously have to wonder why greener cleaners are working for some people and not others. What could possibly be on these people’s dishes that are creating this cleaning issue? One extremely simple solution is to quickly rinse your dishes after eating. Most dishwasher manuals say flat out, DO NOT load totally crusty gross dishes into the machine. (Ok, not in those words, but you get it).

Then there’s the whole issue brought up by both these comments above - a little eco is far better than no eco at all. Now, on one hand I agree. Small steps is what we push here at Tree Hugging Family. Small steps can make a difference. However, that said, I don’t agree with small greenwashing steps, not when there’s a much better green step available. Why use a product with bleach when there are products available without? Bleach is a big baddie. Bleach use is not a small step, better choice, or eco step at all for that matter. They don’t tell you to use arm length gloves and full ventilation when a product is safe.

Also, as I noted in the comments, I especially don’t agree when a major company like Palmolive promotes a product as green when it’s clearly not. This is a company who can really afford advertising, and might be able to persuade folks to go true green. They have the ability to make a huge difference, yet, here they come with their “eco” product that frankly, I wouldn’t even call light green. “At least” is pretty weak argument when their are companies who do “the most” they can each and every day.

What it comes down to.

All we can do here is tell you about the dangers of a product, tell you that they test on animals, or that the fumes may cause long term damage, it’s up to you how safe or ethically secure you feel with a certain product. We all make choices every day. Dish washing detergent is a small easy issue to deal with because there are better options already.

Here are some links:

To learn about eco cleaners that actually work visit Green Home Living Magazine - they tested a bunch of green cleaners and tell you which work and which don’t. Personally, I’ve tried a large majority of green cleaners including homemade, and most have worked well for me.

To learn about how safe a company is for your skin and health visit Skin Deep. You can enter a product and all the health hazards associated with a company or item from a company will pop up. Why not look up Palmolive and see their “green & healthy” score.

Toxic Nation - Pollution. Find out about common toxins and pollutions in your home and how they end up in your body.

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POSTED IN: Green Cleaning, Health & Wellness, Toxic Stuff