maid for the environment

While it's not a new trend, it's definitely becoming a bigger trend with the heightened interest in helping save our environment (and therefore, ourselves.) Home cleaning services are going green! Which is great! But even better, they're using method products! A simple search online will bring up more and more household cleaning businesses using method products as their main source of cleaning supplies! I think that rocks! One cleaner is Angel Home Services, located in Illinois:

"We use cleaning products to create a clean and healthy home, but sometimes we get more than we bargained for. Conventional products may remove mold, fight germs, and keep glass shiny and streak free, but they often use toxins and synthetic chemicals to do so. Today there are better housecleaning options. Gone are the days when eco-friendly cleaning meant beakers of vinegar and lemon juice, a can-do spirit, and a healthy dose of elbow grease. Today’s green cleaning solutions work just like their conventional counterparts, but deliver on the double promise of creating clean and healthy spaces.

Method’s nontoxic cleaning products look as good as they act. So good in fact that many people refuse to stow them under the sink. The company’s all-star lineup of products include all-purpose and specialty surface cleaners, dishwashing and laundry detergents, air fresheners, and hand and body washes. The biodegradable, nontoxic formulas are developed by a team led by cofounder Adam Lowry, a chemical engineer from Stanford University and an environmental scientist. The attractive, playfully designed bottles are drawn from the creative mind of Karim Rashid, whose other works are featured in more than seventy permanent collections of museums around the world. The products are never tested on animals, and they smell delightful, with scents like cucumber, lavender, grapefruit, green tea, and magnolia.

Mose eco-cleaners perform just as well as their conventional counterparts without using hazardous ingredients. The EPA estimates that anywhere from three to twenty-five gallons of toxic materials - mostly in cleaners - are present in the average U.S. household, so the situation can pose risks and be highly corrosive. With so many nontoxic cleaning choices available, identifying which work best for you can be a question of sampling a few until you find the right fit."

And a recent article on abcnews.com really showcases the rise in popularity:

"When Malcolm Berman was making a living cleaning homes in New York City, he came home every day with rashes on his hands -- the combined effect of chemical cleaners and wearing rubber gloves. Berman felt so unhealthy after work that he started to think one of his clients was on to something.

"She insisted that we only use products she had on hand, which were nontoxic," Berman recalled. "I felt fine after cleaning her home. She became the inspiration for my business."

That was 10 years ago. These days Berman's company, Green Clean, is a thriving business that caters to people who prefer their homes scoured by all-natural cleaners. And Berman's business is hardly unique. Perry Phillips, the executive director of the Association of Residential Cleaning Professionals, says the concept of green-cleaning is hot, particularly on the West and East coasts. He estimates that about half of all cleaning services on the West Coast feature cleaning with nontoxic products as a main business or as a premium service. On the East Coast, he says, the figure may be close to 40 percent. Meanwhile, eco-cleaning services have been cropping up in many major cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas.

"It's definitely a trend in our industry," Phillips said. "More and more customers want their homes cleaned in a health-conscious way."


In fact some household cleaning services will burn method candles throughout the home while they clean, leaving your home not only spic and span, but smelling mahvelous! So next time you decide to use a home cleaning service, choose green! (And look for a mention of method on their site, too!)