June 19, 2009

What ingredients are in glass cleansers?

Dear Zayapooh00995,
Conventional glass cleaners are typically comprised of water, water softener, cleaning agents, solvents, fragrances, dyes and preservatives.
Many conventional glass cleaners use glycol ethers as solvents. 2-butoxyethanol is a commonly used glycol ether solvent that has many documented harmful heath effects in humans including skin, eye and respiratory irritation, breathing complications, low blood pressure, lowered levels of hemoglobin (the substance in the blood that carries oxygen to organs of the body), blood in the urine, metabolic acidosis (high levels of acid in the body), and, in cases where ingested, coma which resolved after successful treatment in a hospital [1].
In Seventh Generation’s Natural Glass and Surface Cleaner, we have opted to limit the chemicals included to only those that are non-toxic, effective and absolutely necessary for the product to perform well.
Therefore, in our Natural Glass and Surface Cleaners we include water, a cleaning agent, a preservative, and, when fragranced, natural whole essential oils. References:
1. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for 2-butoxyethanol acetate. August, 1998.
Conventional glass cleaners are typically comprised of water, water softener, cleaning agents, solvents, fragrances, dyes and preservatives.
Many conventional glass cleaners use glycol ethers as solvents. 2-butoxyethanol is a commonly used glycol ether solvent that has many documented harmful heath effects in humans including skin, eye and respiratory irritation, breathing complications, low blood pressure, lowered levels of hemoglobin (the substance in the blood that carries oxygen to organs of the body), blood in the urine, metabolic acidosis (high levels of acid in the body), and, in cases where ingested, coma which resolved after successful treatment in a hospital [1].
In Seventh Generation’s Natural Glass and Surface Cleaner, we have opted to limit the chemicals included to only those that are non-toxic, effective and absolutely necessary for the product to perform well.
Therefore, in our Natural Glass and Surface Cleaners we include water, a cleaning agent, a preservative, and, when fragranced, natural whole essential oils. References:
1. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for 2-butoxyethanol acetate. August, 1998.





