🍎 Not as clean as you would think!

Product: Live Clean Multi-Surface Cleaner (Apple Cider Vinegar)

Clean and green. I like to do my best to eat this way, wear this way and clean this way. As a famous frog once said, ‘It's not easy bein' green!’ Green living can be more costly, can be harder to find products and down right confusing to always understand if ingredients are based in nature or not.

Why is going green important, especially for cleaning products? A few good reasons:

Health: From endocrine disruptors to carcinogens to other chemical hazards, our health can be impacted in many ways by non-green cleaning products. Too many are a chemical mix for inducing harm. Long term and even temporary exposure can hurt us, our pets and the environment.

Safety: Have you ever noticed all the warning labels on commercial cleaners? I mean, do I want to clean with a product that has a picture of an exploding bomb, a fire, or skull and crossbones? Yikes. Those are the obvious red flags of chemical hazards that we need to avoid. Hard no to products that have the potential to blow up or light up under certain conditions!

Environment: Ideally, green products will be naturally derived, non-toxic, bio-degradable and manufactured with sustainable processes. We want to love on our planet and all inhabitants by leaving the absolute least (or no) adverse footprint.

Live Clean Multi-Surface Cleaner does not have any warning labels. In fact, it boasts: eco-conscious, dermatological tested, 99% naturally derived with certified organic botanicals, and free from ammonia, bleach, dye and residue; no petrol, SLS, triclosan, paraben, silicone phthalate, phosphate, no harsh cleaning agents and no chemical odour. Not tested on animals. (Yay!) Recycled packaging. Well, that’s a lot to consider.

This product promises to eliminate dirt, dust and grime without leaving streaks behind; safe for use on non-porous surfaces such as windows, tiles, counters, non-stainless-steel appliances and mirrors. It has only a faint scent of apple, and no harsh vinegar smell at all. But does it work? Well, yes-ish.

This is not a heavy-duty cleaner. It is not for the tough messes. I found it good for wipe downs and generic cleaning. I do like that it can be used on mirrors without streaking. Truthfully, I often use straight vinegar for cleaning around my home. I keep it in a spray bottle and use it in all the same ways as this one suggests. I honestly did not see the difference between the two, other than the vinegar smell is far less pungent with Live Clean. Speaking of. . .

The ingredients in this product register low on the Environmental Working Group database, except one: parfum (a.k.a. fragrance). This is likely why there is no strong vinegar scent – it is being masked. For a ‘clean’ product, this is a ball drop, IMO. I believe the same could have been accomplished with natural essential oil. (But I am no expert.) Added fragrance is basically a chemical cocktail of substances with limited and/or hard to find safety data, many that have not even been tested for toxic load individually or in combination with other chemicals. I suspect that the reason the details of the fragrance are not clearly listed is because it is considered a 'trade secret’; manufacturers do not need to disclose the actual list. In my books, this lack of transparency is a disappointment in the company.

If you can get past that, then this product may be for you for general clean-up. There is no questioning that vinegar makes for a good surface cleaner. It is an acidic substance, with a pH of 2.0. That means it creates an unwelcoming environment for many microorganisms. Think about how it is used in pickling to stop growth of mold and bacteria. There are many studies that show the power vinegar has to effectively tackle bacteria and viruses. In its natural state, it is biodegradable, edible, and environmentally friendly. Vinegar is safe for just about any surface, and is earth and wallet friendly with a long shelf life. Pretty good all on its own, I'd say.

Do I recommend this product? Again, yes-ish. If you don’t want to use straight vinegar or take the time to make your own vinegar cleaning blend, then Live Clean Multi-Surface Cleaner (Apple Cider Vinegar) may be the product for you.

Meanwhile, clean up! Pet food aisle!

PS - Read more about issues with parfum here: https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/dirty-dozen-parfum-fragrance/