Jan 25, 201105:21 PM
Shades of a Eco-Friendly Living on Cape Cod
An All-Natural Approach to Cleaning
As the owner of CleanGreen Cape Cod (www.cleangreencapecod.com), Jitka Borowick, a member of Green Drinks Cape Cod, is leading the charge to be conscious about what cleaning chemicals we are using. CleanGreen was one of the first local businesses certified “green” by Cape & Islands Green.
CapeCodMagazine.com: How did you get into the “green” cleaning business? Were you involved in eco-friendly efforts in the Czech Republic?
Jitka Borowick: I was using natural products for a long time before I started “cleangreen.” I came across Mrs. Meyers that was natural and worked well. I was using this brand for some time while I was doing research on other products to make sure I found products that work well and also are not wasteful in their packaging. Now we have a good variety of green products but we are careful about making sure they are truly natural and not just called “green.”
I was involved with a natural lifestyle since I was a child without even knowing about it. I grew up in a small village during communism and the resources were very limited. We composted, grew our own fruits and vegetables, and were very careful not to waste anything. When I was 11 the Czech Republic was no longer under Communist rule but people were still conscious of waste. When I came to the U.S. 14 years later I was still shocked to see how much people waste and consume. I think that is when I combined my drive to do something “good” with something profitable.
CCM: What are few big advantages of cleaning green?
JB: The most important is our health and our environment. Being exposed to conventional products can cause cancer, asthma, respiratory problems, and skin irritation. Mixing conventional products (ammonia and bleach) produces deadly fumes. People don’t have to worry about their children when they are crawling on floors or eating food from counters that were wiped with natural products. Also, when we use natural products we can feel good because we know that we are not damaging our environment - our water supply (especially on the Cape).
CCM: What types of products are you using?
JB:We are mostly using a company called Greening the Cleaning that has residential and commercial lines. The commercial line has all the products needed to handle tough jobs. We also have disinfectants that kill germs, BONA for hard wood floors, a natural stainless steel cleaner, microfiber rags, reusable cotton mops, and eraser sponges.
CCM: There seems to be a misconception that green products are very expensive. Do you find that green products are around the same price as conventional cleaning products?
JB:I think that the prices are more competitive now because of larger demand for the products. There are some green products that might cost a bit more than conventional ones, but I feel that you cannot compare the advantages of environmentally friendly products.
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