Article: New Products, Services Clean and Green

By Claudia Reed

Sonoma Index-Tribune Staff Writer

Doing battle against excessive water use and cleaning products that cause chemical contamination, Lee McDougle of CLEAN SOLUTIONS displays the microfiber flat mop that enables him to wash a floor with a cup of water.

Have Americans replaced dirt with chemical contamination?

The answer is "yes," according to Lee McDougle of CLEAN SOLUTIONS.

Dirt-fearing Americans, he said, have triumphed over germs, mold, dust and grime at the cost of exposing themselves to such potentially toxic chemicals as chlorine, ammonia or some highly toxic combination of the two.

McDougle aims to set things right with CLEAN SOLUTIONS, a local company providing eco-friendly cleaning services and products that has just received a "Build It Green" certification from the Berkeley-based U.S. Green Building Council.

His primary cleaning compound, HydrOxi Pro concentrate, has earned Green Seal certification, a designation that conforms to criteria for ecolabeling set by the International Organization for Standardization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

More traditional cleaning products, McDougle said, may meet federal safety standards, but there appears to be no study of the cumulative risk of exposure to a variety of chemicals over a long period of time.

"There's more indoor pollution than outside sometimes," McDougle said. "The carpets and the furniture off-gasses. Even the spray (cleaning) chemicals in the house ... A body can take just so much over the years."

Janitors who work with harsh chemicals on a daily basis also have stories to tell.

"This one (janitor) came up to me. His eyes were oozing. I could see he was having a reaction of some sort," McDougle said. "The nurse tells him to wear latex gloves and goggles, but he was still exposed."

McDougle aims to protect both janitors and those who inhabit the homes and offices they clean.

In addition to his eco-friendly cleaning compound, he promotes cleaning equipment that uses less water and cleaning compound than traditional mops and dusters. The equipment is also designed with ergonomics in mind. That means it can be used with minimal stress on the body.

"You don't have to press hard," McDougle said. "(The mop is) meant to glide, meant to be simple. A senior citizen can use it easily."

The mop McDougle uses and distributes is a flat pad of microfibers produced from recyclable plastic.

"One fiber is the size of a hair," he said. "There are 50,000 to 90,000 fibers of different lengths in a square inch. With a little water it actually grabs the dirt and oil without leaving the floors wet."

When McDougle said "a little water" he means just that. About a cup of water, he said, would wash a kitchen floor. The nearly dry approach, he added, "preserves finishes and prevents mold."

The dusters operate in a similar way - but with no water at all.

When a cleaning fluid is needed, McDougle uses green-certified HydrOxi Pro concentrate which contains hydrogen peroxide, alcohol ethoxylate and orange oil.

As significant is what the product does not contain. There are no oil-dependent petroleum distillates; no ammonia, chlorine or acids; and no phosphates, chemicals that have been known to con- taminate waterways.

"One main thing is what we're putting down the drain," McDougle said. "The sewage system can have a hard time dealing with (cleaning product contaminants), and we end up with dead zones in the bay."

His product, on the other hand, is "safe around kids and food products and hospitals," McDougle said.

McDougle pointed out that a tablespoon of the product he sells replaces cups of far more toxic household cleansers. Because it can meet nearly all cleaning needs, he adds, there is no risk of mixing incompatible chemicals.

McDougle sees his work as part of the overall effort to reverse environmental degradation.

"We're all cogs in a wheel trying to make a turn," he said.

CLEAN SOLUTIONS products and services can be obtained by calling 707-938-9002.

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