Hydrogen Peroxide Articles

Hydrogen Peroxide Structure: Oxygen and Water

Hydrogen peroxide is a naturally occuring compound formed within the cell structures of plants and animals, in the earth’s atmosphere and in the waters that cover the earth.

Hydrogen Peroxide Structure:

Formed in the upper atmosphere when water and ozone combine to produce oxygen and hydrogen peroxide; its true chemical role in the mechanism of climate and rainfall is far from being clearly understood even today.

Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O) - building blocks of the natural world.

Hydrogen Peroxide: H2O2

Hydrogen peroxide was discovered by French Chemist Louis-Jacques Thenard in 1818. Coining the phrase “eau oxygenee” to describe its properties, Thenard believed it to be an oxygenated form of oxygen.

Oxidation:

An oxidizing agent is a chemical compound that readily transfers oxygen atoms. Hydrogen peroxide is a common oxidizing agent. It breaks down readily in water, becoming water and oxygen as the oxidizing agent releases its extra oxygen atom. This action of releasing the extra oxygen atom bound in the hydrogen peroxide is what is defined as oxidation.

Without water to dilute the effect, highly concentrated formulas of hydrogen peroxide are volatile, unstable, caustic and downright powerful.

It is this powerful action that makes hydrogen peroxide an exceptional rocket and space ship propellant. The simple power of oxidation when concentrated becomes capable of creating enough energy to lift spaceships off of launch pads and into outer space.

Simple yet effective, the actions of hydrogen peroxide in household concentrations (3 to 9 percent by volume in a distilled water solution) are also oxidative, and therefore, solutions of dry hydrogen peroxide once mixed with water become reactive upon contact with the water, and will lose their potency after approximately five hours. Liquid solutions will maintain their potency so long as they are stored properly. Both dry and liquid forms of hydrogen peroxide offer a powerful, effective, non-invasive and environmentally clean household cleaner, disinfectant, odor eliminator and all around useful chemical compound.

Hydrogen peroxide is produced naturally within plant biomass and plays diverse and pivotal roles within the plant kingdom. It is present in trace amounts in rain, water, and snow. It is also present in higher concentrations in such natural healing springs as Lourdes, Fatima and St. Anne’s.

As a commercial chemical it was first used in the restoration of famous paintings to remove sulphur build up without damage to the paint or canvas beneath. It has been long favored in textiles pulping, fabric production and bleaching for its ability to whiten with minimal damage to fiber structures, and has been used as an environmentally sustainable replacement for chlorine bleaching in many paper and pulp operations around the world.

Hydrogen peroxide is a healthy, environmentally clean and sound approach to clean bleaching of paper pulp, water purification, hydroponic and water garden waters, aquaculture and other industries and is used extensively in the disinfection of food preparation equipment, asceptic packaging of food products and disinfection of hospitals, medical laboratories, and sites contaminated by such dangerous compounds as anthrax, viruses and toxic bacteria.

Edited: October 18th, 2009 under Articles, Blog - No Comments. Tags: environmentally clean, hydrogen perosxide structure, hydrogen peroxide, natural, oxidation

Regulators Rumbling in Back Rooms…

This week brought an unexpected development when an email arrived from a WSJ reporter asking us about home uses of hydrogen peroxide and what we knew about regulations of H2O2…

See what happens if you go away for a week? You miss the news - even if you only see it online or at google or something - a week out of the loop and you miss it! So we didn’t know anything about the Zazi dude or the acetone and beauty parlor peroxide story that everyone else was all ‘a-twitter’ about last week - we were deep in another world in our real estate work - and didn’t even hear one news story all week!

After some conversation with a lovely reporter from WSJ named Ellen, we became aware that what she was wondering was whether or not any of us, or our hydrogen peroxide enthusiasts had heard anything about regulating the sale of our favorite food grade H2O2. Well, clearly we had not - so I thought I should take a look see and check with our known suppliers here and there - anyone seeing anything peculiar? Getting strange calls about not selling FGH2O2?

Happily, thus far it seems that we are in the clear - (but of course after only one week it seems unlikely that there would be any new action or regulation that fast!) But we wanted to make a note of the event - simply because we certainly do not think we should be prohibited from buying and using hydrogen peroxide as we always have - And of course it seems logical that the 3% variety at every grocer and drug store would not be the target of any such crazy idea - after all, 3% H2O2 is 97% water - not exactly easy to use for anything harmful!

But nonetheless, we make note that there seems to be rumbling and so we simply remind ourselves and everyone we know that our friend H2O2 is really NOT a great weapon, for terrorists or anyone else - You cannot simply mix it up and use it to hurt people - it’s just way more complicated than that - and we know there are a lot more lethal ingredients out there that could cause a lot more harm than our friendly H2O2.

Consider that chlorine gas was a major weapon of WWI - I mean, if you want to remove a dangerous toxin, why not look at bleach? (hint hint nudge nudge) And hydrogen peroxide will never break down in the environment to form Dioxin the way chlorine can… So, dear regulators, when this crosses your desks - just shake your head and smile, and let our hydrogen peroxide be - after all, of all the things that might cause harm, surely this is not one at the top of any list -

With all its beneficial and elegant solutions to so many common household challenges, and its clearly superior invisibility in the environmental impact department (remember what else do you use that breaks down to water and oxygen?) hydrogen peroxide is surely no target for the ‘anti-terrorist regulators’. Let’s just hope it stays that way.

Edited: October 2nd, 2009 under Articles, Blog - No Comments. Tags: bleach, bombs, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide regluation, Zazi

How Green Does Your Garden Grow?

This summer we saw the true fruits of our labor in a garden overflowing with herbs, veggies and fresh fruits. After an early battle with an over abundant and over long production cycle of snails, we finally got them beat back to reasonable numbers and then the garden took off.

Our lilies and stalk flowers are now towering overhead - never seen anything like it… and the herb garden is literally twice the height and volume it achieved last year - lemon balm is four feet tall - oregano, lavender, penny royal, marjoram, thyme and spearmint are all topping 2 and half feet - Gargantua Herbs! We started the basil late, but even it is catching up quickly.

Tomatoes, eggplants and squashes all thriving and producing nicely.

So what was the secret? Well… of COURSE it includes our best buddy hydrogen peroxide - but it also must be attributed to a rock dust infusion.

This year, as Spring was just springing, we took a good supply of last year’s rock dust - which, after sitting out in its outdoor bin over winter had become large soft rocklike clods, and literally just broke them up and tossed them into the gardens until we’d used them all up - and put a nice fat layer of this soft smeary mushy wet “slip” over everything - we didn’t even bother to work it into the soil - after all it was wet enough to seep in on its own.

Then we routinely sprayed with a 1 ounce to 1 quart solution of 3% hyrdogen peroxide in the early weeks - when fog was thick and moisture and damp were the norm (hence the snail explosion!).

After that we continued to water at least once a week with this solution - right into the soil - helps to give those roots the oxygen they need when they’re busy doing serious growing - and voila! HUGE results!

If you need to find the rock dust, look for agrowinn - they make the best rock dust of any we’ve ever found - oh - and we can’t forget the last ingredient - our own home grown worm castings! First batch was ready this Spring as well…

We didn’t have huge amounts, but a little worked into the top soil around new young plants gives them real staying power…

We’ve been watering the Aloe Vera in the window sill with the hydrogen peroxide as well and it’s so big we need to get new pots for it! (Promise we’ll post pictures of all of this in the next few days!)

Happy Gardening! Keep it Green and keep it Healthy!

Edited: August 13th, 2009 under Articles, Garden Uses - No Comments. Tags: agrowinn, green garden, healthy green garden, herb garden, herbs, hydrogen peroxide, natural fertilizers, natural gardening, rock dust, veggies, worm castings

Sodium Percarbonate - Super Smile!

In the midst of a lot of questions from readers about sodium
percarbonate, I came across a very cool product I had not seen
before- and one of the ingredients is… Sodium Percarbonate!

Cool.

So, I might have brushed this off as just another bad idea - but
it turns out the products inventor is a world reknowned “father of
aesthetic dentistry” Hmmm HMMMMMM!

And, he has a whole system that is designed to keep your teeth clean,
healthy, and WHITE called “Super Smile” that is actually known about
and used world wide! Go figure!

I know, I know, you want to know how to find it… simple as pie:
go to Super Smile Dot Com!

Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? :)

Nope, I am not affiliated with Dr. Smigel. I do think his name is great, though!
Geesh, he could have changed a few letters and been Dr. SMILE!

So for all of you wondering if you can use sodium percarbonate as mouth
wash, looks like the answer is yes - but I’d buy his formula if I were you.
Otherwise, I’d stick to my regular 3 percent H2O2 solution for regular mouth
rinse and “swishing”.

I got a nasty summer cold last week - duh, forgot to do the ear drop
thingy - and blammo, coughing and hacking and all the rest. Yuck. But I
kept up my nightly 3 percent mouth rinse and swishing (up to 10 minutes if
I can stand it, usually I only last about 4 to 5 minutes though) and I got
better really fast! Plus that little sore spot in my mouth (did I mention I
bit my lip?) was all better in ONE DAY.

Now that’s a good reason to stick with plain old 3 percent H2O2 for
mouth wash in my book… But heck, I just might try Dr. Smigel’s Super
Smile myself and see what I think of it - apparently it’s great for those
times when you can’t brush and very convenient too!

Happy Gargling!

Edited: July 7th, 2008 under Articles, Home Uses - No Comments.

Nature Article: Roll of H2O2 in Cell Health…

An article in Nature Magazine earlier this year reveals new medical advances at Wake Forest University School of Medicine are helping scientists understand the complex role of hydrogen peroxide and regulating proteins in healthy cells.

Hydrogen peroxide is produced in the body to combat bacteria and keep cells healthy. But figuring out how the cells keep the H2O2 in check so that it doesn’t get carried away and damage the cell’s own tissues and DNA has been something of a puzzle.

New research coming from Wake Forest University is helping solve the puzzle and shedding new light on the complex and intricate relationships between various proteins and components working together to maintain healthy cells in the body.

W. Todd Lowther, Ph.D., leads the team which developed a three-dimensional snapshot of how two proteins produced by cells interact to regulate the levels of hydrogen peroxide.

Turns out, a molecule known as peroxiredoxin (Prx) helps control levels of hydrogen peroxide produced by cells in response to immune system activation. The Prx takes on the role of regulating the levels of hydrogen peroxide to protect the cells from over exposure to hydrogen peroxide; and even “switches” roles to send signals to alert the cell if the levels get too high and it cannot adequately handle the job.

Prx is busy regulating the levels of H2O2 in the cell, unless and until levels get dangerously high - at which point the Prx needs help. When that happens,
Prx stops converting hydrogen peroxide and instead changes roles to become an alarm system - signalling the cell to begin producing and activating other proteins to assist it in the reductiona nd removal dangerously higher levels of hydrogen peroxide.

According to Thomas J. Jonsson, Ph.D., “It basically acts as a sensor and warns the cell that levels are too high and that the cell needs to respond. Once that threat is gone, Prx needs to go back to its normal state.” Dr. Johnson is the lead author on the project and a post-doctoral fellow at Wake Forest.

But once Prx has given up its role as the regulator of H2O2, how does it revert back to that role?

In 2003, scientists reported that a protein known as sulfiredoxin (Srx) was involved in the process. The goal of Lowther’s team was to use X-ray crystallography to learn exactly what happens.

“This technology gives us a three-dimensional snapshot of how the proteins interact,” said Lowther. “We wanted to know how Prx changes its structure to be repaired.”

While the scientists knew the repair of Prx involved Srx, they didn’t know how the job was accomplished, and they didn’t know how the Prx would change, as they knew it would have to, to allow that repair to take place.

As it turns out, the answer is not only remarkable, but provides even more intimate understanding of the relationships of cell components and their interactions:

“We found that the protein unfolded, flipped around and attached to the back side of Srx, known as an ‘embrace,’” said Lowther. “It basically put its arm around its buddy, which helps hold the repair protein in place.”

Jönsson said the binding of Srx causes a chemical reaction that repairs Prx. “The change in structure is dramatic and we found that it is critical for the repair to take place,” he said.

Understanding this protective mechanism that keeps cells healthy may one day help scientists identify how and when these processes go wrong resulting in disease. The research will continue to study Prx and how its changes in form and processing affects its interactions with other proteins.

————

The study was supported by the American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health. Lynnette C. Johnson, B.S., with Wake Forest, was a co-researcher.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. U.S. News & World Report ranks Wake Forest University School of Medicine 18th in family medicine, 20th in geriatrics, 25th in primary care and 41st in research among the nation’s medical schools. It ranks 35th in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. Almost 150 members of the medical school faculty are listed in Best Doctors in America.

Source: Shannon Koontz
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

Edited: July 7th, 2008 under Articles, Blog - No Comments.

If Your Pet Eats Poison, H2O2 Can Induce Vomiting

Recently a friend of ours had a near-dog-death experience
when their favorite canine got into a neighbor’s supply of
rat poison.

We’ll refrain from commenting on what sort of neighbor leaves
rat poison lying about where poochy pet neighbors can find
and eat it, for now…

But the important lesson we learned was this:

Because the canine in question was seen at the scene, and it
was known that the ingested substance was rat poison, our
friend was able to call his vet and get direct instructions on
what to do.

Case in point: if you do not know what Fido ate, ingested or
otherwised consumed, you need to establish that first. You can
call the Pet Poison Control Hotline to get help if you are observing
symptoms and don’t know what Fido ate.

There may be a fee associated with your call, but if Fido is
really your best pal, that nominal charge won’t be an issue.
Their number is 1-888-426-4435. (Sorry, I think that’s inside
the U.S. only!)

But, if you do know what Fido ate, and if you know that
inducing vomiting is what you need to do, then you’ll be
pleased to know that only 2 teaspoons of good old 3 percent
H2O2 will do the trick in the vast majority of cases.

Of course, Fido might not love the idea and will most likely NOT
offer to drink it down voluntarily, but if you can get 2 little
teaspoonsful of H2O2 down his throat chances are good that
throwing up will be what happens next.

In our friend’s case, the vet prescribed just this remedy and
within a few moments the dog was wretching and spewing
and all that nasty rat poison was out of his gut. He recovered
completely in less than 24 hours, and… with any luck at all,
learned a valuable lesson about eating random finds
at the neighbor’s house… but that remains to be seen.

Edited: October 2nd, 2007 under Articles, Home Uses - No Comments.

Mold and Mildew Removal with H2O2

Before you begin splashing chlorine bleach
around the house to remove mold or mildew, consider
using H2O2 instead.

Why?

Well, for a few good reasons. Not the least of which
is that it works.

Why else? Because unlike chlorine based products which
form organochlorines in the environment (for example,
dioxin)and produce other toxic and long lasting by-
products which do not break down in the environment;
hydrogen peroxide creates no residual toxins of any kind.
It breaks down to water and oxygen, and within a few hours
there is no evidence of its use at all in the surrounding
environment.

It’s also extremely effective at killing the spores which
can spread molds and mildews in your home. Just saturate the
affected areas thoroughly and let stand. Then re-moisten the
area with hydrogen peroxide again before wiping with a clean
cloth or songe.

And hydrogen peroxide will not bleach out wall paper, paint
or fabric surfaces the way chlorine bleach does. So you won’t
have to repair the damage bleaching causes. It is also far less
abrasive to natural fiber structures, so it doens’t weaken
fabrics or other materials when you apply it.

Chlorine bleach can eat a hole right through fabrics at
its normal 3 percent concentration (straight from the
bottle) whereas H2O2 won’t damage or breakdown the
fiber structure of papers or fabrics.

In the end, you will have a clean, mold and mildew free living
environment with none of the toxic side effects of chlorine
based products. And best of all, you can use the regular store
brand H2O2 from the local grocer or drug counter. It’s very
inexpensive, and works just fine.

Edited: August 15th, 2007 under Articles, Home Uses - No Comments.

New Second Edition Print Version of “101 Home Uses of H2O2″ Now Available!

FoodGradeH2O2.com is proud to announce the
release of the Second Edition of the print version
of “101 Home Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide”.

You can pick up your copy of the newest edition at
Lulu. com by following the link here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/882556

We had a copy of the book sent over to E.C.H.O. for
review by Mr. Grotz (the man who knows more about
H2O2 than anyone we know!) and today we received
a call from him to say he thinks the book is great,
except that we forgot to include information on how
to order more copies!

We’ll have to make sure we get that information added
to the print version as soon as possible. In the meantime,
you can find the new Second Edition available as a
perfect bound print paperback 8.5 X 11 inches.

Happy Reading!

Edited: July 3rd, 2007 under Articles, Home Uses - No Comments.

New Hydrogen Peroxide Measuring Device for Swimming Pools

ProMinent Fluid Controls introduces a new Hydrogen Peroxide Measurement Station

In a press release earlier this month, ProMinent Fluid Controls announced
a new measurement station for the measure ment and control of hydrogen
peroxide used in swimming pools, or for the treatment of contaminated
wastewater or process media from production environments.

As part of their release, ProMinent noted:

Totally biodegradable, hydrogen peroxide is frequently used as a
disinfectant or oxidant in water treatment and production. The
new system features a new PER1 membrane-covered amperometric
sensor in combination with a D1C single channel controller, now
available for hydrogen peroxide measurement. This compact unit
saves space, has low installation costs and requires little maintenance.

The new device includes a sensor sealed in an impermeable silicone
membrane. It is sturdy, durable and easy to install and use according
to company literature, and is designed to measure hydrogen peroxide
concentrations in the range from 2-200mg/L or 20-2000mg/L

So for all those swimming enthusiasts who’ve been wanting a simple
way to keep track of the hydrogen peroxide levels in their pools it looks
like this is the perfect solution.

Find out more at: The Edie News Centre

Edited: June 14th, 2007 under Articles, Spa Uses - No Comments.

Keep it Fresh with Hydrogen Peroxide

Whether it’s a crisp head of Romaine or a new bag of
fresh spinach, you can keep greens, fruits and veggies
fresh and healthy longer with hydrogen peroxide.

Spritz fresh cut salads immediately after making (before
there is any dressing on them), then cover and keep in
the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you only dress
the salad you serve, you can return the remaining salad
to the refrigerator with the same treatment. It will taste
fresh and remain crisp for up to several days!

Wash hard skinned veggies like zucchini, celery, egg plants
and tomatoes in a bath of half a sink of cold water and
5 ounces 3 percent food grade hydrogen peroxide.

Grapes, apples, pears, cherries, melons and plums can
also all be washed this way. For thinner skinned fruits and
vegetables, as well as berries and sprouts, simply spritz with
a solution of 1 quart distilled or spring water and 4 ounces
hydrogen peroxide.

If you want more hydrogen peroxide in your diet, eat more
water cress or asparagus. Both are excellent sources.

(The hydrogen peroxide you use to clean your fruits and
veggies will dissipate into water and oxygen in its active role
of killing bacteria and micro-organisms, so it can’t really be
considered a dietary source of h2o2.)

Edited: May 29th, 2007 under Articles, Home Uses - No Comments.

An Experimental Applicataion for Weevils in Alfalfa

This is a new story we just came across through
some of our friends in the hydrogen peroxide world…

Seems there was a farmer in Iowa who was having
a rather serious weevil problem in their alfalfa fields.

Now, if someone had asked, most likely I’d have
suggested they start with a 3 percent solution to test
if there was any improvement…

But no one asked.

I’ve used hydrogen peroxide to heal all kinds of plants
for many years, but I have to tell you, I never use stronger
than 3 percent solutions. Usually half that is adequate to
do the job for most house plant pests and diseases. I often
use a 50/50 dilution in the garden outdoors as well. (50 percent
3 percent solution and 50 percent water. That’s pretty mild.

Turns out, this farmer was pretty serious about solving
the problem, and went at it in a way we never would have
expected. They used 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
straight on a 10 by 10 foot section of the crop.

I was sure the next thing I’d hear was that the crop had just
given up and died in that 10 foot square patch. But that is not
what happened.

Instead, the crop was fine, and the weevils were gone. gone,
not only from that 10 foot square, but for a major distance…
as in, no weevils in that field at all after the application. And
the alfalfa? Seems the 35% hydrogen peroxide didn’t bother it one
bit.

Now, I have to find out if they sprayed the area down with water
after application… and how long after application, if they did…
because this just seems remarkable to me.

I’m working on tracking down the rest of the story and will be sure
to post an update when I can get more information on this one…

I won’t go so far as to recommend using straight 35% hydrogen peroxide
on any plants myself just yet; but this story came from a very reliable
source, so I’ll just have to keep after the details and follow up until I
can get more information.

Edited: May 15th, 2007 under Articles, Garden Uses - No Comments.

Do You Have a Question About Using Hydrogen Peroxide?

Do you have questions about hydrogen peroxide use around your home,
for personal hygiene, with plants, fish or animals?

If you do, you may want to check out some exciting news… and you
just might get your question answered!

Go ahead and take a look and
Ask your question about hydrogen peroxide today!

Edited: May 3rd, 2007 under Articles, Blog - No Comments.

Turning 35% FoodGrade H2O2 into a Classified Drug for AquaCulture Use

Our continuing research in the many fields in which hydrogen
peroxide plays a role over the last few months has been enlightening
to say the least.

The pervasive consumer products industries in home, health and
personal care sectors continues, for the most part, to undermine most
common and simple uses of hydrogen peroxide.

Yet evidence is clear that hydrogen peroxide is an effective
anti viral, anti microbial and anti bacterial agent in fields as far
ranging as agriculture, aqua culture, water treatment, animal
husbandry, and even in the “war on terror”.

Coffee filters, toilet paper and hundreds of other consumer products
are now touting “Oxygen” bleached properties… yet no one uses
those conspicuous two words: “hydrogen peroxide” when discussing
this new “environmentally safe alternative to chlorine”. They tell
us it is environmentally safe and that the bleaching agent is oxygen…
and carefully sidestep the issue of what FORM of oxygen is used.

It’s simple really; they used to use chlorine dioxide; now they use
hydrogen dioxide; or hydrogen peroxide… (look it up in Merck Index;
dioxide and peroxide are interchangeable words). Learn something new
every day, I can guarantee you that has been happening around here.

This week we learned so much we had to take a step back to take
it all in. But this one tidbit of information seemed important enough
to get out on the site right away:

According to MoAA News; the newsletter of the Missouri Aquaculture
Community, a new “Drug” is being introduced for use in aquaculture to
prevent certain prevalent fish diseases… It’s name? 35% Perox Aid (registered
trademark)…

Let’s take a look at how this new drug is being marketed. Here is an excerpt
from the newsletter:

The first new waterborne drug approved for a disease claim for any
aquatic species in more than twenty years

The second aquaculture drug to gain designation under the Minor Use and Minor
Species (MUMS) Animal Health Act which entitles Eka Chemicals, Inc. to seven years
of exclusivity for marketing rights for the approved label claims

The first new aquaculture drug with an original approval covering multiple label claims for use in a variety of finfish species 35% Perox-Aid® is approved with over-the-counter marketing status and has no requirement for an acceptable daily intake, tolerance, withdrawal time, or regulatory method. Eka Chemicals Inc. has licensed Western Chemical Inc. as the sole distributor of 35%Perox-Aid®.

This first new approval is as recent as January 2007; it’s announcement is in the March
Issue of MoAA; and it is clearly the latest successful translation of food grade hydrogen
peroxide into a branded exclusive “drug” product; overcoming poor hydrogen peroxide’s
only major crime to date: Not being “economically viable”; whether it’s in the field of
medicine, home cleaning or food production, hydrogen peroxide is simply too inexpensive
and too effective to be marketed with any real economic “viability”.

Ah, if only we could turn it into an exclusive “drug”…

Edited: May 1st, 2007 under Articles, Blog - No Comments.

Green Cleaning - Is a Label Without a List Still a Label?

The news these days is full of new product releases from
natural toothpastes to green cleaning products…

But are they really? And how could you tell?

With toothpaste there is a required list of ingredients on
the label, which is some help…

But with cleaning products, in many cases there is no in-
gredient list; and none is currently required. So what’s a
green shopper to do?

Well, you could just start replacing cleaning products with
hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, sodium percarbonate and
acetic acid… (that’s white vinegar, btw)

Or you could check labels on green cleaning products and
if there are no ingredients listed, either choose to call the
manufacturer, or, choose another product which does provide
an ingredient list…

The new surge of interest and of scrutiny being applied to
“green cleaning products” may ultimately change the rules for
ingredient lists on products, but in the short term, supporting
companies who provide the ingredient information is a best
practice for smart consumerism.

And don’t forget that “green” is not only about what is in the
package but about how much packaging and energy goes in to
getting the package to you… Avoid excess boxing, wrapping,
containers and look for local products where possible.

And as always, hydrogen peroxide wins awards for all these, with
nothing extra: a bottle full of liquid which is recycleable when
empty… There you go!

Edited: April 24th, 2007 under Articles, Blog - No Comments.

Are You a LOHAS?

From the Globe and Mail to local city papers across the U.S.
the buzz is on about Green Cleaning this Spring.

Dierdre Imus’ new book Green This! Is just hitting the shelves
and all over the landscape people are talking about how they
keep house.

Stories ranging from personal encounters with white vinegar
smelling up the kitchen to advice on how to transform your
Spring cleaning with non-toxic alternatives and home made
remedies are publishing all over the country as manufacturers
scramble to explain how their toxic ingredients are not really
toxic.

At the same time the next wave of “green cleaning products”
is moving out across the landscape to meet this new demand.
Target is adding green products to their stores; and new
organic and safe cleaners for babies and families are
being introduced by new companies coming into the market.

What you might not have known is that this new trend has
a name… Yes, LOHAS is the name of a “trend”. To be more
precise, it is a “Market Segment”, as is explained in this excerpt
from the Globe and Mail:

Green thinkers belong to an increasingly important market segment called LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), a concept originated about seven years ago from the work of sociologist Paul Ray, co-author of The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World.

So if you were thinking that you were the only one you knew who
seems to be looking at life in a way that is “a bit green of main
stream” you can see, you really aren’t alone. You’re a part of something
bigger, and maybe better! A Market Segment! Whew Hoo!

Edited: April 12th, 2007 under Articles, Blog - No Comments.