Green and Clean

Allergic Living Magazine (fall 2005)

Ah, the cleaning lady. That woman who whirls through your house like a dervish, leaving sparkling windows, spotless floors and gleaning chrome in her wake. Scents of lemon and pine cleansers and bleach linger like perfume when she leaves. And for some people, that can be a big problem.

For those with chemical sensitivities, walking into the room that’s just been cleaned with ammonia can feel like being hit with tear gas.  For asthmatics, even the mildest scent can trigger a debilitating attack – not the nicest welcome home. For people with such conditions, traditional cleaning products, and the hired doyennes of domesticity who use them, can be more hindrance than help. What’s busy couple or family to do?

Enter the green cleaning lady, who uses old-fashioned elbow grease and homemade cleansers made from ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda and Borax. Across the country, a smattering of companies have begun to offer the services of this new domestic engineer.

According to AspenClean, based in Vancouver, the demand for such service is high.  In less than two years, the company is already a thriving concern.  “Eighty per cent of our customers choose us because we are non-toxic, and therefore better for their pets, children, asthma or allergies, “says co-owner Alicia Sokolowski.  Three to four new client sign up every day, and revenues have doubled since December.

Torontonian Allison Sletcher know first-hand how serious chemical sensitivities can be.  Her reaction to commercial cleansers was so acute, she couldn’t even work in an office because the environment left her felling horribly ill.  So she created a new  job for herself, and the process, pioneered a small industry.  Sletcher opend Earth Concerns Cleaning in 1995.  Her fortunes – and her health – have been improving ever since.  “I’m still a small company,” she says modestly.  “I only have a staff of 20, but I’m bigger than I ever thought I’d be.”

The stereotypical image of the cleaning lady, hair tucked under a kerchief and mop in hand, is as dated as chemical-laden, fragranced detergent.  Luc Cayer saw a need for an ecologically aware cleaning guy (on a bike, no less) in scent-aware Halifax.  His company, Holisticlean, uses products such as Down East’s all-purpose cleanser mixed with essential oils for a customized aromatherapy experience.  “Obviously, for individuals that are hypersensitive, I don’t use any oils, “says Cayer, who has a background in environmental science and biology.

Whether they use products that are unscented, eco-certified, non-toxic or their own natural concoctions, these modern entrepreneurs have found a niche that’s not about to gather dust. – D.C.

For more informtion:

AspenClean, 604-925-9900 or www.aspenclean.com

Earth Concerns Cleaning, 416-535-9397 or www.earthconcernsl.com

Holisticlean, 902-830-6193 or www.holisticlean.com