Different people have different reasons for not adopting green cleaning practice. Does any of these factors ring a bell?
1. Unawareness of the products and methods
“I didn’t know these kinds of methods exist.”
Yes they do. But I don’t blame you for never knowing this.
Most people first found out about green cleaning practices after they saw their grandmother use vinegar to clean the sink. Vinegar is a natural cleaning agent with great antibacterial properties. Read More..
2. Tragedy of the Commons
“The waste from my own cleaning products will not produce a significant threat to the environment.”
Perhaps so. But what if everyone in Singapore thinks exactly the same way?
The concept of ‘tragedy-of-the-commons’ explains that a behavior that makes sense from an individual point of view will be disastrous to the society when repeated by enough individuals. Read More…
3. Unavailability
“It is really difficult to find green cleaning products in the supermarket.”
Many people complain that their initial effort to go green cleaning has been burnt down by the unavailability of green cleaning products nearby.
Today I went to the main convenience store in campus, and tried to see if they sold any Green Label laundry detergent or floor cleaner or dishwashing liquid. The results: none. Read More…
4. Costs
“Why should I spend more money if there is a cheaper alternative?”
Honestly, every time I ask my friends what keeps them away from green cleaning products, they always say the price. They have this assumption that eco-friendly products are always more expensive and therefore they have never purposely looked for or even bought one.
But is that really the case? Read More...
5. Misleading green labels
“I don’t know if a cleaning product is really eco-friendly of just labelled as such.”
People have to be careful with the label ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ on cleaning products, just as they have to be careful with the label ‘sugar-free’ or ‘non-fat’ on food products. Many products label themselves ‘green’ or ‘natural’ only to attract environment lovers Read More…
6. Negative assumption of efficacy
Many have been questioning if green cleaning products work as well as regular ones. Since regular products have more chemicals, it would make more sense that regular products are able to clean more thoroughly.
Okay, here is a secret. Read More…
7. Time and energy consuming
“I had never used dryer for my laundry before I came to Singapore 3 years ago.”
Seriously, I had several Monday mornings where all my uniforms were hung wet at the backyard and my mom had to dry it in front of a fan. Perhaps, since most of the houses in Indonesia are landed property, people find it more convenient to hang dry their clothes, and to save their money. Read More…
Okay, here are the common excuses. But hey, you might be different. Tell us what you think.