Using green cleaning products not only can have a positive impact on the environment, but also can promote a healthy family. For those with allergies, asthma or other health conditions, green cleaning products contain natural ingredients that are anti-bacterial, support a clean home and reduce bodily impact.

Photos

Photo 1 of 1

Loading...

Tracey Hiner started TraceyClean after becoming concerned about the effect her regular cleaning supplies might be having on her unborn baby. PHOTO: Mark Lebryk, Custom Publications

Back to basics
For Tracey Hiner of McCordsville, what began as a desire to get back to basics has grown into a business called TraceyClean.

“I started making my own cleaning products to avoid using harsh chemicals while I was pregnant,” Hiner said. “I had been reading findings that indicate that chemicals are absorbed through the umbilical cord. So, I learned about basic ingredients and their cleaning properties.”

Friends began asking Hiner to share her cleaning products, which contain ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar and essential oils. Based on a growing number of requests, she and her husband launched TraceyClean.

TraceyClean products serve several purposes, making fewer cleaning products necessary. Hiner has a vinegar-based all-purpose cleaner that can be used in bathrooms and on appliances and floors. It also can be used on some countertops, but not granite or marble, so Hiner created a formula specifically for those surfaces.

TraceyClean also makes tub and tile cleaner, scouring powder, a dusting aid and a line of natural air fresheners. All products contain essential oils, which not only provide a pleasant scent, but also have natural anti-bacterial properties.

Seeking alternative solutions
Tammy Mutter’s interest in cleaning with fewer chemicals led her to Shaklee — a 50-year-old company known for its safe and environmentally friendly products. Using Shaklee products, Mutter came to appreciate the company’s values, philosophy and commitment.

“I became very passionate about sharing natural alternatives with other people,” Mutter said. “Eventually I realized that this could be a business venture for me.”

For the past year, the Noblesville resident has been a local Shaklee owner/distributer. The company’s complete line of home cleaning products includes everything from dishwasher detergent to laundry soap to window and bath cleaners. The products are sold in concentrated form, which requires less packaging and makes them effective and cost efficient.

Shaklee also offers cosmetics, personal care items, natural skin care products and nutritional resources.

Finding green cleaning resources
Both Mutter and Hiner encourage people to read labels on cleaning solutions and learn more about the products they bring home.

“I want clients to know exactly what’s in their cleaning products,” Hiner said. “All of the ingredients are listed on the product label.”

TraceyClean products are available in several Indiana retail stores including Harvest Fresh Market in Carmel, Good Earth in Broad Ripple, Green Way Supply, True Value Hardware in Zionsville and at the Indy Winter Farmer’s Market through April.

Shaklee products are available only through private distributers like Mutter. She can be reached at Tammy@HealthyUBiz.com or through her Web site, www.healthyubiz.com. Each month she has a drawing for $200 worth of green products through the site, or you can keep up with her through her blog, www.greenmoms4kids.com.

—By Deb Buehler, for Custom Publications

Get green updates on Twitter. Follow us @greenindycom.