Not every sister makes such odd requests for a birthday, but alas, my sister is unique. This year she requested that my mom and I deep clean her house. With two people working, commutes, long hours, and her husband back in school, hours left over for cleaning have run short. Besides, really, if you had to skip one chore, wouldn’t it be the real, deep grunge cleaning?
So, after a few disgruntled exclamations, I agreed. She does all the packaging design for Celtic Naturals (at this point, for free), so I definitely owe her a few favors. I just received an entire package of It’s Enzymatic cleaners from Green Irene, so this would be a fantastic opportunity to test them and receive some very critical feedback. If it can pass for clean between my mom, my sister and myself, well, it could very well pass for anyone.
Enzymes: What are they? Why do we care?
Remember high school chemistry? We learned about catalysts: those inert substances that speed up a reaction without actually getting involved. Back then, our discussions were (thankfully) limited to the much simpler non-organic reaction. Fast forward to the more thorough understanding and consciousness of the world around us though, and we as a society must have a greater understanding of organic chemistry.
Enzymes are the catalysts of the organic world. The enzyme is so influential, when multiple reaction possibilities exist, the enzyme can determine which reaction occurs. According to the Enzyme Nomenclature Database, as of November 2010, there are 4367 named enzymes. (An increase from the mere 3705 named by October 1999.) It can be expected that many more enzymes will continue to be detected and understood.
It is the natural order of organic life to decay. Dirt, dust mites, grease, viruses: all die and break down to their basic elements, eventually. Carefully selecting which enzyme is exposed to the dirt and microbes in your home can greatly enhance your cleaning efforts. You can now clean organically, breaking down these offending elements into their basic elements, which are water soluble.
Selecting Enzymes?
Different surfaces of the home tend to attract different types of soil. Certainly, the glass tables in my sister’s home seem to attract my son’s fingerprints. The keys on the piano are also suspiciously dirty. The hardwood floors, the floorboards, fans and the grease in the kitchen all collect different types of dirtiness.
Are you overwhelmed? Have no fear, the It’s Enzymatic cleaning line offers a different collection of enzymes for each surface:
- Kitchen,
- Bathroom,
- Floors (hardwoods included),
- Stainless and Glass,
- Spot and Stain Remover, and
- Mildew.
Overall Assessment
We started only with hardwood cleaner, and tried to clean nearly everything with it. It was fantastic on all the floorboards, the piano and fan blades. Scrapes and general scuffs on the wall came out well, however, those unnamed spots of goo that are the result of pets and toddlers were resistant. For those, we choose the Mildew Remover. Wow! Worked like a charm.
In my personal quest to choose natural cleaners, I have found glass cleaners to be the most difficult. I was quite skeptical when I heard of the glass cleaner. Since I have a toddler and glass coffee tables (as does my sister) I was quite delighted to find that in combination with the microfiber cleaning cloth, the glass cleaner was fantastic. Playdough, cat snot, toddler fingerprints are all a thing of the past – with no obnoxious smells, no streaks, and no chemical residue. This is one happy mom (who has a happy sister!)
In fact the glass cleaner was so effective, we tried to avoid opening the Kitchen cleaner, but found that it was necessary when trying to clean the grill on top of the microwave. The grease here was thick enough to measure, so we needed some heavy duty grease cutting. The grill required some patience and a second application (and a little more patience) but using nothing more than the Kitchen cleaner and a soft cloth, the microwave was sparkling.
My mom was so impressed, she is ordering products as a housewarming gift for my cousin – who took possession of his first home last weekend. For now, I know that my son will be playing in a clean and toxin free home when he visits my sister. All in a day’s work.
I’m so impressed, I’ve decided to represent Green Irene products. Check ‘em out, they are about as green as they come. Prices are reasonable, and they have the same philosophy about packaging as Celtic Naturals. If you’d like to know more, I’m always available to answer questions.
Helping the environment one shower at a time.
Angela J. Buckley
P.S. We calculated that we used approximately $10 worth of products for the great room, the family room, dining room, kitchen and entryway. This included wooden floors, floorboards, kitchen cupboards, chair railings, two ceiling fans and piano. I find this to be significantly cheaper than the baking soda, vinegar, water and essential oil method that I would have used. (I’ve also never been happy with an eco-friendly glass cleaner before.)
