Before becoming an ALL STAR: I worked at Center Partners as a Sales Agent.

Career Ambitions: To be the best I can be and a great team player!

Why she wanted to be an ALL STAR: To make people happy when they get home from work and have a clean house. I like working as a team. Team work is very important to me.

Favorite part of the job: Exercise and the friends I’ve met.

Something you may not know about Deena: I have never dyed my hair and I played varsity baseball with the boys my junior year of high school. Woo GO ME!

Before becoming an ALL STAR: Before All Star I was working for another cleaning place that was no where near as great!

Career Ambitions: I strive to always give my all to whatever I am doing!

Why she wanted to be an ALL STAR: I enjoy cleaning and making people smile when they come home to a clean home!

Favorite part of the job: The wonderful people we clean for and my co-workers.

Something you may not know about Heather: I’m a hard worker and always go above and beyond to give 110%! (Heather’s clients can certainly attest to this!)

Before becoming an ALL STAR: I have been a full time student for several years now.

Career Ambitions: I will be completing my EMT certification this fall and my bachelor’s soon, with hopes of someday attending medical school.

Why she wanted to be an ALL STAR: I wanted to be part of a company that is active in its community. Working for an eco-friendly organization is also a plus!

Favorite part of the job: Meeting new clients – and their pets!

Something you may not know about Shelby: My hobbies include vaulting (gymnastics on horseback,) playing music, and reading.

Before becoming an ALL STAR: Before All Star I was (and still am) a student at CSU. I have worked fast food, restaurantservices, and counseling before being an All Star.

Career Ambitions: Once I graduate from CSU I am planning on traveling and working in 3rd world countries.

Why she wanted to be an ALL STAR: I wanted to be an All Star because I love to clean and work with people.

Favorite part of the job: I absolutely love getting to know my clients. It allows for me to look at cleaning their house as more of a favor to them instead of a job!

Something you may not know about Corina: I’ve been on 6 mission trips, 4 of which have been out of the country.

Before becoming an ALL STAR: I worked as a driver for a local organic farm, in addition to a lot of retail and customerservice jobs throughout the years.

Career Ambitions: I would love for music to be my career, but if I’m not so lucky I hope to have a career that can fun a passion for music.

Why he wanted to be an ALL STAR: I wanted to work for a local company and I’ve always enjoyed manual labor.

Favorite part of the job: Seeing the finished product of my work.

Something you may not know about Chris: I’m obsessed with the TV show LOST.

Before becoming an ALL STAR: I worked outside helping maintain flower, shrub, and perennial beds.

Career Ambitions: I want to own my own home.

Why she wanted to be an ALL STAR: Because we use all natural cleaning products.

Favorite part of the job: I enjoy working in an environment where I be of service to people.

Something you may not know about Libby: I enjoy knitting and spending time with my grandson.

I’m always amazed by the sheer number of folks who think household bleach is a cleaning product.  Just the other day, I had another professional in the green cleaning world tell me that they will, “Usually use green products, but for first cleans and very nasty things like greasy stoves, we’ll get out the bleach.”

Bleach for grease? Really?

We’ve talked about alternatives to chlorine bleach on this blog several times.  It’s poisonous, may cause certain types of cancer, smells horrible, et cetera.  But it’s also just not that great of a cleaning product. There, I said it.  Let me get on my soapbox about some common myths- and uncommon truths- about Chlorine Bleach.

1. Bleach is a verb that means “to remove color from.”

Common household bleach, sodium hypochlorite, is an oxidizing color remover.  It works by changing color molecules called “chromophores” into non-colored molecules.  “Oxidizing” is the same chemical process that rusts steel, turns fat rancid, and causes great damage to cellular membranes (which is why it’s an effective disinfectant).

2. Bleach is not a degreaser, surfactant, or detergent.

It will not cut grease or soap scum any more effectively than your average spray cleaner.  It is caustic, so it will eat through certain types of soils, eventually.  But you’d be better off using a true degreasing product like citrus-solve, or other d-Limonene natural product.

3. Bleach is the number 1 cause of poisoning cases in the U.S.

According to the Nation Center for Injury Prevention and Control, chlorine bleach was responsible for more calls to poison control than any other product.  The quick stats:

• 218,316 reported poison exposures in 2005 were from household cleaning products.
• Hypochlorite (bleach) was the source of 54,433 poisonings in 2005; 25% of the total
  exposures from household cleaning substances and the cause of 8 deaths.
• 121,498 children under the age of 6 were poisoned by household cleaners last year.

4. Chlorine Bleach is useful for ONE thing!

I’m a huge advocate of natural and safer cleaning products.  Most of the time I will use a different type of oxidizing bleach product such as Sodium Perborate, Sodium Percarbonate (marketed as “oxy-clean”), or Hydrogen Peroxide.  But Chlorine bleach really can’t be beat for very stained whites, and even I use it occasionally.

However, as a disinfectant, and a house cleaning product, it is outdated and the risks far outweigh the benefits.

Thanks for letting me vent.

I LOVED this! I can relate completely, can you?

Courtesy of Healthy Child Healthy World

This is why we are proud to be Fort Collins’ original 100% Natural Green Cleaning Service. Learn more about our products HERE.