Greenwashing Floors?

Greenwashing your floor? Who would have thought? I recently bought a laminate floor thinking I would save the environment a few extra chemicals being tossed away after shampooing my old carpet. Plus, the idea of tossing my old carpet to be replaced with new carpet that would eventually need to be thrown away - seemed like an endless cycle and I decided I would end the cycle with new flooring. The flooring would be easy to take care of, I reasoned. All I would need to do is sweep and wipe up any messes that are tracked into the house. Well, I didn't think about my dog - and rainy fall weather. So, I purchased a new Swiffer. The Swiffer seemed like the most obvious choice since my daughter could easily push it around on the floor to clean up. After I purchased it, my daughter faithfully used the push-mop. Then she told me I need new Swiffer pads. Well, what was I to do? Of course, I bought them so I could keep my floor shiny and new. It seemed all good to me.Then came the shock I never expected. Swiffer advertises as economically friendly. It claims to save gallons of water yearly as well as the chemicals in the detergent used. However, on the website http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/03/06/greenwashing-101-the-swiffer-green-or-greenwash/ bloggers JENNIFER VAN DER MEER and JILL FEHRENBACHER expose Swiffer for the greenwasher they are. Swiffer touts being eco-friendly while the packaging materials for their product will sit in landfills for years to come - exposing the earth to the chemicals from the plastic wrap. And the Swiffer sheets used to clean the floor also contain chemicals that will seep into the earth from the land fill. Why does Swiffer feel it is OK to lead consumers to believe their product is helping to save the environment? I am back to wiping my floor with wet paper towels or wash cloths. While I realize I am sparing the landfill from some unwanted chemicals, I also realize I have to use something. I just wish companies would not try to tell us they are green when they clearly aren't.

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