Clean without chemicals

One of the positive fallouts of the pandemic has been the embracing of sustainability in the home hygiene segment The need for ingredient transparency and cleaner techniques experts say is driving entrepreneurs to question traditional processes and flag dubious formulationsmidday reached out to three sustainable home hygiene startups to discuss the importance of informed choicelsquoToxic PERC being phased out everywhere except IndiarsquoThe alternative Professional wet cleaningProposed by Ayushi Pande partner LaundromaniaIn 2018 Ayushi Pande launched Laundromania in Mumbai to introduce sustainability and modernisation in the laundry and dry cleaning segment ldquoIndia has an informal labourintensive laundry industry that has been traditionally running with the help of a network of dhobis Despite the increase in disposable income no significant development has taken place in the sectorrdquo she observes According to her insufficient knowledge of which chemicals to use and improper handling techniques for different materials can damage outfits This reduces the recycling capability of the fabric ldquoSo people end up buying more clothes and using lessrdquo Incidentally the term ldquodry cleaningrdquo is a misnomer given that the technique actually involves processing clothes in a liquid solvent to remove soil and stains ldquoThe problem here is that a majority of dry cleaners use the solvent perchloroethylene or ldquoPERCrdquo to treat fabrics These chemicals are toxic and the pollution they cause persists in the environment for decades Workers handling these chemicals can get affected too by the presence of carcinogenic elementsrdquo she explains Although efficient at degreasing and deodorising textiles PERC has been shown to cause cancer as well as kidney and liver damage in animal studies Other symptoms of short term exposure include nausea headache and unconsciousness PERC is classified as a Toxic Air Contaminant by the Environment Protection Agency EPA and is being actively phased out of the drycleaning process worldwide except in IndiaPande has been exploring ldquogreenrdquo and safer alternatives that are nontoxic and currently available in the market such as professional wet cleaning which uses water and special equipment that gently washes dries and restores fabrics liquid carbon dioxide CO2 cleaning in which carbon dioxide is pressurised into a liquid solvent that safely cleans Another green dry cleaning alternative is using liquid silicone known as decamethylcyclopentasiloxane D5 Professional wet cleaning which she says is the safest choice for India uses less water than traditional laundry ldquoWe explored the universe of detergents liquid solvents chemicals and continuously ran experiments to do pairwisetesting to conclude which processes work for what kind of stainsrdquo Through this research Pande hopes to bust the myth that green cleaning processes arenrsquot as effective ldquoNot only does the green process clean as well as the traditional chemical process it also leaves the fabric softer and ups the longevity of the garmentrdquoThe pandemic has propelled us to think of cleaner alternatives she thinks ldquoPeople have become more particular about who their garment comes in contact with Despite the pandemic we have expanded the brand to five stores in Mumbai and a much larger coverage with free pickup and drop offered to customersrdquo Pandersquos next step is to tap into the home fabric care segmentlsquoAmmonia in hand wash shampoo is causticrsquoThe alternative Products with EWG score of 1Proposed by Roopa Hariharan cofounder PureCultPureCult has pledged to recycle one unit for every unit sold and help customers turn plastic neutralIt was the slow death of the Bellandur lake one of the largest in Bengaluru that propelled Roopa Hariharan to rethink her home hygiene choices Previously dotted with wetlands of heritage value the city has been witnessing an alarming decline in their numbers leading to a shift from thriving to dying ldquoOur home cleaners wash into these lakes every day Ninety per cent of the lakes are affected by sewage accumulation With companies increasingly dumping debris and solid waste into the wetlands itrsquos causing marine deaths in the regions near Sankey Jakkur and Lalbaughrdquo she saysHer brand PureCult offers kitchen cleaners dishwashing liquid laundry detergents and fabric conditioners that are made with plantbased ingredients She believes consumers should be aware of the chemicals to avoid Products and ingredients with labels like Nordic Swan Ecolabel and those certified by EWG Environmental Working Group and those having an EWG score of one are safe alternatives to choose from ldquoLook out for ingredients such as hydrochloric acid ammonia sulphuric acid phosphates and phthalates You should avoid these at all costsrdquoAmmonia present in various skin care products shampoos liquid hand wash body wash helps make the products viscousrdquo In humans ammonia can irritate the eyes nose and mucous membrane It is caustic in nature and can cause damage to cells if dosage is not regulatedrdquo The average household contains about 62 toxic chemicals say environmental experts From the phthalates in synthetic scents to the poisonous fumes in oven cleaners Hariharan says we are constantly surrounded by them ldquoWhile some ingredients create rapid reactions when we are exposed to them headaches from fumes or skin burns others cause noticeable symptoms only from repeated exposure By then the damage is donerdquo The startup uses 50 per cent Post Consumer Resin plastic that has already been recycled and is repurposed ready to use again in all their HDPE Highdensity polyethylene bottles ldquoAll our bottles are 100 per cent recyclable Our partner for planner recycled plastic ensures it meets the EU and US standards for packaging safety The final product is tested with NABL certified labs for presence of heavy metals such as Lead Mercury Cadmium and Hexavalent Chromiumrdquo As of January 2022 PureCult has pledged to recycle one unit for every unit sold and help customers turn plastic neutrallsquoPeople use sanitisers on their gadgetsrsquoThe alternative Nonalcoholic gadget wipesProposed by Ishan Grover partner SvishWhile COVID19 ushered in a paradigm shift in the highend urban consumer approach to domestic cleaning the focus firmly remained on surfaces says Ishan Grover a seasoned craft brewer ldquoBut have you thought about the germs that are living on your gadgets Your smartphones which you take everywhere are germ foundries They stay close to your mouth and earsrdquo According to microbiologist Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona cellphones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats Some studies found 3000 bacteria per square inch on computer keyboards and 1600 on the average computer mouseTheir gadget wipes are made with a nonalcoholic formulation and 100 per cent biodegradable viscose fibre which is skin friendlyLast year Grover teamed up with adman Jaideep Mahajan to launch Svish a hygiene brand that offers gadget disinfectant wipes surface disinfectant sprays and toilet seat sanitiser spray ldquoWe noticed that people are spraying sanitisers on their smartphones toordquo Their gadget wipes are made with a nonalcoholic formulation and 100 per cent biodegradable viscose fibre which is skin friendly ldquoWe infused it with natural fragrance of lemon and pine unlike most others that had a lingering pungent aromardquo says Grover