Rachel’s Blogs

Ok so for last week’s Eco Ventures we had a look at organic food… this week I took it a little closer to home…
Right inside your home in fact.

I found it interesting that despite the economic downturn – I’ve noticed a number of ads for green or eco cleaners in Singapore.

Surely with people looking to cut costs the last thing many consumers would be looking to do is to hire a more expensive cleaning service.

Surprisingly the companies I spoke with have seen quite substantial growth.. over the last year or so.. despite the tricky timing to launch a new venture.

The two firms I spoke with were Eunikeliving and Green Cleaners – both taking on very different approaches.

Eunikeliving uses materials that require just water.… apparently the cleaning is 6.5 times more effective in comparison to traditional cleaning methods.

Eunikeliving is not only tapping on to the green cleaning market with alternative solutions – but by providing a part time cleaning service, it is also catering to the growing demand of more consumers looking for such alternatives in comparison to full time domestic helpers.

Using a competitive pricing model Eunikeliving says that such eco cleaning services are on par cost wise in comparison to traditional methods.

So what is the method behind the madness?

Well as Eunikeliving shared with me recent studies have shown that 26 seconds after you use a chemical to clean your house traces can be found in your blood stream.

This takes me onto Green Cleaners.
Green Cleaners is a firm set up little under a year ago here in Singapore by expatriate Colin Pudsey.

Colin set up Green Cleaners after moving to Singapore and having a negative reaction to the cleaning products used by his weekly cleaners.
After searching for a healthier alternative and finding lack of options, Green Cleaners was formed.

Green Cleaners offers domestic cleaning services and as well as cleaner training services.

I had a sniff of some of the products used.. the linseed floor cleaner reminder me of bath oil… not such a bad alternative.

The majority of the consumer market looking to go green in Singapore are expatriates or young professional – but those in the industry say that the shift in consumer attitudes is pushing toward a longer term trend.

The main reason many consumers are going for eco-cleaning alternatives… health, children’s health and impact on the environment.

One question I have about the eco or green cleaning industry here in Singapore and probably for most of Asia is – what kind of regulations are in place to ensure that you are actually receiving so called green or eco cleaning services?

While the industry here in Singapore may be just finding its feet, I have no doubt that as the industry grows, and more players come to market – that some kind of industry standard will need to be out in place – for so called savvy green consumers to make sure that they are in fact getting their monies worth.

There are a number of statistics available online that highlight reports on the cleaning industry.

This is one example:

And if your interested why not give it a try yourself…. while I’m no domestic goddess.. I hear baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and a little bit of tea tree oil for disinfectant works wonders for most things.

Check out some behind the scenes pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ECO-VENTURES/104855928773?ref=sgm

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