Moms Talk: What's Your Take on Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products?

There's no denying that household cleaners can be dangerous: Mix bleach with many common toilet bowl cleaners, for example, and you produce poisonous chlorine gas.

The resurgence of environmentalism in the United States brought with it a number of eco-friendly cleaning products, like Seventh Generation and Eco-Me. But many question whether those non-toxic products are as effective as traditional cleaning agents. To further complicate matters, some products labeled "biodegradable" or "organic" aren't always as environmentally friendly as their manufacturers would like you to think.

This week, our Mom Council members—, , and —thought it would be helpful to look at this facet of the "green" revolution.

We're hoping many local moms will continue to offer their advice, questions and thoughts by posting comments to this discussion forum. On a sidenote, if you're interested in joining our Moms Council, e-mail Editor David Henke at david.henke@patch.com.

Here's this week's discussion topic:

Do you prioritize using eco-friendly cleaning products, or is it just one more thing to feel guilty about when all you want to do is get the bathroom clean? Do you think that household chemicals have a big impact on the health of your children? What do you do to keep them safe?