What does it mean to be Greener? cleaner? Safer?

 ACTIVOX is GREEN! What does it mean to be GREEN, ecologically (eco) or Earth friendly?  Sustainable?  Simply stated, minimize the detrimental impact of our ACTIONS on the environment.  Regardless of how a product may be labeled (Table 1), many entities share eco-friendly goals:  safer for people/pets/planet, do not pollute air or waterways, and do not add harmful chemicals to the land.  ACTIVOX rapidly and harmlessly decomposes to water, oxygen and molecular species indistinguishable from constituents of natural soils.

 ‘Surfactants’, chemicals that help remove dirt, can be toxic to aquatic life.  Other chemicals that are used to change the qualities of water so ‘detergents’ work better can lead to problems like algae blooms and loss of oxygen in waterways.  Caution, some common household chemicals can also be toxic if incorrectly used in combination (bleach + ammonia).  Conclusion...most of the outdoor cleaning products available on retail shelves today may be good at something, but none are better or safer for cleaning outdoor surfaces than ACTIVOX! 

There are so many cleaning products to choose from, how do you determine what to buy for which job.   For starters, many of the products actually contain the same basic ‘active ingredients’ plus a wide variety of ‘supplemental chemistry’.  Many of these compounds are NOT meant to remove dirt, debris, algae, mold & mildew stains.  There is a very important distinction to make between outdoor cleaners versus disinfectants.  

Just because something is used in a hospital or medical setting, or your toilet bowl, or kills bacteria and viruses, does NOT mean it is going to clean your deck, fence or patio furniture.  Disinfectants and antimicrobials are not intended to be cleaners…they do their job AFTER the surface has been thoroughly CLEANED.  That being said, wouldn’t it be comforting to know if all components of a GREEN cleaner were affirmed by the FDA as ‘generally recognized as safe’? 

ACTIVOX meets these criteria under 21 CFR 184 and more.  

What OTHER exterior cleaning and stain removal choices do you have? There are many retail products containing a range of active ingredients: chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite), chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, percarbonates, sodium carbonate, quaternary amines, phenolic-benzene compounds, and a variety of soaps/detergents. So, what cleans and what doesn't?  

Read the labels, do a little online research and you'll find that outdoor surface cleaning is not the primary ‘intended use’ for most of the active ingredients cited. Each is actually used for a completely different purpose, including: pool maintenance, influent/effluent water treatment, in food service, as surfactants, sterilization, disinfection, preservation, and as antimicrobials. Some kill certain microorganisms based on standard lab procedures, but do they actually clean and remove stains? Not likely.  The cross-reference guide (Table 2) is by no means all inclusive, nor does it supersede information provided by the manufacturer.  Oxygen based cleaners are the logical choice.