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Believe it or not, the more you clean the more damage you could be doing to your home and your family! Everything seems to be going green these days and now this effort is going beneath the surface. For Heather Schoff and her family spring cleaning means "green" cleaning. "I was introduced to green products and started changing everything, " Schoff says. "The laundry detergent, scrubbing sinks with non-bleach." Schoff converted to green cleaners several years ago when her son Clayton developed asthma. "When you think of asthma in a child, that's when it can be caused by environmental pollutants," Schoff told us. Now Clayton is better and Schoff is sharing her story as a sales consultant for Shaklee Brand Cleaners. According to her, going green doesn't have to happen overnight. You can actually take it one bottle at a time. Lynn Simonen is Schoff's neighbor and customer. She's taking a realistic approach to "greening" her home. "I've got three kids. We're just slowly adding, changing our ways and adding different products that are improving our lives inside our house and outside," Simonen said. But do these gentler cleaners work as well? We went to an expert to find out. "They do clean as well now, but they do so differently." Matt Pliszka is a chemist with Environmentally Sensitive Solutions, a company based in Mequon. He explains some cleaners in your cabinet are more "mean" than clean. "We don't need to use the harsh stuff cuz we don't necessarily want it to chew up the soil," said Pliszka. "We just want to get underneath it so it lifts off the surface." The company's product line "Simply Safe" can be found at most local grocers along with other so-called "green" brands. But Pliszka warns read the label first! "If you hear someone say, 'Oh our products are chemical free' be a little skeptical because you know if it has water in it, it has a chemical in it. So it's not chemical free." As for Schoff and many of her neighbors in the Oconomowoc Lake community, the extra effort it takes to "go green" is worth is in the long run. "I don't think it should be such a production. I think it should just be the usual for people," commented Schoff. There are many inexpensive natural cleaners you can find in your own home. Things like baking soda, lemons and white vinegar can be used for a variety of tough jobs.