W. Van cleaning company limits use of chemicals

North Shore News (Sept. 15, 2004)
Lisa Jorgensen

ALICIA Sokolowski was looking for ways to clean her home without using chemicals.
"I've always been very organic, very health conscious, into recycling and protection of the environment."

When she began her hunt to find an efficient alternative to chemical houshold cleaners she came across a microfibre cloth from a German distributor.

"I was very impressed with it," she says.

Today she now imports her own cloth, sells it and runs AspenClean, her own all-natural cleaning services out of West Vancouver. 

Sokolowski's team uses that microfibre cloth in almost all that they clean. 

"The special cloth thiner is than human hair so it really picks up dirt - regular cloth tends to push the dirt, that's why you need all the chemicals."

With just a simple dose of water, almost any surface can come clean, including windows that are left shiny and streak free.

Sokolowski adds that her cleaning company uses essential oils (Tea Tree and Lavender) for disinfecting and for scent.

For deep cleaning, Sokolwski says she uses steam, which seems to do the trick.  

"I have a botanical soap we also use for some additional power wherever we need it." 

For about a year, Sokolowski has kept the all-natural cleaning service alive and she says, peaple are responding very well to it. 

"There is actually quite a market. A lot of people are looking for ways to clean their house with no chemicals." 

Many of her customers contact her, she says, because they do have some insecurities about regular cleaning help using chemical products. 

"We go the extra mile to make sure that we do not use chemicals."

That's because her staff has a lot of allergies and asthma because they have been working with chemicals for a prolonged period of time, she says.  Other individuals, she adds, "have diseases where they can't be around chemicals at all." 

The chemicals used in cleaning products,  she says, "stays on the windows and it stays on the surfaces for a few days and inhaling that is not good for anybody. Not to mention the amount of chemicals that are being poured into our rivers and it's really not necessary." 

Similar to other house cleaing companies, Sokolowski offers both housecleaing and office cleaning.

Sokolowski's AspenClean sells the microfibre cloth for $8.95 and it lasts for about 500 washes. 

For more information on Aspen Clean visit www.aspenclean.com or call (604) 925-9900.

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