S & G Cleaning Solutions
Making conscious decisions around the cleaning products we use every day is something we can all do to have a positive impact on our personal health, as well as our local environment. S & G Cleaning Solutions is a local vendor at the Thunder Bay Country Market that makes non/ less-toxic cleaning products. S & G is owned by Charmaine Barton, who creates all of the products herself with the support of her husband and son (and the oversight of her cats). The products that go down the drain are septic-safe and environmentally safe (or at least neutral). The majority are also vegan, and the ingredients are common household items listed on the label in plain language. Barton says she named the company after her two cats, Shadow and Ghost, who partially inspired the business by becoming sensitive to household cleaners. S & G products are also zero-waste, coming in reusable jars and brown paper bags with a discount on refills with jar returns.
The top two sellers at the market are Sublime laundry detergent and a product called MOATB. The laundry detergent comes in a 500 ml jar, which is good for 32 loads.
This vegan formulation requires a warm or hot water wash. Barton points out that this is beneficial during these times where people are worried about germs, as cold water washes do not kill bacteria or viruses. The MOATB started life as "The Mother Of All Toilet Bombs," but has evolved into many uses. These tablets come unscented and scented. Barton says the top three uses of these tablets are as a shower steamer (that also cleans the drain), a toilet bowl cleaner, and a non-toxic bathroom drain cleaner. Market customers also report using it as an air freshener for drawers or closets.
As with all the vendors, Barton has a list of reasons she loves being at the market, from the helpfulness and camaraderie amongst the vendors to the diversity of the customers. Barton has always lived along the Great Lakes and has seen the damage done to the water from all sorts of pollution. “I may be only one person doing one small thing,” she says. “But if I can get 10 people to ‘detoxify my home’ then we start to have a measurable effect. If I can get 100 people, then there is a bigger effect.”
For more information, contact sngcleaningsolutions@gmail.com.