by Jessica Orquina

Protecting the planet has always been important to me, but since I became a mom two years ago assuring that our environment is clean for generations to come is of even greater concern. My son is an energetic, curious toddler who always gets into anything he can and is constantly investigating his environment. So, keeping the house clean and safe is essential.

Our Safer Choice program is a great resource for moms like me who want the products we use every day to be safer for our families. The EPA scientists who work on this program make sure every ingredient in the cleaning products meets stringent health, environmental and performance criteria. Only products that meet the Safer Choice Standard get to carry the Safer Choice label. So, if a cleaning product has the label I know it’s made with ingredients that are safer for people and our planet.

In my job in EPA’s Office of Public Affairs, I get to work with programs across the agency. Last year, I was excited when we came out with the new Safer Choice label because it’s a program that helps parents like me. More recently, I was happy to see products with the Safer Choice label start to show up on the shelves of my local grocery store here in Washington, DC.

I encourage you to look for the Safer Choice label when you shop for cleaning products to protect your family and our environment.

About the author: Jessica Orquina works in the Office of Public Affairs as the social media lead for the agency. Prior to joining EPA, she served as a military and commercial airline pilot. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and son.