Jain Spirit 2001 12 No 09

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 33

ammonia, methylene chloride, naphthalene, nitrobenzene, perchloroethylene, sodium hypochlorite, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene and xylene. Even without a Ph.D. in chemistry and biology I was sufficiently alarmed by this list.
While using and thus disposing of these products is harmful, the manufacture may be even more so. While "Not Tested on Animals" is the label in fashion on personal products, the grim reality is that it is really true. We do not test to see what effect manufacturing chemicals has on life, we just do it. We assume any impact is negligible until proven otherwise, after which we consider it a necessary sacrifice. Attending a two-day seminar on the environmental impact of the chemical industry organised by the manufacturers themselves provided the data that my heart already knew: the manufacture of chemicals is a hugely poisonous and thus violent affair.
Abandoning this line of research I started what I consider a more Jain approach: to what were my needs and how could I meet them using the minimum amounts of the gentlest cleaners - causing the least amount of himsa. This research was more fruitful and led to an incredible conclusion: most of my violence was totally unnecessary.
I want to share my findings with you on how to reduce our himsa caused by our cleaning rituals: personal, laundry and household. Let us start by learning from the wisdom of our ancestors, which is still valid. The people who built the Ranakpur and Abu temples were clean, wore clean clothes and kept their homes clean. We could learn from their habits and ask ourselves why we have moved away from simple cleaners such as water, vinegar, lemon and baking soda.
The first answer is economics and advertising. If water works better than 50% of the glass cleaners in the market (according to consumer reports), who is going to profit from it? If a spoonful of vinegar added to that water makes it among the best cleaning substance, will you see an ad for it? We start thinking that the simple and effective solutions are old-fashioned, and soon we forget about them completely.
The second answer is that we have created very abrasive and toxic cleaners only recently. People washing clothes and dishes with their hands will not tolerate chemicals that harm them. People wearing gloves (a recent practice) do not mind harsher detergents. People using washing machines and dishwashers want their cleaners to be as strong as possible. Actually since these machines replace direct attention to stains with overall washing they require more abrasive substances.
A third answer is that detergents were developed especially to clean synthetic fibers and are unnecessary for natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk and wool. Similarly, to keep fluorescent and other synthetic dyes looking bright we have to use detergents.
So how do we reduce our violent cleaning behaviour with
something gentle? We need to do three steps: reduce, substitute and change.
The first step is to Reduce. We can reduce the dosage of all our cleaners, our soaps and shampoos, our laundry and dishwashing detergents. I cut down quantities by half and everything came out fine. Of course some stains needed direct treatment but the extra manual step was worth reducing my himsa by half. I reduced my consumption of dishwashing detergents by much more than half, especially when I found out that there is a measurable residue that has been known to affect young children.
Waste Is Violence
The next step is to Substitute. My babies were bathed in besan (chick-pea flour) paste instead of soap, a very Indian tradition. If it was good for babies, then it was good for me and now I rarely use soap. I can visualise water creatures getting annoyed by soap, but being grateful for besan as it is entirely biodegradable and life-friendly.
THREE SIMPLE STEPS
Our clothing detergent now has no phosphates, no colours, no fragrances. And the next step is not to use any cleaner some of the time. You don't always need to use soap or detergent to get clothes clean. If you need to wash clothes to freshen them or remove perspiration or odours, and not
remove dirt, a cup of plain baking soda or vinegar will do the trick. For household cleaners, plain water is good enough or add a spoonful of vinegar and keep that solution handy. Baking soda is also another amazing natural cleaner. There are safe substitutes for drain-cleaners, silver polishers, boot polish and all household chemicals. The interested reader is referred to the Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd. For Jains, using cleaners that contain non-toxic and renewable ingredients should be the default step. We should use products that need no warning labels as that means that they will not cause violence to anybody!
The final step is to Change our habits. We can learn from our monks and use a washcloth to rub ourselves and not need any cleaners. This habit makes a statement: our bodies are designed to be self-cleansing, self-healing and we do not need fancy products to be hygienic. We can choose natural fibers like cotton and wool that do not require detergents and avoid fluorescent colours. We can stop using the dishwasher and use our own strength to get tough stains out.
Through awareness, education and discipline we can live in a way that respects and nourishes other life.
Reduce Consumption To Necessities
Substitute By Using Safe Products
Change Habits And Educate
Rajesh Shah lives in Oakland, California and is trying to become a good father and a non-violent citizen.
December 2001 February 2002 Jain Spirit
29