Looking to add a fabulous shine to that fabulous floor - but keep it green and eco-friendly as well? There are many green cleaners out there that can effectively clean your floors and help preserve the environment as well.

It may take a little bit of detective work to sort out the white hat cleaners from the black hat cleaners. For example, a number of toxic chemicals that can be found in floor wax make them a poor choice for a green cleaning routine. Most of which I wouldn't want my children around! According to environmental writer Larry West (http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/floor_wax.htm), some of these chemicals include:

• Cresol, which can cause liver and kidney damage if inhaled over extended periods of time.

• Formaldehyde, which has been linked to everything from asthma to reproductive problems to cancer, and should be avoided whenever possible.

Other hazardous ingredients in traditional floor wax are nitrobenzene, perchloroethylene, phenol, toluene and xylene.

What alternatives do you have to all of these toxic chemicals? Bioshield (www.bioshieldpaint.com) offers a whole range of earth- and family-friendly paints and primers, as well as a variety of green cleaning products. If you haven't stumbled across Method yet (www.methodhome.com), you should certainly look into them as well. They provide a whole range of natural home products, including an All Floor Care Kit.

Now, get out there and clean green-ly!