APRIL 2006

ECONOMICS & enterprise
A Kinder, Gentler Cleaner
BY JOVAN KASSAB
Josephine
Elizabeth
Fermanian
Shows off,
Germs
BeGone
PHOTO BY BRAD ZIEGLER
Today’ s modern home is loaded
with toxic and polluting substances
designed to make
domestic life easier. The cost of these
commercial, chemical-based products
can be high — long-term health concerns
for the family, and environmental
pollution caused by their manufacture
and disposal. Josephine Elizabeth
Fermanian of Commerce Township
hated cleaning with commercial products,
but rather than suffer silently, she
set about developing an alternative.
“ I had a hard time breathing from all
the cleaning chemicals so I started
looking for different alternatives,” said
the wife and mother of a toddler. After
stumbling upon old Victorian recipes
for getting rid of germs without chemicals,
she did her research and three
years later Germs Begone was born. “ I
got it tested [at the University of
Michigan, Dearborn] and it did as well
as Clorox and Lysol,” Fermanian said.
The U.S. National Center for Health
Statistics says in the United States,
one in three people suffer from allergies,
asthma, sinusitis or bronchitis.
Treatment for these conditions should
include reducing synthetic chemicals in
the home environment. “ We are cleaning
constantly,” Fermanian said. “ We
are taking in toxic fumes ... people
often forget they go into our lungs.”
Many people don’ t realize that
household cleaners fall under the
Hazardous Products Act, which dates
back to the mid-1960s. The Consumer
Chemicals and Containers Regulations
regulate them and labels are required
to provide hazard symbols like “ poison”
and “ flammable.”
Dr. Virginia Salares is an indoor air
quality expert featured in a CBC
Marketplace article on household
cleaners. She was asked what is in
some of the products being marketed
to young families. One product looked
at — Lysol Anti-bacterial Action Spray,
which lists ethanol 79 percent. “ Not
just any ethanol,” Salares said. “ It’ s
denatured ethanol” — meaning poisoned
to make it undrinkable.
Fermanian, the president and CEO of
Germs Begone, said the product is a
safe and friendly alternative to most commercial
household cleaners. It is made
with only natural essential oils and aromatherapy
lavender. The product, which
comes in an 8- or 24-ounce sprayer or
gallon, can be used on countertops,
doorknobs, faucets, most appliances,
toys, highchairs, infant-toddler car seats,
diaper changing stations and the like.
“ My mother-in-law uses it on her
granite countertops and swears it beats
the alternative. It is so safe that you can
use it on your hands or your child’ s as a
sanitizer,” Fermanian said, adding that
many customers have come to find the
product also works well at taking out
tough stains. Germs Begone has a sibling
— Odors Begone.
“ The feedback is phenomenal.
People always come back to buy
more,” Fermanian said. She noted that
many consumers and retailers aren’ t
used to all-natural products. “ We need
to be healthier,” she said. “ That is the
most important.”
Germs Begone is sold at Hiller’ s
Market of Ann Arbor, Long Lake
Market of Bloomfield Hills, Zerbos
Health Foods of Livonia and Water
to Go of Commerce Township.
It can also be ordered at
www.germsbegone.com.
BE AN ACTIVE PART OF THE
chaldean community
THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
Please mail the subscription form,
along with a check made payable to:
The Chaldean News
Attn: Subscriptions
30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 102
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
SUBSCRIPTIONS
12-Month subscription
DUES
$20 (MICHIGAN) $30 (OUT OF STATE)
I wish to subscribe to the Chaldean News for 12 issues
Please fill in your name and address below:
Name _________________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________ State _____ Zip _____________________
Phone ______________________________
E-mail ________________________________
www.chaldeannews.com
Phone: 248-932-3100 or FAX: 248-932-9161
28 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2006