Hazards of cleaning products and safer alternatives
Keeping your home clean helps to reduce exposure to dust, molds, mildew, and germs. A clean home is better for your health than a dirty home. But some cleaning products can also cause health problems themselves.
In choosing cleaning products, it is important to consider both health and environmental hazards. For example, a drain cleaner may be very hazardous to use but have little effect on the environment once it goes down the drain. A dishwasher detergent with phosphates may pose little hazard to the user, but when it goes down the drain the phosphates can create water quality problems. The best products are both safe to use and safe for the environment.
Why be Concerned?
- Some cleaning products can burn skin or eyes. These cleaners include some drain cleaners, most oven cleaners, some toilet bowl cleaners, and some rust removers.
- Products containing ammonia or chlorine bleach are irritating to the lungs if inhaled and may aggravate asthma symptoms. Also when combined with other types of cleaners, create a toxic and sometimes explosive gas.
- Solvent-based cleaning products, such as spot removers, degreasers, and some furniture polishes and metal polishes, can be toxic and flammable. Accidental ingestion of these products can be fatal.
- Cleaning products are among the products most frequently ingested accidentally by children and pets. Corrosive and solvent-based products can cause serious damage.
- Within 26 seconds after exposure to chemicals, they can be found in every organ in the body. There is no way of knowing the short term or long term effect of this exposure.
- Children are more susceptible to toxins then adults. Kids receive proportionately larger doses of environmental toxins than adults.
- Household cleaners can be extremely toxic to pets, as can common bug sprays and garden pesticides.
- The average American uses about 40 pounds of toxic household cleaning products each year.
What You Can Do
- Switch to safer natural cleaning products. There are many that are more effective than mainstream products.
- Ask your elected officials to keep toxic chemicals out of consumer products.
- Keep all toxic cleaners and chemicals away from children and pets. (It's a good idea for you to steer clear also).
- Check the label. They may not list their ingredients but you can read the warnings.
- Buy products that contain plant and vegetable based ingredients.
- Don't use any products on your baby that contain petroleum by-products or nut oils. They don't need any synthetic fragrances either.
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