What's in a Cleaner?

What's in your household cleaners? Ever wonder what your cleaners are and where they go when you use them or if they have any harmful side effects? Well if so, here are helpful tips on Greening your home with friendly cleaners!

Greening your life has become a whole lot simpler lately and all it takes is a change in mind set! First step is to become educated and aware of the products you spend your hard earned dollars on. Don't worry companies are making it easier for you to find these products, because now they are appearing on local supermarket shelves. All you have to do is look for them.
Second step is the let go of old habits. Now I know that many of you are thinking we have been using these products forever and nothing bad has happened, but try to think about it this way. When you use these harsh cleaners in your home they leave behind their potent smells and traces of those bad chemicals on whatever surface you are cleaning! Over a period of time these chemicals find their way into our blood streams, and from what I have heard, we all carry several toxins around in our bodies. Also now doctors are saying that over time we can develop asthma and that many of us have sensitivities to these chemicals that are in our daily lives.

Another thing to think about it is where do these chemicals go when we wash them down the drain? Unfortunately they make their way into our drinking water, rivers, lakes and soil. This affects the food that we grow and the fish in our waters, so it basically finds it way back into us in some form or another. So why are we hearing about this now? Well that is a question I ask myself a lot. They only answer I have is that these companies have not put enough research into what they are making and selling to us, and therefore the knowledge of what the effects are is lost. Sometimes making a buck is a higher priority than long term health effects as well.

There is no need to worry though, we can make better decisions by being better consumers. Now you have the knowledge you can start choosing the safer, natural products. So go out there and look for those nature friendly products and you'll feel a whole bunch better about what you are using in your homes!

BAD CHEMICALS to watch out for;

Ammonia - found in glass cleaners - Why? It causes headaches and lung irritation.
Phenol & Cresol - found in disinfectants - Why? It can cause dizziness and kidney and liver failure.
Lye & Sodium Hydroxide- found in oven cleaners - Why? Can burn skin, the eyes, and respiratory track.
Butoxyethanol - found in oven cleaners - Why? Can poison the blood, liver and kidneys.
Chlorine bleach - found in scouring powders & cleaning solutions - Why? It's the number one cause of poisoning in homes.
Hydrochloric acid & Sodium Acid Sulfate - found in toilet bowl cleaners - Why? Can can burn the skin and eyes or cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach burns if swallowed.
Pentachlorophenal - found in mildew removers - Why? Can be fatal if swallowed.

ECO-Friendly Alternatives;

Diluted Tea-tree Oil - an excellent disinfectant
Borax - a naturally occurring disinfectant
White Vinegar - Can be used to clean floors and other surfaces
Baking Soda - Add with white vinegar for scouring surfaces
Laundry Detergents that are fragrance free and biodegradable
Castile Soap - a general household cleaner, including laundry
Natural Oils, such as Olive, Walnut, food-grade Linseed and Jojoba- make excellent furniture polish and floor wax
Grapefruit-seed Extract- a disinfectant in the bathroom
Baking Soda and Water - a natural scouring choice

You don't have make your own cleaners, there are lots of products already on the market with these ingredients in them!

Look in my Natural Products Links for companies that produce greener choices, for ideas on what to look for in your local stores and more info on harsh chemicals and their effects!