Keep your Household Cleaning Healthy
A lot of us, when we clean our homes, we depend on the cleaners and supplies that our local discount or super market sells us to be healthy for our families and our pets. But, what exactly are we cleaning with? If you read any cleaning product label, warning labels are listed on the product per the law, but to what extent are those chemicals causing harm?
Even though a cleaner states that it is indeed, “non-toxic”, it may not be a great chemical to be cleaning with. Everyday new cleaners are introduced into the market with the promise that it will clean your home without causing harmful toxins into your indoor air quality, but is it really? Here are some ways to keep your home healthy in more ways than just depending on what the label states.
1. Clean your home with noncellulose sponges. The sponges sold at the super markets, (most of them) contain anti-bacterial or cleaning detergents and that means they contain some sort of disinfectant. Stay clear of them. If they label read “kills odors” or “antibacterial” it could very well contain some form of a pesticide.
2. Use reusable cloths when cleaning. You can easily throw them in the wash and use them time and time again. Also, use essential oils instead of harmful irritating cleaners that give off fumes. Even with essential oils, you may want to open a window or two to vent the room a bit.
3. The best scrub can be made from steel wool or even dry salt mixed with a bit of warm water. Baking soda is a great nonabrasive cleaner on stove tops and floors as well.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: How hot do you think the earth is getting? Watch this PBS Special on Climate Change and see the changes take place before your eyes.
March 28th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Good post! Good info
April 21st, 2009 at 11:03 pm
There’s a lot of doubt surrounding which methods/products are truly sustainable and which are just green washing. Check out our myth-busting video “What’s Your Big Green Lie?!” which gives a taste of the widespread ignorance of green issues including indoor air as it’s affected by common household products at http://www.biggreenlies.com