Cleaning our homes is a daily task. Whether it’s cleaning the bathrooms, kitchen, or wiping off highly touched surfaces. Some regular household cleaners are made up of harsh chemicals. In some instances companies don’t have to disclose what all ingredients are in their products.
Household cleaners can contain carcinogens which can promote cancer growth, endocrine disruptors which mimic hormones and can cause infertility, premature puberty, miscarriage, menstrual issues, ADHD and cancer, and they can also contain neurotoxins which can cause headaches and memory loss.
Some cleaning supplies are worse than others. Some can trigger asthma, leave burns, and be extremely dangerous if ingested. Air fresheners can trigger asthma, fabric softener with scent can cause lung irritations, and bleach and ammonia if mixed together can cause lung damage.
Green cleaning supplies are a new way to clean your house with less toxic chemicals. Green cleaning supplies should not contain any hazardous chemicals. They should also be free of dyes, hypochlorite, chlorine, phosphate free, biodegradable, nontoxic, and use natural fragrances. Make sure when you check out if an item is green to read the label. Lots of companies that claim to be green will list all active and inactive ingredients having total transparency.
Green cleaning supplies don’t have to be just bought from the store. You can easily make your own at home with ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil, and castile soap.
- To make a homemade disinfectant, you would mix two cups of water, 1 tablespoon of castile soap, and 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil together.
- An easy all purpose cleaner would be equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
- Homemade laundry detergent recipe is ½ cup of washing soda, 1 cup soap flakes, and ½ cup baking soda.
Making these products at home can save on money. Making a multipurpose cleaner can also save on money because you have one thing that cleans multiple surfaces.
Yes, some household cleaners can have toxic chemicals. Green cleaning products are easily accessible. What are the benefits of using green cleaning products? One big one is that you are making a healthier home for your family and yourself. No longer will there be toxic chemicals to be inhaled. No chance of your children getting into the cleaning cupboard and ingesting something they shouldn’t. It gives your home better indoor air quality. If you or a loved one suffer from allergies or asthma, green cleaning products will not aggravate or irritate their allergies or asthma. The products are overall safer to handle in case of any accidental spills or contact to the person using them.
Many green products are healthier for the environment. Many times they will be packaged in biodegradable packaging, or they will be packaged in materials that are completely recycled. Some green products come as tablets where you just add water to them. This eliminates extra spray containers, or extra packaging. Most green cleaner companies are also cruelty free.
Green household cleaners can also be less expensive. This can happen in multiple ways. Either you make your own from inexpensive items, or you buy multipurpose cleaners. This cuts down on how many cleaners need to be bought when one cleaner handles cleaning of multiple areas of the house.
Green cleaners also tend to have few antibacterial agents. Antibacterials can mess with your hormones and thyroid. Also green cleaners have less allergens. Some allergens found in normal cleaners are perfumes, ammonia, soy , gluten, caustics, formaldehyde, chlorine, bleach, dye, and sulfates. Green cleaners are usually better for people who have sensitive skin.
Normal cleaners can cause headaches, throat irritation, eye irritation, or asthma. While green cleaning products use less harsh ingredients to decrease these symptoms. Some companies don’t list all their ingredients on the bottle, so it is hard to know if you are buying something that is hazardous. Green cleaning products are usually safer for people and the environment. Make sure to read the label and look for cleaners that have natural fragrances, free of dyes, nontoxic, and biodegradable to know you are getting a good green cleaning product.