Safe Cleaning Products Ditch the Toxic Stuff. +DIY Recipes

Recently, I contributed to a  64 DIY cleaning recipe round-up on Girl Meets Nourishment which includes my orange peel vinegar recipe.  Yes, I said *64* DIY cleaning recipes!  Despite this wonderful go to list, I wondered how many people are still using their same  tried and true toxic cleaning products? Do they realize they are  harming  their bodies every time they squirt, spray, and sprinkle their countertops, toilets, and floors?  Well, the harm is stopping now.   Read up on why you need to ditch those toxic cleaners and opt for safe cleaning products.

*Bonus*  I listed my favorite picks from the DIY round-up and others.  Be sure to add your own recipes or links in the comments below.  It takes a village.

Why Use Green Cleaners:

Are you wondering who has the time to make their own cleaning products or find less toxic store bought alternatives?  Consider this:  the Environmental Working Group, in creating their cleaner database, found that many of the ingredients in our cleaning products are extremely toxic.  In fact, some of the ingredients are known to cause cancer, blindness, asthma, neurotoxicity, reproductive disorders, and other serious illnesses.  Worse yet, some of the compound are banned in other countries.

EWG noted in their Cleaner Hall of Shame that widely used products such as  Comet Disinfectant Cleanser Powder emits 146 chemicals including  formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and toluene, and Feberze Air Effects emits 89 harmful air contaminants.

Be sure to read EWG’s Cleaner Database Hall of Shame.  Many of your favorite cleaners may be on this list.

The Warning Red Flags:

Turn over your cleaning products and see if they have the following warnings:

• “Will burn your eyes,”
• “Chemicals known in California to cause cancer”
• “Will penetrate skin and attack underlying tissues and bone.”
• “Vapor harmful… open windows and doors or use other means
  to ensure fresh air entry during application and drying.”
• “Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal.”
• “Use in well-ventilated rooms away from sleeping areas.”

Do you want products in your house that if inhaled, swallowed or penetrate the skin could cause harmful consequences? Chlorine Bleach is the most common cleaner that children accidentally swallow.

Cleaning products that contain inhalants are being abused by teenagers. Inhalant.org reports over 2.6 million children from the age of 12 to 17 use an inhalant every year to get high.  1 in 4 children have used a household product to get high before they reach the 8th grade.  Inhalation can be fatal.

Aerosol products  such as  air fresheners, carpet stain removers, and furniture polish  are contributing to this problem.  At the very least, remove these products from your home.  (Here is a list of products that children abuse.)

Chemicals to Look Out for

Flip over a clean product and look at the ingredient label.  If you see the following ingredients on label, don’t buy it.

• Spray products with ethanolamines (MEA, DEA and TEA.)
• Any product that contains an ingredient with “quats”  Recently I found liquid soap containing a “quant” ingredient.
• Any product with the word, “fragrance” in the ingredients.  The “fragrance” in a product can be comprised of any combination of 3000 chemicals.  Hidden hazards of these chemicals  include allergens, neurotoxins, and  phthalates.

Additionally, use EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning to find safe cleaning products.   Note, some green productsreceived poor scores since they failed to disclose their ingredients. EWG believes in transparency.

I have been critical of this Guide since its focus is on asthma and air pollution and not as much on skin absorption issues.  However, the Guide is a good place to start.

Make Your Own Safe Cleaning Products:

However, if you want to create your own green cleaners, here are a few recipes to start you off on your journey.

*Drum Roll Please!*

1.  Better than Lysol {Real Food RN}

2.  Powerful Mold and Mildew Spray {Rooted Blessings}

3.  Homemade Bathtub Scrub with a Secret Ingredient  {Nourishing Joy}

4.  Herbal Scouring Powder {The Nerdy Farm Wife}

5.  Natural Fruit and Veggie Wash {Naturally Mindful}

6. How to Clean Carpet Stains {Healing Cuisine by Elise}

7.  Homemade Bleach {Nourishing Joy}

8. How to Make Your Own Washing Soda {Just So}

9. Wood Polish {Healing Cuisines by Elise}

10.  How to Make Your Own Borax Free Laundry Detergent {ecokaren}

11.  How to Remove Rust with a Lime and Salt.  {WebMD}

12.  Orange Peel Vinegar {Green Talk}

 Join the Conversation:

• Do you make your own cleaning products? If so, list the recipe or link in the comments below.
• What are your favorite green store bought cleaning products and why.

 

 

 

 

Similar Posts:

• EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning. Helpful or Confusing?
• Choose Safer Cleaning Products this Spring! +21 DIY Recipes
• Make Back to School Shopping PVC free
• Smart Mama Got her Gun on Fox News
• Send a Message to Walt Disney to Green Clean