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Friday, March 11, 2011

The dirt on household cleaners


Spring is in the air, and so is a cloud of chemicals in most American homes after a day of cleaning. Those modern miracle products that let you spray on suds and wipe off scum, clean the toilet with every flush, and kill airborne germs with a fog of lemon-scented disinfectant might get the dirt out of sight, but what's also out of sight is the chemical residue left throughout your "clean" home.


This month, we’re showing you alternatives to toxic cleaning products.

2 Big Problems with Conventional Cleaning Products

1) They’re bad for your health. Most cleaners on the market contain dangerous solvents, acids and other hazardous chemicals that have been proven to cause irritation to noses, eyes, and lungs. Some of these chemicals are proven to cause indoor air pollution, and some are suspected carcinogens-especially with repeated and prolonged use.


Here’s what the EPA has to say about chemicals in cleaning products.




2) They’re bad for the environment. Outside, your detergents and cleaners flushed down the drains contribute to water pollution.


12 Ingredients to Always Avoid

While there are thousands upon thousands of chemicals out there that are questionable, there are several you should always avoid.

Check out the top 12 worst chemicals found in cleaning products from Planet Green.

Fortunately, there is a plethora of effective, eco-friendly and non-toxic products out there, and many cleaning concoctions you can make on your own that will save you money and keep your house clean and free of toxins.


Next week, we’ll share our favorite cleaning recipes.

What did you think of this Buzz? Let us know below!

4 comments:

  1. Have shared this on my FB Page. My staple cleaning supplies are baking soda and vinegar (the kids hate the vinegar smell, but it's a lot better for them than the chemicals). Looking forward to the next post!

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  2. Not only are traditional cleaning supplies toxic but they come in plastic bottles, many of which are thrown away instead of recycled. So, a home remedy also saves you from buying yet another plastic jug.

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  3. Thanks for sharing. I have been working with the janitors who clean at my building and I love the alternative janitorial cleaning supplies choices you gave! I look forward to going through them and checking out some of your helpful hints!

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  4. Nice post, regular use of conventional cleaning products is really harmful, thanks for the info!

    Laundry products

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