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The Chemical Cleaners In Your Home

  A recent finding published by The Canadian Association Medical Journal found that frequent exposure to all those common household cleaning products can increase the risk of a child developing asthma. (CMAJ study)
While this might be a surprise for some, it was a confirmation of the many things I've seen and for all those I know that already experience problems with chemicals.
  
First off these chemicals and toxic substances are not good for us, many evaporate easily and if you put these chemicals in a spray they become even more damaging as you breath in the fine particulate. They can, as I just recently learned also react to contaminants that are in our air and produce new harmful chemicals (volatile organic compounds or VOC'S for short). Scary thought isn't it?
The ingredients found in these products can cause everything from irritated throat, eyes, and skin, headaches, allergic reactions, chemical burns, poisoning, and induce asthma, and other respiratory illnesses.
According to EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning, ingredients found in these products "can be laced with the carcinogenic impurity" and contain "preservatives that release low levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde".
More and more evidence is showing that not just the sensitive or the very young can be effected. Even otherwise" healthy people" can develop allergies and asthma from using toxic cleaning products, especially if used on a regular basis.

The below is a list of some of the ingredients that can be found in air fresheners, rug, upholstery cleaners, floor & furniture polish, detergents, dish washing liquids, and other house hold cleaners that can worsen asthma.
     
Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride
Alkyl Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride
Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride
Diethanolamine
Dioctyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride
Distearyldimonium Chloride
DMDM Hydantoin
Ethanolamine
Formaldehyde
Glutaral
Monoethanolamine Citrate
Quaternium-15
Quaternium-24
Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach)
Sulfuric Acid
Triethanolamine

Some other common ingredients to avoid include:

    *Terpenes are citrus and pine based cleaning products and air fresheners that can react to ozone to form formaldehyde.
    *Chlorine bleach: Repeated exposure has been linked to respiratory damage, wheezing, as well as nose and eye irritation. The fumes (carbon tetrachloride, chlorine, chloroform) are a complex mixture of carcinogenic and irritating gases.
    *Fragrances/Perfume, as many of us already know are among the top allergens in the world.  Researchers at (Universities of Washington and West Georgia) surveyed peoples experiences with fragranced cleaning supplies. They found nearly one in five surveyed suffered breathing problems and headaches among other problems with exposure to air fresheners.
    *Enzymes added to laundry and dish washing detergents. (These are added to help break down and remove stains.) Unfortunately these enzymes have been linked to respiratory allergies in occupational settings.

Now after all that rather scary information what kinds of products or ingredients should we be looking for instead?
Well thankfully there are a lot of options out there that you can use instead of chemicals to clean your home and there are plenty of safe brands now available in stores.
Look for products without added fragrance, or warnings that you must wear gloves and only use in highly ventilated areas. Check the label for a third party eco-label, full list of ingredients, and the company's contact information.

  You can double check a product at EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning or get some information about products and product labels. I've found it to be a very helpful resource.

  You can also keep it simple by using some simple ingredients that you probably already have in your home. You can use good old soap and hot water, baking soda, which is good for scrubbing and deodorizing and vinegar is great at cleaning glass.
Your basic white vinegar kills about 80% of germs and contains a 5% acetic acid concentration, but you can also buy cleaning vinegar that has a higher acetic acid concentration. The later can be harder to find so I tend to stick with plain old white vinegar as it works really well as is.

These are my go to cleaners at home:

- Baking soda, Baking soda & vinegar, vinegar, and vinegar and water.

- Pink Solution All Purpose Cleaner, Super Concentrated (It cleans everything, and I do mean Everything! It's made in Canada, eco safe, and not tested on animals) For more product information check out their website. pinksolution.ca

- Jude's Miracle Cloths are eco-friendly, pet and child safe. (All you need to add is water. Just wet it and wipe widows, glass, chrome,etc.. to clean without streaks.)  For more product information check out their website judesmiraclecloth.com

Both the Pink Solution and Jude's Miracle Cloth are available at several well known retailers.


  You really only need a few key ingredients to clean your home include baking soda, vinegar or lemon juice mixed with water to clean surfaces, drains and toilets. It's not only simple, but it reduces you and your loved ones exposure to harmful chemicals. You can also save money and reduce waste by reusing containers (ex. spray bottles) .

Check out some of the homemade cleaning recipes on our Pinterest page, Allergy Relief At Home.
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