Most of us want to believe that our homes are safe havens. After a long day of work, it’s nice to relax in our own space where we can be surrounded by the things (and people) we love. But if you take a closer look, you might realize that your home is actually full of potentially harmful chemicals.
From the shampoo in your shower to the cleaning products under your sink, it’s estimated that the average American is exposed to over 80,000 chemicals on a daily basis! While some of these chemicals are harmless, others have been linked to serious health conditions.
So what’s a concerned homeowner to do? The first step is to educate yourself about the most common toxic cleaning products found in your home. Once you know which ingredients to avoid, you can start making changes around your home to create a safer environment for yourself and your family.
Common Toxic Cleaning Products
All-Purpose Surface Cleaner
Before you grab your all-purpose surface cleaner and start scrubbing away, it’s important to know what you’re dealing with. These cleaners may smell great and do a great job of making your house look spotless, but they are often made with harsh chemicals like ammonia and ethylene glycols, which can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat.
If you’re looking for a more natural way to clean, there are plenty of recipes for DIY cleaners that use ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, or borax – perfect for those who want to avoid harsh chemicals altogether.
Glass Cleaner
You might think that your windows are sparkling clean after you spray them with that popular name-brand glass cleaner, but what you can’t see is the toxic cocktail of chemicals that you just unleashed into your home. Ammonia and isopropanol are two of the main ingredients in most store-bought glass cleaners, and they can cause irritation to the eyes and skin. Ingesting these chemicals can be downright poisonous, so it’s no wonder that many people are looking for a safer alternative.
The good news is that it’s easy to make your own glass cleaner with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Make yourself a cleaning solution that will leave your windows streak-free without subjecting your family to harmful chemicals.
Tub and Tile Cleaner
When mold and soap scum starts building up on your tub and shower, it’s natural to want to find a product that will get rid of those things. They’re gross! Plus, mold and mildew can be hazardous to your health. Unfortunately, the most common cleaners have chemicals like chlorine and alkyl ammonium chlorides, which are skin-irritating and can cause breathing problems especially when you use them in a small space like your bathroom.
There are safe, natural solutions! Whether you have pink mold growing in your grout or just yucky soap scum in the tub you’d really love to enjoy a bath in, we’ve got recipes for you.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Most people don’t give much thought to the toilet bowl cleaner sitting under the sink. But maybe they should – because these are some pretty nasty chemicals. Take hydrochloric acid, for example. This is the same stuff that’s used in industrial cleaners and it’s highly corrosive. And then there’s bleach, which is also extremely irritating to the skin and eyes. So next time you reach for the toilet bowl cleaner, be sure to take some precautions – like wearing gloves and goggles. Otherwise, you may be in for a nasty surprise.
For a natural alternative, using baking soda and vinegar may be your best bet.
Hand & Body Soap
We use our hands for almost everything – from cooking and cleaning to driving and typing, to eating and holding our babies. So it’s important to make sure they’re clean. While hand soap is milder than dish soap, both have the potential to cause skin and eye irritation.
Making your own natural hand soap is crazy easy and fun! We have tons of all-natural soap recipes available, but here are some of our favorites:
Furniture Polish
Furniture polish is gross. Whatever you have in your house right now probably has at least one of these: ammonia, naphtha, nitrobenzene, petroleum distillates, or phenol. They’re very irritating to your skin, eyes, throat, and lungs. Even if you don’t have any allergies, these chemicals can still cause problems. They can make your eyes water, your nose run, and your throat feel scratchy. Inhaling them can give you a headache or make you feel dizzy.
There’s no need for all the nasties in those products. Instead, create a natural furniture polish in just a few minutes that is perfectly safe and effective.
Laundry Detergent & Stain Removers
Let’s face it, laundry detergent is a necessary evil. We all have to use it if we want our clothes to actually be cleaned. However, what many people don’t realize is that laundry detergent is full of nasty chemicals that can be harmful to your health. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals can even cause asthma to develop! No thank you!
That’s why I’m glad these all-natural alternatives are made with safer ingredients and are gentle on the skin, making them a much better choice for both you and the environment.
Dryer Sheets
It seems like dryer sheets should be pretty harmless, right? After all, they’re just little pieces of cloth that you throw in the dryer with your laundry. But it turns out that these seemingly innocuous products can actually be quite harmful. For one thing, dryer sheets are not safety tested, so we really don’t know what effect they may have on our health. Additionally, manufacturers are not required to disclose the ingredients in dryer sheets, so it’s possible that they contain harmful chemicals. So next time you reach for a dryer sheet, you may want to think twice.
Check out these SUPER easy, natural solutions that will help you save money!
Adhesive Remover
Products like Goo Gone and other adhesive removers are full of harmful chemicals that can cause respiratory issues and skin irritation. Don’t give up on reusing that jar just yet! There are other ways to get rid of sticky, gummy messes that don’t pose a risk to your health. Here is one natural solution!
Dishwasher Detergent
Dishwasher detergent is bad news. It’s incredibly irritating to the skin, eyes, throat, lungs, and more. It can also cause chemical burns on your skin. This might be the nastiest chemical in your house! The chemicals in it are designed to break down the grease and grime on your dishes, but they can also do a number on your body.
There are better ways to clean your dishes without giving up the convenience of the dishwasher. Here are some natural dishwashing detergents you can try, so you can have peace of mind when getting your dishes shiny.
Room Sprays & Air Fresheners
Many air fresheners and room sprays are filled with artificial fragrances and chemicals that can affect your health. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are released into the air when you use these products, and they can cause a variety of health problems like headaches, nausea, and difficulty breathing.
So, next time you’re looking for a way to make your home smell good, try using essential oils instead. You can find diffusers that will slowly release the fragrance of essential oils into the air. Not only will your home smell great, but you’ll also be improving your indoor air quality at the same time.
Green Your Cleaning Routine
It can be hard to make the switch from harsh chemicals to gentler, all-natural alternatives, but it’s worth it. Not only are you taking care of your home and family by using safer products, but you’re also helping reduce the number of harsh chemicals in our environment. I hope you feel inspired to try some of these natural cleaning recipes – they really work! And if you have any questions or tips of your own, we’d love to hear about them on social media with @fromsimplyearth and in the comments below!
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