Hey guys, today we’ve got a great article from Groom+Style about the benefits of going green with our cleaning and getting those chemicals out of our homes! You guys know that there is literally not a single commercial cleaner that I am still buying in the store because, quite frankly, they’re so easy to make and very cheap too! Make sure and check out the link at the bottom of the article to see it in full and get some great cleaning recipes.
The DIY, homemade and all-natural cleaning worlds are sounding the alarm bells on commercial chemical cleaners found in stores. It’s no secret that commercial cleaning agents can be harmful to your health. All you have to do is smell them and read the warnings on their labels to know that they’re full of toxic chemicals. These cleaning agents contain chemicals which can cause cancer, asthma, allergic reactions, and are often poisonous when ingested. They are dangerous to have around children and animals.
On top of that, many household cleaners contribute to water and ozone pollution. And the contemporary obsession with disinfecting everything is leading to the threat of super-viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Green cleaning is the home cleaning DIY trend geared toward caring for the health, well-being, and sustainable practices of your family by using all-natural cleaners. For most makers of homemade cleaners, this isn’t just a budget solution, it’s a lifestyle. The aims of green cleaning are to keep your home and family safe and clean while also lowering their impact on the environment.
Detoxify your home green cleaning trend
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The Dangers of Household Cleaning Products
Most commercial cleaning agents are comprised of dangerous, and often undisclosed, chemicals. These chemicals can cause minor to serious and life-threatening health problems from inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact.
Chemicals to be Aware of
As with any substance, the level of a product’s toxicity depends on dose and length of exposure. The worst toxic chemicals fall into three categories:
Going green will remove all of those products from your home!
Many cleaning agents can also cause skin irritation and eye irritation, and be poisonous if swallowed. Air fresheners and other chemicals that linger in the air can cause asthma from long-term exposure, and many fragrances can trigger allergies. A few household cleaners will even create poisonous gases when mixed with other cleaning agents (chlorine bleach, ammonia, and toilet cleaners).
Antibacterial Soap
Antibacterial soaps are dangerous for global health as well as individual health. The truth is that regular (greener) soaps have been proven to be just as effective as antibacterial soaps when it comes to killing germs that may cause diseases. However, antibacterial soaps help bacteria build a resistance to antibiotics, creating bacteria that are difficult to near-impossible to kill with known methods.
Triclosan, an active ingredient in antibacterial soaps and other goods meant to promote healthy homes, has also been known in animals to interfere with the body’s regulation of thyroid hormones. This is known as an endocrine disruptor, and it could lead to hormone-related problems such as infertility, early puberty, obesity, and cancer. Frequent use of anti-bacterial soaps and triclosan may also be a cause of allergies in children.
Greenwashing
When buying natural cleaners in store, be aware of “greenwashing.” Greenwashing refers to marketing campaigns by companies that promote their brand as environmentally responsible without a specific reason. This is a good way for companies to grab consumers who want to buy green but do not have the time to investigate this image. Many cleaning brands take advantage of green marketing while still using harmful toxins and chemicals in their cleaning products.
Brands will often use misleading claims on their bottles and packaging to make their products seem more environmentally and health-friendly than they actually are. This includes products labeled as “green,” “natural,” or “biodegradable.” Many of these products still contain harmful toxins. When checking natural cleaning products in stores, look for specific claims and information rather than buzzwords.
Benefits of All-Natural Cleaning
Green cleaning will allow you to feel comfortable breathing the air in your home and cooking on freshly cleaned counters. Switching to all-natural cleaning and homemade cleaners promotes a healthier and more wholesome quality of life. For one thing, natural cleaners are safe around children, meaning that you can clean with your children around and get them involved in their own healthy cleaning routines.
A Healthier Household
In spite of the decreased rate of disinfecting (which is mostly unnecessary), natural cleaning promotes a healthier house through improved air quality and safer surfaces. When you clean with chemicals, those chemicals can enter the air and remain on the surfaces that you and your family touch every day.
All-natural cleaners allow you to be confident when you’re doing your household chores, knowing that you’re breathing healthy air in your house. Natural cleaners are also less likely to leave skin-irritating residue on countertops, windows, and other surfaces. They are safer, non-corrosive cleaning agents that limit the risk of chemical burns to your eyes and skin when cleaning.
Many who use all-natural cleaning products, whether homemade or purchased, comment on the better air quality that these products promote. Some even consider the green cleaning process to be a form of aromatherapy because homemade cleaning agents often replace toxic chemical smells with calming and relaxing essential oils.
They’re Better for the Earth
All-natural cleaning products are less likely to release harmful chemicals into our wastewater. All-natural cleaning supplies can help to lower the carbon footprint that leads to ozone depletion and climate change.
These natural cleaning goods often come in recyclable packaging. And it’s very simple for anyone making their own cleaning goods at home to reuse their bottles and containers. Just rinse and refill!
Knowing the Ingredients
Government regulations do not require companies to list all the ingredients on the packaging of commercial cleaning products. Even those that provide partial lists can be purposefully misleading, giving you a false sense of security about what you know about a product. The only way that you can be sure about the contents of a bottle of household cleaner is to make it yourself.
In stores, the market for all-natural home cleaners has been booming to fill the need for non-toxic and less irritating cleaning agents. The high demand for clean and healthy households has allowed companies that produce all-natural cleaners to demand high prices. That means you could be paying more for products that won’t jeopardize your health.
However, making your own homemade cleaners is much less expensive than relying on chemical cleaning. Homemade cleaners are most often a mixture of a few basic and inexpensive pantry ingredients such as vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice for healthy home cleaning, so you don’t need a chemistry degree to spruce up your home.
Home Cleaning Substitutes
Picking the right soap is a great way to have your home spaces smelling and feeling the way you want them to, so try out different soaps and make adjustments if you’re not happy with what you have. It’s best to also avoid soap containing unnatural fragrances, but, if you are unhappy with unscented liquid soap, add an essential oil of your choice to your soap to give it some character.