Cleaning products are often made using extremely hazardous and corrosive chemical substances, that are poisonous not only to us, but our pets and the entire eco-system.
Immediate exposure can cause acute reactions, allergies and even death. Long term exposure through the VOC's they produce, has been linked to serious life threatening illnesses e.g. cancer and asthma. When it comes to cleaning our homes it seems we are spoilt for choice with the amount of products on offer.
Products that offer to immediately vaporize mould, dirt and germs with just a simple spray and wipe over with a cloth. It stands to reason that any product that can do this so quickly and easily, has to be pretty potent stuff! Chemical and synthetic based cleaners, are created using many highly toxic ingredients like, chlorine bleach, solvents such as alcohol, propylene glycol, glycol ether's, formaldehyde, kerosene, perchloroethylene and methylene chloride etc. These ingredients as well as causing harm if they make contact with our skin, or if ingested, also enter the air in our homes as VOCs (volitile organic compounds) polluting the air and therefore our lungs and other organs.
http://www.healthyhouseinstitute.com/a_769-Are_Your_Cleaning_Products_Making_You_Sick
To top off the chemical cleaning cocktail, manufacturers add an unhealthy dose of synthetic, fragrances and colours. Some products even use specialized chemicals to eliminate the chemical smell of their products, so that the product can be labelled fragrance free.
 What can we do?
There is no need to use such dangerous products to clean our homes. You can clean, polish and disinfectant your home and belongings with a few common pantry items, some micro-fibre cloths, water, a scrubbing brush and a decent vacuum cleaner.
Two of the most affordable and versatile products would have to be good old fashioned bi-carbonate soda (baking soda) and white vinegar. There is not too much that vinegar and bicarb can't do!
Here are some ways to clean with white vinegar.
- Use a 1/2 a cup of white vinegar in a couple litres of hot water to mop your floors
- Clean windows and mirror with a mix of equal parts vinegar and hot water
- Clean your kitchen drains by pouring a cup of straight vinegar down them and let it sit for 30 mins
- Clean your fridge and bench tops with equal parts vinegar and water. Mix up in a handy spray bottle so you have it always on hand
- Remove mould from your bath and shower by applying straight vinegar, let it sit then scrub grouting with a stiff cleaning brush, even an old toothbrush will do
- Add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine to get clothes free of soap residue and to deodorize
- Polish stainless steel
- Disinfect and deodorize toilets and sinks
The list is endless, see these great tips below for more uses for vinegar and also how it works as a disinfectant
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vinegar-kills-bacteria-mold-germs.html#
http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html
Cleaning with bicarb is just as versatile, as using vinegar and the two can often be combined to form a powerful cleaner. Bicarb makes a great scrubbing paste, deodorizer, degreaser and mould remover.
- for stubborn mould and mildew in the bathroom , combine bicarb and vinegar into a paste and while it is bubbling away, scrub !
- to deodorize and clean carpets , sprinkle liberally with bicarb let it sit for awhile then vacuum up
- when made into a paste with water bicarb is great for cleaning in the same way as you would with any cream cleanser
- remover crayon from walls and blackboards with a damp cloth and bicarb
- soak nappies is a solution of bicarb and water to remove stains, mould, then wash in hot water and hang outside to dry http://www.bakingsodabook.co.uk/baking_soda_cleaning_tips.shtml
A good microfiber cloth is all you need to dust and polish mirrors and furniture with. To get rid of dry dirt and dust nothing beats a good once over with the vacuum cleaner.
If you really miss the perfumed smells of an artificial cleaner, you can sprinkle a couple of drops of pure essential oil and add to your vinegar or bicarb cleaner.
You can also purchase some fantastic ready made 'all natural', safe and cruelty free cleaners and washing detergents etc These are available at some supermarkets and most health and eco-stores. For a list of certified cruelty free cleaners go to the Cruelty Free List by Choose Cruelty Free or the Leaping Bunny Listif in the USA/UK/Europe, provided they are not owned by a parent company that are not certified cruelty free e.g Body Shop is owned by L’Oreal, as we will not list such companies on the basis that the parent company receives the profits.
. You can not trust that a company may write on their products, or advertise that they are cruelty free, as any company can use clever loopholes to claim this, when in-fact they are still animal testing. See more in our article Animal Testing do your part to stop it |
Cleaning Products