Almost no one likes to clean. The red hands, the strong fumes, the watery eyes, the headaches. There’s not much to like except the end result—a clean house.

However, switching to alternative cleaning supplies just may change your mind.

With so many quality options available today, you no longer need to ventilate the house, don rubber gloves and hide the kids just to clean.

The arguments for switching to green cleaning aren’t just a matter of environmental ethics, or making housecleaning a more pleasant experience: Harsh chemical cleaners can cause a variety of health problems and injuries as well.

Chemical-based household cleaners can be especially problematic if someone in the house suffers from asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or recurring allergies.

“People with these respiratory problems tend to be sensitive to almost anything that can irritate the airways,” says Dr. Norman H. Edelman, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association. “Any cleaning supplies that give off fumes or fragrances can irritate them.”

Edelman especially warns against products containing strong-smelling chlorine or ammonia, which can trigger asthma attacks and bronchial inflammation in sensitive people. “There are safer alternatives to all these products,” he says, “so if someone in the house has a respiratory problem, why take a chance?”

Those with respiratory sensitivities aren’t the only ones who’ll want to take note. While harsh cleaning chemicals will temporarily irritate many people’s skin, there’s a much greater chance of longer-term irritation if your skin is sensitive. Some people with contact dermatitis may be allergic to one or more of the chemicals in common cleaning products.

Dr. Kristin Stevens, a dermatologist for Providence Medical Group in Portand, Ore., says contact dermatitis rashes caused by cleaning supplies may not show up on the thicker skin of the hands.  Instead, it may appear on the thinner, more delicate skin of the eyelids or neck—places we frequently touch with our hands. In addition, eczema can also be triggered by household cleaning supplies.

“If you’re predisposed to eczema or contact dermatitis anywhere on your body, it’s best to use the gentlest cleaning products you can,” says Stevens.

If you have youngsters in the house, there’s even more incentive to get rid of those chemical cleaners. According to Dr. Erica Liebelt with the Association of American Poison Control Centers, more than 120,000 kids under the age of 6 were unintentionally exposed to household cleaning products in 2005.

While many kids experienced no symptoms or mild symptoms, more serious cases led to burns of the skin, eyes, mouth, esophagus and stomach. In some cases, kids need to be on ventilators or respirators after aspirating cleaning chemicals into their lungs.

The dangers aren’t limited to children. Adults can get serious burns and even permanent eye damage when caustic agents (like toilet, tub, oven, and drain cleaner) come in contact with skin, eyes, and mucus membranes.

Not only are some of these cleaning chemicals dangerous, they might also be overkill. According to Mike Watson, Ph.D, a toxicologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, household cleaners labeled as disinfectants must be registered pesticides with the EPA. Do you really want to spray pesticides in your home when other, less toxic products can do the trick?

Practical Green Cleaning Formulas

Between time-tested homemade formulas and the new green products on the market, anyone can keep a clean home without resorting to harsh chemical cleaners. Annie B. Bond, author of the green cleaning classic Better Basics for the Home, recommends healthier alternatives for various categories of cleaners below.

1. Window Cleaner

Problem: Most are ammonia-based and can trigger respiratory problems in sensitive people.

Solution: Bond suggests an inexpensive, all-natural window cleaner made by mixing 1 ½ cups of water and ½ cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle. One important caveat about streaks, though: if the windows have been cleaned by chemical cleaners in the past (almost all will have been), the first time you wash, you’ll need to add ½teaspoon of detergent to the mix. The detergent will remove the waxy chemical residue that would otherwise leave streaks.

2. Tub and Toilet Cleaners

Problems: Many of these cleaners contain caustic chemicals that can burn skin, mucus membranes and eyes—and, if swallowed, the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. The strong fumes can irritate the airways, especially for people with asthma, chronic pulmonary diseases, and allergies. Liebelt warns that these products can be potentially hazardous if used together; some contain ammonia, others contain chlorine, and mixing the two produces chloramine gas, a serious respiratory irritant.

Solutions: To clean the tub, Bond recommends using a paste made out of ½ cup of baking soda and enough liquid detergent to create a frosting-like consistency.
For toilets, especially those with mineral stains, add one cup of borax to the water and let it sit overnight.
If you prefer a more traditional tub and toilet cleaner, try Bon Ami, a chlorine-free, phosphate-free, non-abrasive powdered cleaner.

As for disinfecting bathroom surfaces, Bond says: “You can’t truly sterilize your bathroom anyway.” Instead, she recommends spraying surfaces with straight white vinegar, which has been shown to dramatically reduce populations of mold, mildew, bacteria, and viruses.

3. Furniture Polish

Problems: Strong fumes from petroleum distillates can irritate sensitive airways and aggravate allergies. In addition, these chemicals are extremely dangerous for kids to ingest. Because of their viscosity, there’s a high risk that a child will inhale the polish, leading to a potentially serious irritation of the lungs. Some kids may end up on ventilators or respirators for weeks as a result.

Solutions: To clean wood, Bond recommends combining distilled white vinegar (to pull dirt out) with a few drops of oil (to keep the wood from drying out). If you don’t feel like the house is clean until everything smells like lemons, try adding lemon essential oil.

To polish wood, check out all-natural beeswax polishes. Like lemon essential oil, it can be found at most health food stores.

4. Automatic Dishwasher Detergent

Problems: Detergents with phosphates are more dangerous than phosphate-free detergents if ingested by kids. Phosphate-based detergent crystals will stick inside the mouth, causing burns. In addition, adding excess phosphates to the water stream damages aquatic ecosystems by causing algae blooms, which suck oxygen out of the water—potentially  suffocating fish and other aquatic life.

Solution: There are a number of good-quality, phosphate-free automatic dishwashing detergents on the market, including those by Seventh Generation, Ecover, Biokleen, and Trader Joe’s. The formulations are always improving, so today’s products are much more effective than those of just a few years ago. In addition, newer dishwashers have a special cup for a “rinse aid,” which further helps prevent streaking during the rinse cycle.

5. Oven Cleaners

Potential Problems: Caustic formula can burn skin, eyes, and mucus membranes on contact, and are especially dangerous if swallowed. Strong fumes can irritate the respiratory system.

Solution: Bond recommends covering the dirty surface liberally with baking soda, then spraying with water until the power becomes thoroughly paste-like. Wait 12 to 24 hours while the minerals do their work of liberating the gunk, then wipe clean.

If the oven was especially dirty, you may need to repeat this process, either with baking soda or washing soda, which is stronger.

6. Drain Openers

Problems: Highly caustic liquid can burn skin, eyes, and mucus membranes on contact, creating risks if liquid is spilled or splashed. Labels warn of the possibility of “irreversible eye damage,” and the potential for death if swallowed. In 2005, more than 3,500 people were injured by chemical drain openers.

Solutions: A variety of mechanical devices—from plungers and snakes to compressed air—can serve the same drain-opening function as chemicals, but without the toxicity. You can also use biological enzymes to naturally digest clogs. But ultimately, prevention is the best medicine. A super-fine mesh strainer in the kitchen sink, a hair trap over the bathtub drain, and a nylon sock over the exhaust hose of a washing machine can stop those clogs from forming in the first place.

And remember—never attempt to mechanically open a drain after using a chemical drain opener. This can cause caustic chemicals to splash onto your skin, face, and eyes, potentially causing permanent damage.
For healthy alternatives to chemical cleaners, purchase Norwex Enviro Products!
Source: MSN Health & Fitness
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