On average, a person takes more than one hour to clean their house. What you will notice is that the person doing the cleaning has donned rubber gloves and boots and spraying harsh chemicals on their dirty surfaces.
Well, it may seem a bit odd; however, one of the primary reasons for cleaning your house is to clear out the accumulated toxic chemicals. Therefore, a question to ponder is, do the harsh chemicals remove the poisonous chemicals accumulated in the house or do they add the toxic chemicals?
What’s in your cleaning products?
For us to answer that question, do the harsh chemicals used in cleaning remove or add toxic chemicals in the house, we first have to know the content of these commercial cleaning products or harsh chemicals used for cleaning. They contain toxic compounds that are harmful to the general well-being of an individual. The following are some of the ingredients found in those commercial cleaning products.
- Chlorine – Some of the bleaching products contain chlorine which is linked to causing cancer and neurological effects.
- Formaldehyde – This ingredient is used as a preservative in some of the cleaners; however, it is carcinogenic.
- Perchloroethylene – It is present in spot removers and upholstery cleaners. It is a probable neurotoxin and carcinogenic substance.
- 2- Butoxyethanol – Found in some of the laundry stain removers. It is a skin and eye irritant.
- Fragrance – It is a common ingredient in cleaning products. It contains different chemical compounds that may trigger allergies and asthma.
In addition to this, most cleaning products can either irritate or burn the skin and eyes in case of direct exposure. Moreover, some are fatal when swallowed.
Non-toxic cleaners
Thankfully, you can evade all these harmful chemicals by using non-toxic cleaners. You don’t have to use those cleaners that contain harmful compounds since you can make your own safe cleaning products.
If you are ready to ditch the harmful toxic cleaners and start using your safe and natural home cleaning products, then the following natural cleaning essentials should fill your cabinet.
- Baking soda
It is an ingredient that you will find in almost every home’s cleaning arsenal. It is non-toxic and can be used in several ways for cleaning purposes. These ways include;
- Cleaning the oven: All you need to do is to sprinkle a cup of baking soda on your oven, then use enough water to cover the baking soda, which will also make it be a thick paste. Allow the mixture to stay overnight. The next morning all the grease will be easy to wipe out.
- Deodorizing dry carpets: By sprinkling little amount of baking soda, then waiting for 15 minutes and then vacuum.
- For scrubbing dirt from metals and porcelain
- White vinegar
The ingredient is useful in the disinfecting and effective way of killing a variety of bacteria such as salmonella. When mixed with water, it makes an excellent window cleaner. Additionally, when combined with baking soda, it can be used to clean tile floors, sinks, and tubs.
- Lemons
Both lemon juice and peels are useful for deodorizing and cleaning your house. You can use it in the following cases;
- Washing your hands to remove odors like one caused by garlic
- Removing grease from the cutting board
- Cleaning grime and grease on glass and windows
- Coconut oil
It contains antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial compounds which can inactivate microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria. Due to these ingredients, coconut oil is useful for conditioning, sanitizing, and cleaning wood items like furniture and cutting boards.
- Cornstarch
It is a powerful cleaner that polishes furniture, clean windows, and shampoo rugs and carpets.
Conclusion
The commercial cleaning products will be advertised with all the phrases to show you how powerful they are. However; they contain harmful compounds that they are not listen. Therefore, since there are other alternatives, consider the natural and safe cleaning products. They will clean your house just as good but cause no harm to your health.