With all the information out there about cleaning products that are hazardous to your health and to the environment, so many people are looking for alternatives. Terms, such as Volatile Organic Compounds, that were unfamiliar before are becoming something you now make sure your products don’t contain. Learning about what to look for and what to avoid removes the mystery from biodegradable, non-toxic cleaners and dispels some of the myths, such as cleaning your home only with vinegar and water. What you will be looking for as a health-conscious consumer, are all natural multipurpose cleaning products that are biodegradable, don’t have solvents, and have a neutral pH.
Avoid Volatile Organic Compounds – Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs are fumes that can be toxic when emitted from certain solids or liquids. According to the EPA, concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. This is because of the lack of ventilation of the VOCs that are off-gassed from many common products used at home. Health-harming VOCs in the home come from cleaning supplies, paint and paint removers, air fresheners, dry cleaned clothing, and plywood.
Oftentimes after cleaning, you may notice you have a headache or your eyes are irritated. These symptoms and other side-effects of Volatile Organic Compounds, such as dizziness, asthma attacks, and flu-like symptoms. These short-term and the longer term effect, such as cancer, are linked to VOCs. While this is not healthy for any individual, there are certain groups who seem to be more affected. These would include babies and children, the elderly, pregnant and nursing women, and those individuals without fully functioning immune systems. As the fumes linger in the home for hours after use, it is important to eliminate as much VOC causing products as possible.
One of the most frequent exposures to VOCs in the home comes from cleaning products. From the everyday cleaners for the kitchen countertops, to the grill degreaser and window cleaner, to what you use to mop your floors, clean your carpets and scrub your tubs – they all give off noxious VOC fumes that are breathed in high concentration when being used, but also for hours afterwards and even as they off-gas sitting in the cabinet.
Neutral pH – Another new plus in your cleaning arsenal is going to be the use of products that have a neutral pH. A compound with a pH of 7.0 is considered neutral, being neither alkaline or acidic. This means it will be non-reactive to when it touches a surface, when it touches your skin, and when it reacts with the environment when it exits your home through the drainage system and gets into the water. When a compound has a high pH (over 7.0) it is alkaline, such as bleach. A lower pH (under 7.0) means it is acidic, such as battery acid. Quite expectantly, both of these are highly corrosive to surfaces and skin.
In your home you may have many surfaces that require careful cleaning, such as marble and certain tiles. These surfaces won’t be harmed by neutral pH all natural cleaning products. Even more important, this type of product will not damage your skin.
No Solvents – Once you begin to explore what most common household products contain, you learn that some of the ingredients, such as Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs), esthers, and alcohols are chemically corrosive agents. This means they are toxic and carcinogenic not only to the environment, but to the person using and those coming into contact.
Biodegradable – Out of sight and out of mind. This could describe the products and chemicals that go down our drains when we clean. This doesn’t mean, however, that the environment is out of trouble. Common cleaning chemicals pollute instead of changing and then dissolving into co-factors that are non-harmful. Some biodegradables contribute even further to dissipation by speeding up the time it takes to do so.
Making the move to replace your existing toxic chemical cleaning products to natural multipurpose cleaner is easy to do. You will be delighted with the effectiveness of the green cleaner.
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