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 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.
If you are like most people starting to learn about this subject, you could go to where you store your cleaning supplies right now and you would find that every product emits Volatile Organic Compounds. Unless you already buy pH neutral and biodegradable, the cleaners you use for your floors, tubs, carpets, countertops, grill, and windows all produce Volatile Organic Compounds. You know now that using them produces these fumes that last for hours, but even sitting there, unused, they emit gasses.
Neutral pH – Current common cleaning products come with extensive instructions about where and what to use them on and even more importantly, where not to use them. This relates to their pH level, either acidic, below 7.0, ranging to such levels as battery acid, to greater than 7.0, the alkaline side, inclusive of bleach. A neutral pH, that of 7.0, means the product is non-reactive environmentally when combining with water, not damaging to surfaces, and not harmful to your skin.
Burns to your skin from caustic products are no joke. Nor is damage to a sensitive surface, such as certain tiles and marble. Using a neutral pH product is the way to ensure that neither of these happens to you.
No Solvents – If you knew something was toxic and carcinogenic to the environment and the people who used them, you probably would avoid use. Common household products often contain solvents such as Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs), alcohols, esthers, and Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs). You won’t be surprised to learn these are corrosive chemical ingredients.
Biodegradable – Our environment gets exposed to everything we wash down the drain. Cleaning chemicals commonly pollute our environment instead of dissipating into non-harmful co-factors, but even the amount of time it takes biodegrade makes some cleaning product superior over the others.
Few decisions are as easy as the one involved in changing from harsh chemical cleaners to eco friendly multipurpose cleaning products. This one step removes toxic fumes and residue from your home surfaces and the very air you breathe. Replacing your existing cleaners with green cleaning product protects your home and your loved ones, as well as making a positive environmental impact. A terrific decision all around!
