The Joy of Spring Cleaning

Facts about your favorite cleaning Products and alternatives that are better for your health

Everyone enjoys having a clean smelling and feeling house.Spring cleaning gives us the opportunity to start a new.To purge and release those things that no longer serve us.It is a time for renewal.Personally I love this time of year to clean my house my body and soul in the process of renewal and rejuvenation.
 
When I went to a lecture given by Dr. Doris Rapp- author of Living In A Toxic World at the University of Chapel Hill North Carolina Alternative Medicine Conference a couple of years ago, I was made of aware of the many dangerous chemicals in our cleaning products So I started some of my own research.  I found out startling information about what is in my all purpose cleaner: carcinogens and glycol ethers, among other things.Animal studies have shown that these glycol ethers can cause testicular damage, reduce fertility and increase birth defects to name a few.
 
According to the EPA, the air inside my home is three times more likely to give me cancer than the air I breathe walking down the street, and my tried and true cleaning products play a bigger role in that toxicity than I ever imagined.
 
When doing the research what I found was disturbing. You can spend 15 minutes cleaning the shower, and you could inhale three times the “acute one-hour limit” set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard assessment for glycol ether-containing products.
 
Janitors, people that clean houses, children in schools, people who clean their homes and everyone around them are affected by these toxic chemicals according to a study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
 
A nationwide study by the US Geological Survey showed that nearly 70 percent of streams tested contained breakdown products from detergents, 66 percent contained disinfectants.
 
Can my cleaning be polluting my house and making me sick? Absolutely, however before I resigned myself to a life of grime, I unearthed some good news.Cleaning products that are better for our health and the environment do exist and they work just as well as the ones jam packed with chemicals.So here you go a list of the chemicals that are hazardous for your health and the new products that I use to tackle even the toughest jobs.They actually work, and they’ve helped give me an even greater euphoric post-cleaning nirvana.
 
All Purpose Cleaners  
Stay away from:  Glycol Ethers (labeled as Butyl Cellosolve, 2-butoxyethan, or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether)  These products strip the hands o their natural oils.It is also easily absorbed through the skin, when it evaporates into the air it can affect the body’s hormone regulation.It travels through the blood stream and deposits itself into the fatty tissues, where it can cause havoc like infertility and birth defects.
 
Diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA).These sudsing agents react with nitrate, which is an often undisclosed preservative in cleaning products.Research shows that they form carcinogens that penetrate the skin on contact.
 
Eco-friendly:  Orange TKO is a citrus cleaner/degreaser made from the peel of the orange.  It is an emulsifier which contains no synthetic chemicals, petroleum distillates, or detergents.  It is also 100% environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and non-toxic.  Orange TKO comes as a concentrate which can be diluted with water to handle the toughest industrial cleaning problems, but is safe enough to use in the home, around children and animals.
 
Earth Friendly Products Parsley Plus All-Surface Cleaner – made of biodegradable coconut based cleanser and is free of glycol ethers, DEA, and TEA.
 
Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine is loaded with natural oils and minerals.Testers raved about its grease cutting power and citrus scent.
 
Glass Cleaners
 
Stay away from:   Ammonia is a chemical that is highly irritating to lungs and airways, experts agree that people with chronic lung or heart problems, as well as asthmatics, should steer clear of it.
 
Solvents.These are found in gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid and automotive products.When in cleaning products and used with poor ventilation, they significantly reduce indoor air quality and can contaminate your lungs.
 
ButylCellosolve.This glycol ether is a nerve-damaging ingredient that is easily absorbed through your skin.
 
Eco-friendly:  Ecodiscoveries Glass gets rid of everything from soot to fingerprint smudges with its water and plant based formula.
 
Aubrey Organics Liquid sparkle Spray Cleaner, cleans with soy aloe vera, and soap-bark extract.
 
Floor Cleaners

Stay away from: 2-(2Methoxythoxy) ethanol.  A member of the glycol ether family, its toxicity has caused reproductive and developmental malformations in some studies.
 
Monoethqnolamine is a known cause of asthma.
 
Eco-friendly:  BabyGanics floor cleaner Concentrate has a soybean-oil base that won’t aggravate skin and allergies.
 
Tub and Tile

Stay away from: Sodium hydroxidw, sodium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite (bleach) or phosphoric Acid.These are all lung irritants and can burn the eyes and skin.Bleach has also been tied into the rising rates of breast cancer and reproductive problems in men as well as behavioral problems in children.
 
Eco-friendly: Naturally Clean Tub and Tile, kills mildew and mold and destroys the organic material they grow in.It also prevents it from coming back.
 
Bon Ami is a top pick among allergists because the natural ingredients contain no detergent, bleach perfume, or dye
 
BioShield Toilet Bowl Cleaner is made from citric acid and sugar based cleaning agents.
 
Dishwasher Detergent
Stay away from:Phosphate, it is a water softening ingredient and is discharged into the lakes and rivers, where it spawns an overgrowth of algae, which in turn deprives fish of oxygen.
 
Eco-friendly:Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Powder is made of plant and mineral based ingedients.

Earth Friendly Products Wave is phosphate free and made from coconut oil.

Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softeners

Stay away from:  Monoethanolamine.This chemical is a proven asthma inducer.
Borax and enzymes eat the fibers of our clothes, never a good thing when it comes to durability.
Benzenes, carcinogenic chemicals in dryer sheets release gases that cause allergies and can damage the central nervous system.
Tallow (rendered animal fat), used in fabric softeners leaves a waxy residue on clothes.Makes towels less absorbent and can clog your dryer’s lint filter.
 
Eco-friendly:  Mountain Green Laundry Detergent is made from coconut and palm oil, works by making clothes slippery enough for dirt and residue to just slide off in the washing machine.
Fafonique Detergent uses a hypoallergenic formula that is dermatologist-tested and scented with essential oils.
Seventh Generation Fabric Softener uses natural Canola Oil to add softness and decrease static in Clothes