What is the meaning of clean? The ammonia smell that lingers after you've cleaned using a toxic cleaner? That is really chemicals lingering behind in your home that you are inhaling.....not my definition of clean. But there is nothing to fear! There are options out there for cleaning that are safe and effective!
The first thing I will address is all of these companies that for years have been producing toxic cleaning products are now providing us with "green" and "eco-friendly" products. They think they are doing us a favor by saturating the market and making it readily available......the only problem is that "green" and eco-friendly" or even "Earth Smart!" mean nothing! The reason for this is that many companies out there are claiming to be green without any support to their claims and still contain toxic chemicals. Some of the "all natural" ingredients/chemicals are naturally occuring such as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has been known to be toxic.
General All-Purpose cleaners contain an array of chemicals that can be harmful on their own, forget about the toxic fumes they produced when combined with other chemicals! The basic ones like chlorine bleach and ammonia produce fumes that can be dangerous for people with respitory and heart problems. PLEASE NEVER EVER CONSIDER COMBINING these two as they become MORE TOXIC!
Many cleaners contain petroleum based surfactants (can mimic the hormone estrogen) or other chemicals that can easily be absorbed through the skin and damage nerves. Do these ingredients sound like "clean" to you now?
Here's an important thing to remember and I hope many people start to understand....CLEAN HAS NO SMELL! All those "clean" scents you smell are really synthetic frangrances meaning, you guessed it, more chemicals that linger around for us to inhale.
If you are truely trying to be green, you should also be looking to lower you carbon footprint through buying and using less plastic. True green cleaners will come in a superconcentrated form meaning you end up spending less money and putting less plastic into our landfills.
A simple rule to keep in mind when shopping is the less packaging, the better. When I have a choice, I buy the largest size available. Less packaging is more green.
As I write this, I think back to the days when I would lock myself in my bathroom to clean because I did not want my children exposed to the nasty fumes released by the bathroom cleaner I used at the time. My youngest was diagnosed with asthma and I did not need a trip to the emergency room or a rushed nebulizer treatment. But locking myself in would only cause more harm to me as there was no fresh air circulating nor did I realize that the fumes linger and my children would be exposed to them, even if at a lower levels. Since switching to green cleaners, I have not had to lock myself in the bathroom and can even clean with my children in the same room. I have even begun to let them help me when they want to and they are only 3 and 4 years old! I don't have to worry about any toxins they maybe being exposed to!
I personally use the line of cleaners Shaklee has to offer for my family. I have had the same bottle of BASIC H2 concentrate for over a year now and I might be half way done with it. This has significantly saved me lots of money and trips to the supermarket just for cleaning products. This solution in different concentrations makes my all purpose cleaner, windows/mirrors cleaner, and my degreaser. I also keep reusing the same plastic bottles, significantly reducing both my carbon footprint and my contribution to our local landfill.
Just imagine this for one second, 5,824 spraybottles piled up in your backyard. Now transfer them over to your local landfill. This is not what I want to leave behind for my children! And I know you are asking yourself why the number 5,824? Because that is the number of bottles of window cleaner you get from ONE bottle of the BASIC H2 concentrate!
I have done some thorough research to make sure that all of the company's claims hold up to what they promise and that they are all natural. There are other options out there, and I would gladly discuss the best options for each individual, personally. Feel free to contact me through email at betterlivingenterprises@gmail.com
There is so much more that could be said about the cleaners that are commonly used around the house, and I have not even begun to touch on laundry, hand soaps, drain cleaners, dishwashing detergents, etc. It may all sound scary, but there is still hope. Clean Green...
Showing posts with label toxins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toxins. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Green Cleaning.....better and safer!
Cleaning is basically a fact of life and has become a necessity. How you clean is entirely up to you. But what does "clean" mean? We all grow up with the over powering stench of amonia meaning that our homes are "clean." I grew up associating "clean" with the chemical stench of the many cleaning products that were assumed to be cleaning and sanitizing. Associating chemicals with clean is a common yet dangerous mistake.
Have you ever stopped to think about the WARNING labels on any product containing amonia or bleach? Why would there be a WARNING on a product that is suppossed to be helping me maintain a CLEAN AND SAFE environment for me and my family? Yes the government allows the use of potentially hazardous ingredients in these products, but we are warned that we should not have long exposure to nor inhale the products. We are also told that they could cause irritations, blindness, and potentially even death! Were you aware that companies do not have to list ALL of the ingredients in their hazardous products? They are only legally required to list the products that have already been found to be hazardous to our health. Honestly, the government has no clue as to what ingredients in common household cleaners are safe because they do not require manufacturers to test them.
There has not been sufficient testing done to determine the long term effects of exposure to commercial cleaning products. Many ingredients in common household cleaners have been linked to various childhood health problems, such as asthma or even some cancers. Is it your fault? NO! The manufactures do not inform us of the potential carcinogens, hormone dusrupters, neurotoxins, etc...Why should they inform us? They know that if we, the consumers, were aware that the products we depend on contained dangerous chemicals, we'd stop buying them!
Despite the warnings, consumers continue to buy hazardous cleaning products. So to help clarify things a bit, here are a few of the WARNINGS used on product labels:
DANGER: products with this word on it must be used with EXTREME care. If used incorrectly, you could get sick, hurt, go blind or die! This label is also applied to products that can explode if heated.
WARNING: less of a warning than DANGER, but still means that you get become sick or get hurt. This could also mean that the product can easily catch fire.
CAUTION: used on products that can irritate your skin, make you sick if you inhale the fumes, or hurt you if it were to get in your eyes.
Here's a little challenge for you. Go grab on of your conventional household cleaners. Examine the label. Think about what I've told you about the WARNINGS. Next look at the ingredients, I bet you can't even pronounce half of them! Go to the Household Products Database at the National Institutes of Health (hpd.nlm.nih.gov), and look up two or three of your favorite cleaning products. You can even try looking up one of the ingredients commonly in cleaners such as butylcellosolve. Believe me, you will be shocked, I sure was!
Knowing what you have just read, take it upon yourself to expose your family and yourself to less chemicals!
Over cleaning is one of the reasons why so many of use have developed allergies, we do not allow our bodies to develop an immunity to many things in our environment because we are always killing through over sanitizing. Sanitizing is needed for extreme cases, such as a cancer patient that might be undergoing a bonemarrow transplant and will not have an immune system for some time.
Choose or make effective green cleaners and clean kindly! Most green cleaners are plant-based so that soaps and detergents are biodegradable. Biodegradable means that they break down easily instead of creating more garbage. Use cleaners that contain plant based solvents and ammonia-free glass cleaners. Get rid of any cleaning products that contain any potentially harmful ingredients. As mom always says, it's better to be safe than sorry.
When getting rid of household cleaners, please dispose of them properly. Do not empty the cleaners into your sinks. The chemicals will up affecting the planet. Look up a local "CLEAN UP DAY." Workers take all of you potentially hazardous cleaners and chemicals to properly dispose of them. Take a close look at how these workers are dressed. You will notice that they look like astronauts, covered from head to toe. They wear protective gear so that they do no absorb any of the chemicals through their skin or inhale any of the fumes. Now how many times have you locked yourself in the bathroom with the same cleaners that these workers don't even want to be exposed to?
Have you ever stopped to think about the WARNING labels on any product containing amonia or bleach? Why would there be a WARNING on a product that is suppossed to be helping me maintain a CLEAN AND SAFE environment for me and my family? Yes the government allows the use of potentially hazardous ingredients in these products, but we are warned that we should not have long exposure to nor inhale the products. We are also told that they could cause irritations, blindness, and potentially even death! Were you aware that companies do not have to list ALL of the ingredients in their hazardous products? They are only legally required to list the products that have already been found to be hazardous to our health. Honestly, the government has no clue as to what ingredients in common household cleaners are safe because they do not require manufacturers to test them.
There has not been sufficient testing done to determine the long term effects of exposure to commercial cleaning products. Many ingredients in common household cleaners have been linked to various childhood health problems, such as asthma or even some cancers. Is it your fault? NO! The manufactures do not inform us of the potential carcinogens, hormone dusrupters, neurotoxins, etc...Why should they inform us? They know that if we, the consumers, were aware that the products we depend on contained dangerous chemicals, we'd stop buying them!
Despite the warnings, consumers continue to buy hazardous cleaning products. So to help clarify things a bit, here are a few of the WARNINGS used on product labels:
DANGER: products with this word on it must be used with EXTREME care. If used incorrectly, you could get sick, hurt, go blind or die! This label is also applied to products that can explode if heated.
WARNING: less of a warning than DANGER, but still means that you get become sick or get hurt. This could also mean that the product can easily catch fire.
CAUTION: used on products that can irritate your skin, make you sick if you inhale the fumes, or hurt you if it were to get in your eyes.
Here's a little challenge for you. Go grab on of your conventional household cleaners. Examine the label. Think about what I've told you about the WARNINGS. Next look at the ingredients, I bet you can't even pronounce half of them! Go to the Household Products Database at the National Institutes of Health (hpd.nlm.nih.gov), and look up two or three of your favorite cleaning products. You can even try looking up one of the ingredients commonly in cleaners such as butylcellosolve. Believe me, you will be shocked, I sure was!
Knowing what you have just read, take it upon yourself to expose your family and yourself to less chemicals!
Over cleaning is one of the reasons why so many of use have developed allergies, we do not allow our bodies to develop an immunity to many things in our environment because we are always killing through over sanitizing. Sanitizing is needed for extreme cases, such as a cancer patient that might be undergoing a bonemarrow transplant and will not have an immune system for some time.
Choose or make effective green cleaners and clean kindly! Most green cleaners are plant-based so that soaps and detergents are biodegradable. Biodegradable means that they break down easily instead of creating more garbage. Use cleaners that contain plant based solvents and ammonia-free glass cleaners. Get rid of any cleaning products that contain any potentially harmful ingredients. As mom always says, it's better to be safe than sorry.
When getting rid of household cleaners, please dispose of them properly. Do not empty the cleaners into your sinks. The chemicals will up affecting the planet. Look up a local "CLEAN UP DAY." Workers take all of you potentially hazardous cleaners and chemicals to properly dispose of them. Take a close look at how these workers are dressed. You will notice that they look like astronauts, covered from head to toe. They wear protective gear so that they do no absorb any of the chemicals through their skin or inhale any of the fumes. Now how many times have you locked yourself in the bathroom with the same cleaners that these workers don't even want to be exposed to?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Why Go Green?
When my husband and I decided to go green we thought that it wasn't going to be easy, but we quickly realized that being green became contagious. We started with the simple things like switching our regular lightbulbs to CFL's and our toxic cleaners to more eco-friendly ones. Before we realized it, it grew and became a life changing reflex.
We all want what is best for our health, our families and future generations. We don't have to be superheroes to save our beloved earth. We only need to give it a little more thought when we make everyday decisions. We all buy and eat fast food because it's cheap or microwave leftovers because it's convenient. Do we ever give it a second thought about how these actions effect our planet? There are pesticides allover the lawns where children play and even in our homes!!! We use toxic chemicals to clean our homes, the clothes we wear, and dishes from which we we eat and cook with. Our planet is polluted by toxins, even the food we eat contain pesticides and carcinogens.
We have lost our connection with nature and the importance of it. Due to our lack of knowledge and habits our planet is suffering. But there is hope. By learning more about our environment and what is healthy and safe, as well as changing many of our habits we can help to create a better world.
To Be Continued.........
We all want what is best for our health, our families and future generations. We don't have to be superheroes to save our beloved earth. We only need to give it a little more thought when we make everyday decisions. We all buy and eat fast food because it's cheap or microwave leftovers because it's convenient. Do we ever give it a second thought about how these actions effect our planet? There are pesticides allover the lawns where children play and even in our homes!!! We use toxic chemicals to clean our homes, the clothes we wear, and dishes from which we we eat and cook with. Our planet is polluted by toxins, even the food we eat contain pesticides and carcinogens.
We have lost our connection with nature and the importance of it. Due to our lack of knowledge and habits our planet is suffering. But there is hope. By learning more about our environment and what is healthy and safe, as well as changing many of our habits we can help to create a better world.
To Be Continued.........
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