Eco cleaning is trendy these days. But is it really essential?
Well, yes it is! Harmful chemicals in household products take a toll on your health and your environment even though you do not perceive it (yet…). Their role of the impact of the health is often underestimated. You might not even realize or make connection that chemicals are responsible for your health problem(s). It can be an immediate reaction like headache, skin irritation or dizziness. But they are also proven to cause skin problems, asthma, reproductive hazards, hormone disruption and even alzheimer’s or cancer, just to name a few. (http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/content/cleaners_and_health, https://www.bcpp.org/our-work/exposures-to-avoid.)
Harmful chemicals are everywhere; in our food, cosmetics, clothes, toys, building materials, furniture, air etc., therefore it is impossible to completely avoid them. The best we can do is to research and use as much organic, natural and eco friendly products as possible. While the Industry says that only normal, harmless level and approved chemicals are found in certain products, they fail to mention that they are talking about single chemicals. However there are always a mixture of chemicals present and the effect on the health of these mixtures has not been studied. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241145/)
It is impossible to recognize all these, sometimes unpronounceable, ingredients and on the top of that they have a variety of names in use. Here is a (not full) list of harmful chemicals that are often found in household products:
– Chloroform
– Formaldehyde
– Triclosan
– Alkylphenols
– Glycol ethers
– Ethanolamines (not ethanol!)
– Phthalates
– Perchloroethylen
– Parabens
– 2-Butoxyethanol
– Ammonia
– Chlorine
– Sodium Hydroxide
– Siloxanes
At your workplace
We spend almost as much time at our job as at home. Therefore it is the same important not to exposed to harmful chemicals on your workplace either. Usually, you do not have control over the decisions on what cleaning products your company use. But there are a couple of things you can do.
For example:
– stop using antibacterial hand sanitizer (and basically most antibacterial products). They contain triclosan, which helps the development of drug-resistant superbugs. Triclosan also has been linked to various health problems such as interfere with hormones, increase risk of breast cancer, reduces fertility. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24684733). (Triclosan has many other names: Biofresh, Lexol, Ster-Zac, Microban, Irgasan.)
– ask them to stop using air fresheners. They could lead to asthma, respiratory problems, lung damage.
– ask them to change for a greener cleaning company, like us:-), Blue Breeze Cleaning Services in Cardiff.
How to chose the right product?
If we really want to help our health and environment than it is important to choose the right products. Many brands have fancy “All natural” or “Eco” signs on their packages, but if you have a closer look to the label you will see that part of their ingredients are still harmful. It is also a good thing to consider the package. It should be made from recycled materials and recyclable when discarding. They should be biodegradable, not tested on animals and preferably organic (although it is hard to find a full organic cleaner products and if you do it usually very expensive).
Here is a couple of good products from reputable brands (it doesn’t mean that all of that brand’s products are the best available, so always check the label…) The drawback is that unfortunately, many of them are not available in the big supermarkets, only from health shops and online shops. Additionally, they are essentially more expensive than the regular ones, but they still don’t cost the EARTH;-).
– Bio D Washing-up Liquid with Grapefruit
– Bio D Concentrated Fabric Conditioner
– Earth Friendly Products Orange Plus All Purpose Everyday Cleaner
– Dr. Bronner’s product generally (best and most expensive is 18-in-1 Hemp Pure-Castile Soap Baby Mild)
– Attitude All Purpose Eco Cleaner
– Earth Friendly Products Toilet Cleaner, Natural Cedar Scent
– Bio D Concentrated Fabric Conditioner – 1L
– Organic soap nuts (i.e Ecozone)
– Planet Pure Bio Laundry Liquid
– Bio D Glass and Mirror Spray
– Dri-Pak White Vinegar
