Replace hazardous household cleaners with safe alternatives

By Matt Weafer
Messenger-Inquirer Special Publications
Real Estate Inside Out: Lighter Living
Dec. 22, 2007

Holidays mean food, family and parties, which means a messy house after the fact. Dirt and snow were ground into the carpet, candy and sweets congealed to the table, pathogens abound in the guest bathroom and havoc left a mess in the kitchen.

Needless to say, you cleaned the house before Christmas and now you have to clean it again just a few days later.

So why use cleaning supplies harmful to you and your loved ones?

More carcinogens and deadly chemicals sit under your kitchen sink in name brand cleansers than most families realize. Or if they do realize the danger, they consider it a worthwhile sacrifice (risk) to obtain a cleaner home.

But here’s the dirty little secret: You can clean your home just as well with a few common, mild and most importantly safe items.

More frequently, chain stores carry "eco-friendly" cleaning products. Most of which come with high price tags. So a consumer should be educated before wasting money on a product. Many of the expensive cleansers touted as "non-toxic" aren’t any safer than other products.

When shopping for cleansers avoid any products with warnings such as "Danger," "Poison," "Caution" or "Warning." These indicate anything from combustible contents to potential skin and eye irritants to serious injuries such as acid burns.

Use caution when purchasing cleansers with vague claims such as "eco-friendly" or "non-toxic." Seek out products with specific claims, such as "no sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate," "solvent-free," "TEA-free" or with specific explanations, such as "biodegrades 90 percent in seven days." The term "biodegradable" is irrelevant unless backed with specific data. Over time most matter biodegrades.

Cleaning products are not required to list ingredients, but here is a small of list of some hazardous ingredients to avoid:

o Butyl cellosolve (also known as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether): a nerve-damaging chemical easily absorbed by the skin;

o Chlorine or Ammonia: produce highly irritating fumes and when mixed with other chemicals can cause severe and permanent damage to skin, lungs, nose, throat and eyes;

o DEA and TEA: a sudsing agent that can produce carcinogens easily absorbed by the skin and irritate nose, throat and skin;

o Fragrances: can contain a number of hormone disrupting compounds, irritants, carcinogens and chemicals that can become dangerous when mixed with other chemicals;

o Petroleum-based ingredients: an eco-damaging material that further depletes a non-renewable resource;

o Triclosan: the most common ingredient in antibacterial and antimicrobial cleaners, increases risk of dangerous bacteria and pathogens by weakening the bodies natural defense and strengthening bacteria, according to the World Health Organization in 2000.

Even "organic" cleaners are potentially harmful. The USDA’s definition of "organic" grocery items differs from the chemical definition. "Organic" in reference to chemicals simply means carbon-based, which includes a number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

When using any cleaning product, specifically any containing harmful materials, use caution. Work in a well ventilated area. Keep cleaners out of reach of children and pets.

Follow directions closely and adhere to warning labels. Leave all products in original packaging and NEVER mix cleaning products.

Wear gloves, goggles and mouth and nose protection when using harmful chemicals. And to help reduce packaging waste, purchase cleaners in bulk, recycle and rinse out containers before disposing to prevent further contaminating soil and ground water.

Seek out legitimately safe cleaners or try making your own with some of these recipes from www.thegreenguide.com.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

1/2 cup borax
1 gallon hot water

Mix in pail (or use smaller amounts in a spray bottle: 1/8 cup borax to 1 quart of hot water) dissolving the borax completely; wipe clean with rag.

ANY ROOM

Wood
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water

Linoleum
1 cup white vinegar
2 gallons warm water

Mix in mop bucket. Rinse afterward.

Furniture Polish
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix and apply with a clean rag to dust and polish. Reduce the olive oil if wood looks too oily.

BATHROOM

Toilet Bowl
Baking soda
White vinegar

To clean and deodorize, sprinkle toilet bowl with baking soda. Add white vinegar and scrub with a toilet brush.

Tub and Tile
1/2 lemon
Borax

Dip the face of the lemon half in borax to create a hand held scrubber for dirty areas. Rinse and dry the surface afterward.

KITCHEN

Countertops
Marble: Mix one Tbsp. castile soap with a quart of warm water, rinse well and then dry with a warm cloth.

Other surfaces: Halved lemon dipped in baking soda to scrub off residues; follow up by spraying with glass cleaner mix (below).

Dishwashing
Castile soap
White vinegar

Wash dishes in one dishpan filled with a mix of water and castile soap, then rinse in a separate pan containing a mix of water and vinegar (3-to-1 water-to-vingegar ratio works well).

Drains
1 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar

Add baking soda and vinegar to a pot of boiled water and pour down the drain, then flush with tap water. For more stubborn clogs, use a "snake" plumbing tool to manually removed blockage, or try suction removal with a plunger.

To prevent clogs, install a mesh screen, available at home improvement and hardware stores.

Glass
1/4 cup vinegar or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2+ cups water

Fill a clean spray bottle with water and either white vinegar or lemon juice; wipe with a rag or old newspaper.

Oven
Baking soda
Water

Sprinkle baking soda on surfaces, spray water, then let soak several hours or overnight. Rinse with water.

Stovetop and Oven Grease Remover
1/2 tsp. washing soda
1/4 tsp. liquid soap
2 cups hot water

Add washing soda and soap to hot water in spray bottle. Since washing soda is caustic, wear gloves.

LAUNDRY ROOM

Laundry Detergent
1 oz. liquid castile soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/4 cup baking soda or 1/4 cup white vinegar

Using the liquid soap as a base, combine with washing soda, borax (for stains and bleaching) and either baking soda (reduces static and softens fabrics) or white vinegar (softens fabrics, reduces static and bleaches clothes). If you feel like your clothes aren’t clean enough, play around with the amount of liquid castile soap, using from 1 oz. to 1 cup.

Bleach Alternative
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

For more information visit www.thegreenguide.com.

Reprinted with permission, Messenger-Inquirer.