Cleaning Without Chemicals: Recipes for a Toxic-Free Home

 

 The average American uses about 25 gallons of hazardous chemical products in his or her home -- the majority coming from cleaning products. We can change that.

'It used to be that we kept our homes clean by using whatever was at hand. A little baking soda from the cupboard mixed with elbow grease took out caked-on crud. Soap was soap, and it served more than one purpose, whether that was to clean your hands or the dishes. Sugar ants were best prevented by putting the sugar away.

But then things were made easier for us. A swift spray of a sickly sweet-smelling substance would kill those ants in a flash. A thick squirt of whitish goo gave the table a lustrous shine in just minutes. Grainy antiseptic scouring powder cut through the scum in the tub with little effort. Thank goodness for chemicals. At least that's what folks were told and sold and eventually wholeheartedly believed.'

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Everyday Cleaning Products Laced with Hidden Fragrance Chemicals

'In the first report examining the health effects of fragrance chemicals in cleaning products, NGO Women’s Voices for the Earth has drawn attention to top-selling detergents, air fresheners and spray cleaners. These products contain secret fragrance chemicals that are not required to be listed on the label, and which are linked to allergic reactions, respiratory disorders, reduced fertility and birth defects.

"People need to understand the hazards of fragranced products to themselves, to others, and to the environment. This important report provides illuminating evidence of these widespread hazards,” says Anne Steinemann, Ph.D, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Washington.'

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