Are Your Household Cleaning Products Toxic?

Nobody likes to clean their house...well, I take that back...I do know some people who actually like to clean their house. And even I take some pleasure in having a clean home. But some cleaning tasks are simply not fun. Take for instance cleaning the shower. All that scrubbing of mildew, mold and soap scum is a lot of work. So recently I decided to try one of those shower cleaners. You know...the ones that you simply spray on and leave without rinsing or scrubbing. I was skeptical at first, but to my pleasant surprise, it actually worked. Actually, it works better for KEEPING your shower clean rather than getting it clean. But hey, you clean your shower once and just spray this stuff to keep it clean...that's pretty close to as good as it gets. So what's the drawback? Can you say "toxic fumes!"

I didn't really mind at first. I mean, it didn't even occur to me that the stuff would be toxic. I will admit that if you follow the label instructions for use in a well ventilated area, it's probably not as "toxic" as I'm making it out to be. But given that we have a baby in the house, I decided to do some research on household cleaners. Here's what I found.

All cleaning products contain chemicals to help dissolve dirt and oil...that's the whole idea. For example both soap and detergent do this. Both are made from some type of fat and some form of alkali. The fat can come from animals, plants, or petroleum. Many of the household cleansers contain terpenes, which come from the oils of plants (for instance lemon or pine). Terpens, when vaporized, can combine with other air pollutants to create hazardous compounds like formaldehyde. This is why many cleaners have warning labels to use only in well ventilated areas. Some cleaning products contain glycol ethers. Unfortunately, glycol ethers can cause anemia if you breathe in large quantities. They can also be eye irritants as well as respiratory irritants.

So should you stop using cleaning products altogether? Well, if you want to scrub for hours and hours, you can. But if you want to have a clean home and still have time to enjoy it, just keep in mind some of these tips.

The most important thing is ventilation. Make sure that the area you are cleaning is well ventilated during AND after cleaning. If possible, open the windows and even run a fan. Remember, people with breathing problems like asthma and small children are more likely to suffer serious problems associated with the vapors from cleaning products.

Try to use the smallest amount necessary to sufficiently clean. You can even try diluting the product with water.

Always rinse thoroughly with water any and all surfaces that have come into contact with the cleaning product. Yes, some products say "no rinsing needed." But better to be safe than sorry.

When using cleaning products in a bottle, always put the cap back on as soon as possible. The solvents can evaporate quickly.

Items that you use to apply the cleaning products like sponges, towels, brushes, etc. can pollute the air if you just leave them out. Be sure to thoroughly rinse them in water. Or throw them out in an outside trash can.

Never mix cleaning products. Unless you are a chemist, you probably won't know what kind of reaction you'll get. In many cases you will end up releasing toxic fumes into your home environment.

We all want a clean home. But safety is important too.