We all know cleaning is a necessity of life; whether you enjoy it or not and with the 21st century, there are endless varieties of cleaning products at our disposal. How often do you pick up a bottle of bleach at a supermarket and comprehensively read the ingredients? Let’s assume the answer is zero to none. Often enough, people would never think twice about what products they are using to clean their household or office and what toxic ingredients are inside the very product you are wiping down kitchen surfaces and toilets with. As long as it produces spotless results, with surfaces that sparkle and shine, then no one seems to mind what they use. There’s the famous saying ‘Why fix something that isn’t broken?’
Yet, with many cleaning products, there are a host of unfamiliar toxic chemicals which can have negative effects on our health. Having unveiled methods to traditionally clean your home or office, there are a whole range of things to consider before using a product purchased off the shelf. Not only are many of these products dangerous to our health, they are dangerous to our children and pets. So it’s about time, you considered a switch to products which are ultimately environmentally friendly above all else. The use of eco-friendly products is on the rise, so here are 6 main reasons why you should be green!
Keeping your children (and pets safe)!
Mollycoddling your children is a natural way of life and you can’t protect your children from all evils but limiting their exposure to dangerous chemicals found in cleaning products is a piece of cake. Statistics have shown that household cleaning products are ranked within the top 5 causes of childhood poisoning. If you do have strong chemical products at home, ensure they are locked away from harms reach. Even better, become accustomed to using green cleaning products which will protect your children from any dangerous solvents.
Deep cleaning can cause health issues
We all love a good deep clean from time to time, where the smell of cleanliness empowers a room. Whether you choose to use antibacterial spray or wipes, many of these cleaning products contain quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as Quats (benzalkonium chloride). These chemicals can increase your chances of developing asthma and can harm your lung function. Research by the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning, claim that 53% of cleaning products were tested positive for chemicals known to cause asthma and other health issues.
Chemicals to watch like a hawk
‘Warning’ or ‘this product is harmful’, are a few examples of labels stuck at the back of many cleaning products. This is clearly a reason to go green! Take time to read what your cleaning products contain as experts reveal that an average home has around 62 toxic chemicals. When shopping around for new cleaning products, take a look at the back and watch out for the following chemicals: phthalates (fragranced products), chlorine, 2-Butoxyethanol (multi-purchase cleaners) and triclosan. Let’s just say it’s safer to go green and know what you’re inhaling on a daily basis!
photo credit – shutterstock/ Diana taliun)
You could be poisoning your water
Drinking water out of the tap in Britain is an everyday normality, yet some chemicals found in cleaning products are toxic and could be poisoning your water supply. Chemicals such as ammonia, alkyphenol, petroleum, phosphorus and ethoxylates could be making their way back into your water supply after flushing your toilet, doing some laundry or washing the dishes. Not only can these chemicals effect human health, it is damaging to the environment and wildlife.
Are your products regulated?
If you live within the EU, regulations on all soaps, detergents and cleaning products available are controlled to ensure they are safe for the user and the environment. REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) is the authoritative piece of legislature concerning the use of chemicals in the EU. All companies within the EU must comply with these regulations and members of A.I.S.E (International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products) and Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council) are there to monitor the how safe your products are for use at home and your office.
Going green could save you some cash
Everyone likes to clean up their finances and going green could rid yourself of monthly costs you hadn’t anticipated. Buying eco-friendly cleaning products is becoming far more popular with more and more manufacturers choosing to go green. With more companies going green, natural products are now competitively priced against your typical off the shelf brands. All you need to do is spend a little time looking whilst doing your weekly shop…
