All-natural, natural fragrance, additive free, organic...the many labels on cleaners for your home can be very confusing. What is a natural cleaner anyway? And how important is it to choose the right kind of cleaners?
Regular cleaning products are usually petroleum-based products and contain a variety of toxic chemicals such as phosphate, oils and dyes that can damage human health and the environment.
What are Natural Cleaners?
Natural cleaners are based on natural plant extracts and renewable sources. These are cleaning products that biodegrade quickly without damaging the environment or affecting organisms in the water or air. Organic cleaning products have many of the same ingredients as natural cleaners, although the labeling is stricter for organic products. There are also instances where some ingredients that are organic in nature aren't healthy - yes, there are persistent organic pollutants that are organic - petroleum is a perfect example - so be sure to read any information carefully to determine the best product for your home. In food, organic is usually good, but many organic chemicals aren't necessarily healthy for the environment.
Natural cleaners should meet several criteria that regular commercial cleaners can not meet:
- The product should be bio-based and from renewable sources such as fruits, vegetables or plants.
- There can be no petroleum based or artificial perfumes or dyes.
- They must be biodegradable - ideally, they should degrade by a minimum of 60% within a month of use.
- The product can not contain any petroleum distillates or crude oil.
Hidden Toxins in Every Home
You would be surprised at the number of products that you use regularly that are highly toxic because of artificial chemicals, petroleum distillates, crude oils and other unnecessary additives. As the quality of home construction has improved over the years, our homes have steadily lost their fresh air. Add to this the chemicals used in furniture, upholstery, paints and stains and you have a recipe for toxic air.
The Hazardous Perpetrators
Regular commercial cleaners contain the highest concentration of toxins of anything in the typical home. Among the toxins you'll usually find in cleaners are:
- Petrochemicals - these take millions of years to be replenished and don't easily break down.
- Synthetics - most, because they are man-made, don't break down at all because they have no natural enzyme counterpart to help them biodegrade.
- Optical brighteners are made of fluorescent chemicals that are toxic to fish and cause mutations in certain bacteria.
- Phosphates, which are actually organic in nature, soften water to make detergents more efficient. Unfortunately, when they are released in the water supply, phosphates cause "algae bloom" and lead to Oxygen depletion, which will eventually lead to water that is unable to support life.
A new term that is often used is Persistent Organic Pollutants. POPs are any chemicals, organic or synthetic, which have difficulty breaking down, build up in the body's tissues, increase in concentration as it passes up the food chain, can be transmitted in global waters and the air and are linked to hormonal, reproductive and neurological problems in humans.
Effects of Toxic Exposure
The dangers of continuing to use toxic cleaners in our homes are unmistakable - the more these toxins build up in our homes, the more they build up in our own bodies and in the environment. Consider these health hazards that are often the result of long-term exposure to toxic cleaners:
- Headaches and lethargy.
- Asthma and other breathing problems.
- Skin irritation and rashes.
- Anemia and liver damage.
- Neurological impairment.
The effects of toxic ingredients are especially hazardous to children, who aren't as able to process contaminants that are ingested, absorbed through contact with the skin or inhaled. Children who are exposed to even a small amount of toxic chemicals can develop permanent neurological problems, chronic breathing ailments and developmental delays. In fact, childhood asthma has increased steadily since the advent of synthetic cleaning solvents for the home.
Disposal of toxic chemicals is also a problem. The many chemicals that we routinely flush down the drain - including detergents and bleaches - end up polluting ground water and the soil. The results of this pollution can last for generations, destroying the food chain and contaminating water sources.
Cleaner Conscience, Cleaner World
The potential for harm is so great from the use of toxic cleaners that every one of us should take steps to switch to natural cleaning products as soon as possible. We will be improving our health, our indoor air quality and the overall health of our world as a whole. Even small changes, when added to the changes made by millions of others, can have a vast impact on the environment. Using safe, natural cleaning products is a simple, easy way to reduce the dangers of toxins in the home and the environment. Relative to how simple it is to do, the impact is immediate and impressive.
Applying the Precautionary Principle
The Precautionary Principle, a moral and political statement regarding actions and their results, states that, if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action. It's an imperative that we should all apply to our daily lives - we shouldn't wait for the government to determine that something definitely is dangerous before we stop using it or seek safer, greener alternatives.
Look for these signs that a cleaning product is natural and safe for the environment:
- A complete list of ingredients. The more that is revealed, the better.
- Doesn't contain petrochemicals.
- Doesn't contain phosphates.
- Is ammonia-free, chlorine-free and alcohol-free.
- Contains no synthetic perfumes or dyes (essential oils are a good alternative).
- All natural.
- Non-toxic.
A key to finding products that are relatively safe is to look at the warning labels. Any cleaning product will irritate the body to some extent if used improperly. However, the level of potential harm can reveal a lot.
Caution - usually indicates that a product should be used cautiously to prevent irritation to the skin or eyes from misuse. It may also be moderately toxic if ingested in large quantities.
Natural, environmentally friendly products will carry a caution label, not anything stronger.
Warning - Potential for severe skin irritation and/or eye damage, acute toxicity, or high level of flammability.
Danger - Extremely toxic and extremely flammable.
Poison - This is the highest recognized level of toxicity. The product is potentially lethal in even small doses and dangerous to both individuals and the environment. Must be disposed of according to strict guidelines.
You can have a sparkling clean house that's also safe for you and better for the environment. You can find products online, in health food stores and through distributors. Do you part - make your home a cleaner, greener environment today.