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Tip 8: Clean Up Your Act
Healthy Child
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Unless your favorite cleaner is eco-friendly, you're sending VOCs into the air, and that isn't good. VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, are airborne pollutants used in a number of conventional cleaning agents to help speed the drying process. They can irritate mucus membranes and cause other short- and long-term physical damage.
But VOCs are only one type of toxin found in mainstream cleaning products. Petrochemicals, pesticides, and chlorides join a host of other pollutants that dirty the air you breathe and the water you drink. But it's easy enough to strip your closet (or that area under the sink) of their ill effects.
Action Steps:
- Use gentle Castile soap and water - these have been shown to keep surfaces as free of bacteria as antibacterial soaps do.
- Look for safer ingredients - products labeled nontoxic, bio-based, chlorine free, organic, phosphate-free, natural fragrance, and/or biodegradable.
- Avoid using products that say POISON, DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
- Reduce the need for anti-bacterial soaps by frequently requiring hand washing.
The folks from Seventh Generation make the nation's leading brand of non-toxic and environmentally safe household products. They make it wonderfully easy to find stores that sell their nontoxic products at your local store and online.
Arm & Hammer baking soda has a web site that gives you pages of how to clean and deodorize practically everything from kitchens to nurseries and it is all non-toxic.
Posted by judy sheehy on 10/27/2006 at 05:27 AM
I found that Get Clean cleans better than Seventh Generation and Method and is cheaper per use…check it out at the website listed..Judy
Posted by Dave from Wholesale Furniture Brokers on 10/06/2006 at 09:28 AM
It is amazing how many things are not eco-friendly. I’m glad you’re promoting environmentally friendly products.
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Posted by Janet on 03/30/2007 at 02:43 PM
After switching to totally natural cleaners over a year ago I have noticed a great difference in how I feel. The conventional cleaning products made me feel tired, gave me nausea and bad headaches. I have been using Bi-O-Kleen products and they work great.