Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products For Use In Your Home

With all the information out there about cleaning products that are hazardous to your health and to the environment, so many people are looking for alternatives. Terms, such as Volatile Organic Compounds, that were unfamiliar before are becoming something you now make sure your products don't contain. Learning about what to look for and what to avoid removes the mystery from biodegradable, non-toxic cleaners and dispels some of the myths, such as cleaning your home only with vinegar and water. What you will be looking for as a health-conscious consumer, are eco friendly multipurpose cleaning products that are biodegradable, don't have solvents, and have a neutral pH.

Avoid Volatile Organic Compounds - Certain liquids and solids are known to produce fumes which are characterized as Volatile Organic Compounds. In an enclosed environment such as your home, these fumes build up to a surprising level. The EPA notes concentration of many VOCs indoors can be as much as ten times higher than outside. This is primarily due to a lack of ventilation, allowing the fumes to linger far longer than your nose will be able to detect. It can be alarming to learn than items such as dry cleaned clothing, air fresheners, cleaning supplies, paint and paint removers and plywood can all contribute to these levels.

Oftentimes after cleaning, you may notice you have a headache or your eyes are irritated. These symptoms and other side-effects of Volatile Organic Compounds, such as dizziness, asthma attacks, and flu-like symptoms. These short-term and the longer term effect, such as cancer, are linked to VOCs. While this is not healthy for any individual, there are certain groups who seem to be more affected. These would include babies and children, the elderly, pregnant and nursing women, and those individuals without fully functioning immune systems. As the fumes linger in the home for hours after use, it is important to eliminate as much VOC causing products as possible.

One of the most frequent exposures to VOCs in the home comes from cleaning products. From the everyday cleaners for the kitchen countertops, to the grill degreaser and window cleaner, to what you use to mop your floors, clean your carpets and scrub your tubs - they all give off noxious VOC fumes that are breathed in high concentration when being used, but also for hours afterwards and even as they off-gas sitting in the cabinet.

Neutral pH - Another new plus in your cleaning arsenal is going to be the use of products that have a neutral pH. A compound with a pH of 7.0 is considered neutral, being neither alkaline or acidic. This means it will be non-reactive to when it touches a surface, when it touches your skin, and when it reacts with the environment when it exits your home through the drainage system and gets into the water. When a compound has a high pH (over 7.0) it is alkaline, such as bleach. A lower pH (under 7.0) means it is acidic, such as battery acid. Quite expectantly, both of these are highly corrosive to surfaces and skin.

Neutral pH natural home cleaning products won't harm even the most sensitive surfaces, such as marble, and you don't have to worry about it throwing off the pH balance of your skin.

No Solvents - Once you begin to explore what most common household products contain, you learn that some of the ingredients, such as Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs), esthers, and alcohols are chemically corrosive agents. This means they are toxic and carcinogenic not only to the environment, but to the person using and those coming into contact.

Biodegradable - Out of sight and out of mind. This could describe the products and chemicals that go down our drains when we clean. This doesn't mean, however, that the environment is out of trouble. Common cleaning chemicals pollute instead of changing and then dissolving into co-factors that are non-harmful. Some biodegradables contribute even further to dissipation by speeding up the time it takes to do so.

Making the move to replace your existing toxic chemical cleaning products to all natural multipurpose cleaning products is easy to do. As each current product begins to run out, simply exchange that one for an eco-friendly one. You will be delighted with the effectiveness of the commercial green cleaning products. The reduction of harmful impacts to you, your family, and the environment make using all natural cleaning products the wise short and long-term decision!