Guide to Safer Cleaners and Disinfectants
Excerpted from The Household Detective: Protecting
Your Children from Toxins at Home, by Jan
Williams Children's
Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC)
(book is available here
with membership)
Dangerous Products in the
Home
People have learned to keep their houses
clean in order to ward off disease and infection.
To help us do this, we have created a wide
variety of cleaning products and disinfectants.
The problem is that our zeal to be clean has
gone too far. Today, the cleaner is frequently
more dangerous than the things we are trying
to clean up. Many common household products
contain alcohol, ammonia, bleach, formaldehyde,
and lye. These substances can cause nausea,
vomiting, inflammation and burning of the
eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory system,
and are linked with neurological, liver and
kidney damage, blindness, asthma, and cancer.
Fortunately, we can achieve a level of cleanliness,
which is both hygienic for children as well
as esthetically pleasing for adults without
using hazardous household cleaners and disinfectants.
You can either make your own household cleaners
and disinfectants from a variety of common,
less toxic household ingredients, or you can
purchase less toxic commercial brands in stores.
In addition to making your child's environment
safer, most of these less toxic alternatives
will also save you money. And, if your child
likes mixing and making things, you can combine
housecleaning with a supervised play activity
for your child.
Did You Know?
The average American home has 3-10 gallons
of hazardous materials.
In 1993, 1.8 million human poisonings were
reported to the poison control centers in
the U.S. Ninety-two percent of the incidences
took place in the home and 60% of the cases
involved children under the age of five.
What You Can Do
First, remember what you're trying to do
— make your home hygienic and safe for your
children. This means effectively cleaning
up food from counters and getting dirt off
of your floors. We're not trying to eradicate
the Ebola virus. So, when choosing a cleaning
or disinfecting product, ask yourself, is
my child going to be at greater risk from
some unknown germ or from a chemical known
to harm people?
Cleaning Alternatives
Homemade Remedies and Cleaners
Air Freshener.
To absorb odors, place bowls of vinegar, or
baking soda around the house. Be sure to keep
them out of the reach of children and pets!
To make the air more fragrant, use essential
oils or boiled herbs. To make boiled herbs,
simply choose any herb or spice the smell
of which you enjoy and boil it in water for
a few minutes until the heat causes it to
release its odor. Let it cool a little and
put it out in a bowl. You can also add salt
to discourage the growth of fungus.
Drain Cleaner.
Use hair and food traps to keep the drain
from getting clogged. If it does become clogged,
try the following recipe. First, pour about
1/2 cup of baking soda down the sink. Then
add at least a cup of vinegar. It will start
to fizz. Put the cover over the drain. Finish
up by rinsing the drain with a mixture of
boiling water and salt. You might have to
repeat the whole procedure more than once.
Toilet
Bowl Cleaner. Sprinkle baking soda
around the inside of the toilet bowl and then
clean with a toilet brush. Also try letting
white vinegar sit for a few minutes in the
bowl before cleaning with the toilet brush.
Oven Cleaner.
Make a paste of baking soda and water. First
wipe away any residual grease. Then scratch
off burnt spots with a scouring brush or steel
wool. Finally, apply the paste and scrub.
Laundry
Detergents. By adding baking soda,
you can reduce the amount of commercial detergent
you use substantially. If you're using liquid
detergent, add about 1/2 cup of baking soda
at the beginning of the wash. If you're using
powdered detergent, add 1/2 cup of baking
soda during the rinse cycle. Baking soda softens
the water, thus increasing the potency of
your detergent. When buying your commercial
detergent, it is better to use a biodegradable,
less toxic, phosphate free brand.
Window
Cleaner. Put 3 tbs. vinegar per 1 qt.
water in a spray bottle.
Automatic Dishwashing Detergent. As
you pile your dishes up in the sink, sprinkle
them with baking soda. Then, later on when
you put them in the dishwasher you can use
a lot less commercial detergent. It's the
some basic idea as with the laundry detergent.
Carpet
Cleaner. To absorb big spills, spread
cornmeal all over the spill. Wait about 15
minutes, then vacuum it up. For stains, put
1/4 cup biodegradable liquid soap with 1/3
cup water into a blender to make a foam. Put
the foam on the stain and rub. Finish up with
a splash of vinegar.
Kitchen
Cleanser. Just use baking soda on non-scratch
surfaces, and a vinegar and water mixture
on other surfaces.
Tub and
Tile Cleaner. Mix 1 and 2/3 cup baking
soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap, 1/2 cup water,
and finally, 2 tbs. vinegar (if you add the
vinegar too early it will react with the baking
soda). Then apply, wipe, and scrub.
Shoe Polish.
Use a little olive oil.
Disinfectant.
Make a solution of 3 tbs. liquid soap,
2 cups water, and 20-30 drops of tea tree
oil, which is a natural disinfectant.
Metal Polish
Brass and
Copper. Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle
it with salt and rub the lemon on whatever
needs to be polished. Buff with a cloth to
remove excess lemon juice.
Silver.
Put a sheet of aluminum foil into a plastic
or glass bowl. Sprinkle the foil with salt
and baking soda, then fill the bowl with warm
water. Just soak your silver in the bowl and
the tarnish will migrate to the aluminum foil.
Finally, dry and buff your silver.
Fabric
Softener. Add 2 cups white vinegar
and a few drops of an essential oil to your
rinse cycle. WARNING! Vinegar can cause colors
to fade a little.
Fragrance.
If you are not chemically sensitive or allergic,
essential plant oils can be a pleasing addition
to homemade cleaners. A few drops of these
fragrant oils can enhance our perception of
cleanliness.
Commercial Cleaners and
Disinfectants
If you don't feel like making your own cleaners,
there are a number of less toxic alternatives,
which can be found at organic and natural
grocery stores, co-ops, and many larger conventional
stores as well. Reading the label is always
a good way to familiarize yourself with the
substances in a product.
Organic and biodegradable products are generally
the safest. Natural products tend to be the
next safest, with conventional cleaners and
disinfectants being the least safe.
WARNING: Storage of Cleaners
and Disinfectants
Whatever you choose to do, whether it be
making your own cleaners or purchasing them
in stores, remember that many products can
be harmful to children and pets if ingested,
even baking soda and vinegar. So, remember
to keep all cleaners and disinfectants safely
out of the reach of children.
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Use
the information provided on this site as an
educational resource for determining your
options and making your own informed choices.
It is not intended as medical advice or to
diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific
illness.