When are you going to make your home toxin free?
There are more chemicals in your home and in your life than you can probably count. Some we may not be able to avoid, but many others we can choose to keep out of the air we breathe.
Our modern world has changed dramatically since the end of World War II when the explosion of chemicals started. Today there are chemicals in mostly everything we eat, drink, use, and breathe. Very few have been tested for toxicity. Many have found their way into all of our food supply, even if we buy organic because the chemicals find their way into the soil, rain and water that is also found around organically grown food.
Back in the 1960’s, when rivers were igniting and burning and America was starting to be faced with waterway pollution the very first biodegradable cleaning products were being developed to help the environment. Since then, asthma and allergy rates have risen and serious illnesses and diseases like cancer have been associated with exposure to chemicals. We need to be as worried about ourselves and our families as much as our outside environment.
If you are someone who likes the smells of cleaning products (I just heard today about a woman who ‘loves’ the smell of bleach and won’t stop using it because of that – even with learning of the dangers connected to cleaning with bleach), consider the fact that those smells usually mean there are chemicals inside to produce the smell.
There is no real smell to clean – not to pure, natural, non-toxic clean. Unfortunately, since we were young we have been brainwashed to think that there are smells associated with clean, and that those smells are safe. In fact, it’s just the opposite – because what’s behind the smell is more chemicals that may be harmful when combined with all the other chemicals we are exposed to, along with long term use of them.
Let’s consider two common household cleaning products.
- Bleach: inhalation can cause liver damage, major respiratory issues, and other extreme health problems that come from fumes of the bleach.
- Bathroom cleaners like Tilex: if you read the label, you should be wearing respiratory gear to use it. You need to cover your whole face and you are not to inhale any fumes even though you are spraying it from a spray bottle (don’t breathe!). With most people using it in a small area it becomes even more dangerous.
Here’s a discussion about toxic cleaners and some of the harm they can do to our health:
People assume that if you buy a product in the retail world, someone is ensuring it is safe – so you don’t have to really think about it. But that is not true. It is up to each of us to get educated and become knowledgeable about the things we pick to use.
To learn more about living in a toxic free home, visit: Cleaning with Household Products That Are Non-Toxic