It is estimated that the average household has up to 25 gallons of toxic substances. Most of this is contained in products we use every day to clean our homes. Cleaning products are made up of a number of chemical toxins most of which are not only hazardous to your health and immune system but even carcinogenic! There are no current laws requires cleaning product manufacturers to test their products for safety or list ingredients.
Did you know that exposure to many at home spray cleaners (glass, countertop, oven and furniture) can increase your risk of lung damage similar to that of smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes a day! (1)
The Environmental Working Group recently published a “Hall Of Shame” listing the most toxic home cleaning products (2)-here are the top offenders so you can remove them from your house immediately:
Simple Green Concentrated All Purpose Spray (2-butoxyethanol)
Spic & Span Multi-surface and Floor Cleaner (Nonylphenol ethoxylate)
Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner (butoxydiglycol)
Mop & Glo Multi-surface Floor Cleaner (methoxydiglycol)
Damp Rid Mildew Stain Remover (2-butoxyethanol)Comet Cleaning Powder (contains formaldehyde + 146 other chemicals!)
Febreze (contains 89 chemical ingredients)
409 All Purpose Cleaner (quaternary ammonium compounds)
Static Guard (dimethyl ammonium chloride)
Tide Laundry Detergent (1,4-dioxane)
Drano Crystals Foam Free Oven Cleaner (CVS brand)
Glade Air Freshens
Those on the list are simply the ones rated as the “worst offenders” due to their cancer causing chemical compositions. As I’m sure you can imagine three are THOUSANDS of products available which carry a health risk when used in your work/home or car. The good news… there are easy DIY remedies for almost every major cleaning product on the market today.
Below are some of my favorite which are not only effective and non-toxic but often cost pennies to create in comparison to the costs of store-bought toxic brands.
Non-Toxic DIY Laundry Detergent:
- 1 Cup Dr. Bronner’s Castile Bar Soap (approx. 2 bars)
- 2 Cups Washing Soda (not baking soda)
- 2 Cups Borax
Use a cheese grater and shave the bar soap until you have 1 cup of soap shavings. Mix in the washing soda and borax. Store in a mason jar or Tupperware container. Use 1/8to 1/4 cup per load.
Non-Toxic DIY Streak Free Glass Cleaner:
- 2 Cups Water
- 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
- 2 Drops tea tree oil
Combine all ingredients into a spray bottle, shake well before using. Apply/Use as you would any glass cleaner. Use 2 TBSP per load.
Non-Toxic DIY All Purpose Surface Cleaner:
- 1 Cup Distilled water
- 2 Cups white vinegar
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 15 drops essential oil (lavender, peppermint or lemon)
Mix all ingredients into a spray bottle, shake gently and sore in the refrigerator between use.
Non-Toxic DIY Furniture Polish:
- 1 Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp Castile Soap
- 15 drops Arborvitae Essential Oil
Pour all ingredients into a glass spray top bottle. Spray furniture and wipe with a microfiber cloth.
For more DIY household product recipes visit https://askdrernst.com/recipes/household-recipes