Stop Cleaning Your House!

During the winter months, we spend most of our time indoors. Therefore, it is of much importance to ensure that the home environment is conducive to good health. We know about the dangers of carbon monoxide, so we install CO monitors in our houses. We also know that keeping the house clean is important for warding off cold and flu. But few of us think about the toxicity of the cleaning products themselves. If we clean too vigorously, we just might be doing more harm than good.

Did you know that by using antibacterial soaps, detergents and wipes, you may be helping to breed “superbugs” in your house? The mechanism is similar to taking antibiotic medication too frequently. When we use antibiotic sprays and soaps, we kill most of the bacteria, leaving behind a few. The few bacteria that do survive did so because they have mutations that resist the antibacterial agent. When the survivors reproduce, they pass the resistance onto the new generation…

Granted, presently, more studies that confirm the severity of this theoretical risk are needed. However, correlation has been found between the usage of antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers and childhood allergies and asthma.

Resistant germs aside, when the antibacterial chemical in antibacterial products (usally Triclosan) mix with tap water, it undergoes chemical reactions with the chlorine in the water to form toxic by-products that are harmful to health. One category of these by-products are dioxins, which can also form upon exoposure to UV light (eg. when the sun shines on the kitchen countertop, after antibacterial wipe) Dioxins, at even small amounts can act as endocrine disruptors which can affect the human body in a very wide variety of different ways. Potential problems can be hormonal imbalance, increased cancer risk, ADD in children, fertility issues in adults, and even birth defects. Additionally, dioxins are chemically stable, meaning that they do not degrade very quickly, so if internalized, they can stay in the body for long periods of time. Prolonged exposure will cause it to accumulate in the body, increasing health risks even further.

That was just one example, what about the air freshener you use, the oven cleaner, the floor cleaning liquid, your bathroom sprays, glass cleaner? Do you take your clothes to the dry cleaner? We are, on a daily basis surrounded by thousands of chemicals (in our own houses!) Did you know that 18,000 new chemicals are produced each year? Worse yet, most of these have NEVER been tested on humans to assess for health risks? We don’t even know how harmful these substances are to our health in the long run!

It is important to clean your house, hygiene is certainly necessary for good health. However, we need to choose much safer substances to clean with. Some examples include:

1. Mixing 1 part of white vinegar and 1 part water to use as all purpose cleaning spray, and mirror cleaner

2. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar and 1/3 cup baking soda into the toilet bowl, scrub after letting it soak for 10 minutes.

3. Mix 10 drops of essential oil (lavender, for example) with a full spray bottle of water, shake to mix well. Use as air freshener.

Remember, a clean home is scent-free. If you prefer certain fragrances, you can use the natural air-freshener described above, or add a few drops of essential oil to your all purpose cleaning spray. You can also add pleasant fragrance to your home by baking cookies, or boiling a pot of water with cinnamon sticks in it, just to name a couple! Healthier options are numerous!

Enjoy cleaning in a more healthy manner!