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Why You Should Use Natural Home Cleaning Products

In the past, most people would clean their kitchen, floors, bathroom, furniture and clothes with a multitude of chemical-laden products and not think twice about it. Nowadays we know that these cleaning chemicals have all kinds of negative effects on our health and environment.

Many people think that these products must be safe if they are so easily available, but companies are not required to state any information about the long term health effects of their ingredients.

With our busy and stressful modern lives, taking time to research why conventional cleaning products are unhealthy can seem like an impossible task. To make your life easier we have compiled a few reasons to avoid conventional cleaning products and instead choose organic, natural and green options.

Your health

While they might smell nice, using conventional cleaning products even a few times a week can increase the chances of developing asthma and breathing difficulties. Some experts believe that there may be more than 60 chemicals hiding in your home cleaning products. The fragrance given off by many of these products comes from chemicals called phthalates, which are believed to be carcinogenic and may affect reproduction.

The chemicals found in conventional cleaning products have also been linked to health problems such as allergies, autism, cancer, and multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome. The effects of these ingredients remain in the air hours after their use and may have cumulative effects on your health.

Other chemicals that you may encounter when using conventional cleaning products include 2-butoxyethanol, ammonia, chlorine bleach, petroleum distillates, nitrobenzene, naphthalene and formaldehyde.

Child safety

Poisoning from household cleaning products is one of the top five causes of accidental death in children. Using natural and organic cleaning products will greatly reduce this risk and help you to sleep easier at night.

Environmental impact

Many of the chemicals contained in conventional cleaning products are not biodegradable, so when they enter back into the water system these chemicals pollute the lakes, rivers and sea. One example is phosphates, found in dish-washing detergent, which leads to death of aquatic life when released back into the water systems.  Natural and organic cleaning products have biodegradable ingredients so they do not have lasting effects on the environment.

When choosing household cleaning products look for companies that have natural, organic and biodegradable products. Supporting these companies sends a message to the industry that unsafe chemicals with long-term health and environmental ill effects are not acceptable for daily use.

Even though natural cleaning products are healthier and safer, they can still have negative effects if swallowed. Keep them away from children and always wear gloves when cleaning.

Sources

http://naturallysavvy.com/live/avoid-toxins-use-natural-cleaning-products
https://www.care.com/a/7-benefits-of-green-cleaning-1303041029
http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=24