How Toxic are my Household Cleaners?

How toxic are my household cleaners?

READ THE LABEL!!! IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, ITS PROLLY BAD FOR YOUR BODY.

According to the American Lung Association, the ingredients in most commercial solutions, sprays, and scrubs can:

• Be air pollutants
• Be harmful chemicals
• Be flammable or corrosive
• Irritate eyes or throat
• Cause headaches
• Contribute to health problems like chronic respiratory problems and allergic reactions

Not only are these ingredients problematic, but they’re pretty far from green. Choosing cleaners with naturally derived ingredients is a win for you and a win for Mother Earth.

What else I need to know?

Brace yourself, manufacturers aren’t even legally required to list all ingredients. It sounds bonkers, but toxic ingredients could be lingering in your laundry detergents and floor cleaners without you knowing about it.

For example, some products such as carpet cleaners and dishwasher liquid release VOCs or rather, "volatile organic compounds". Some Aromatherapists, say that some VOCs can irritate eyes, nose, and throat; create difficulty breathing and nausea; and cause harm to the central nervous system and other organs.

How do I clean without harsh chemicals?

For starters, trust us and don’t use any of the ingredients linked above.

The simplest way to get the job done, check the labels. Products can be greenwashed, meaning they have packaging that advertises as “green” or “natural” but sneak unwelcome ingredients into their formulas.

It’s also important to remember that these issues don’t solely apply to the cleaning aisle. When shopping for candles and air fresheners, avoid these factory-crafted temptations. Instead, mix and match essential oils and diffuse them for personal, unique household aromas.

Ultimately, if you can find companies and products with the mission to use from-the-earth, not-harmful, naturally derived ingredients, you’re golden.

Certified organic essential oils are cultivated on certified organic farms and are verified by an organic certification entity. Certified organic means that no chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers of any kind are used in the growth of the plant. 

'Organic Essential Oils' are also different than 'wildcrafted' essential oils where the plant is harvested in the wild and the plant actually grows in the wild without interference.

Adding Essential Oils to your cleaning products?

• Dish Soap
• Laundry Soap
• Automatic Dishwasher Powder
• Fruit & Veggie Soak
• Sprays

These organic essential oil varieties are either steam distilled, hydrodistillation or expressed depending on the plant material that the oils are extracted from. 

Citrus oils, with the exception of Lime Oil, are created by cold pressing the peels of the citrus fruit to obtain the essential oil.