The vast majority of commercial household cleaning products are toxic to some degree, and all of them are harmful to the environment. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) examined more than 2,000 popular household cleaning products to assess the safety of the ingredients used in commercial household cleaning products.
Key findings from this assessment are shocking where more than half were found to contain ingredients known to harm the lungs and one-fifth of them to contain chemicals reported to cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy individuals.
Organic cleaning products can be healthier and environmentally responsible alternatives, but they are rather expensive too. Instead, why not make your own using natural ingredients? In most cases, vinegar, baking soda, soap and water will do the job but you may require other ingredients for specifics jobs.
Here’s a list of some common and environmentally safe ingredients that you can use alone or in combination to create your organic cleaning solutions:
- Baking soda
Cleans, deodorises, softens water and scours. - Lemon juice
Effective against most household bacteria. - White vinegar
Cut grease; remove mildew, odours, and prevents/removes wax build-up. - Washing soda
Cleans walls, tiles, sinks and tubs and cuts grease; removes stains. Do not use on aluminium as it can irritate lubricated skins so handle with care. - Vegetable or Olive oil
Use as wood polishes. - Alcohol
Vodka is a potent odour remover. - Cornstarch
Polish furniture and clean windows. - Hydrogen peroxide
Excellent stain remover for fabrics and grout and for disinfecting the kitchen or bathroom. Handle with care as it can cause skin or respiratory irritation.
If making your own cleaning product is not an option, there are an increasing number of organic cleaning products which will promote the growth of green businesses and contribute to a more sustainable economy.
Have you used any of the products listed above to clean? What was your experience? Have you used any other natural ingredients to clean? Share your thoughts with us.
