Clean tox free like your grandparents did it!!

[Guest guest]

“Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the

main threat to health. The diseases we are beginning

to see as the major causes of death in the latter part

of (the 1900's) and into the 21st century are diseases

of chemical origin.”

Dr. Dick Irwin, Toxicologist, Texas A & M University

 

 

On a typical cleaning day in a typical Canadian home,

levels of chemicals in the indoor air can be hundreds,

even thousands of times higher than the outdoor air in

the most polluted of cities. In fact, indoor air

pollution levels would be high enough to trigger an

inspection by health and safety authorities in any

workplace setting. (The Nature of Things, CBC-TV

2002).

 

Prior to WWII most household cleaning tasks were

accomplished using relatively safe ingredients

commonly found in most homes. With the proliferation

of petroleum-based chemicals after the war,

corporations began to manufacture ready-made cleaning

products. Today, most people are accustomed to buying

a wide range of products custom-designed for the many

surfaces, materials and rooms in their homes.

 

Most cleaning chores can be easily handled without

these toxic products. Everyday ingredients like

baking soda, vinegar, salt, lemon juice, vegetable

oil, soap, borax, hydrogen peroxide and washing soda

can do the job as they did in olden days. Consumer

demand and recognition of the hazards of many chemical

ingredients are leading more companies to manufacture

less toxic cleaning products.

 

Fragrance - Fragrance on a label can indicate the

presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients, most of

which are synthetic. Many compounds in fragrance are

human toxins and suspected or proven carcinogens. In

1989, the US National Institute of Occupational Safety

and Health evaluated 2,983 fragrance chemicals for

health effects. They identified 884 of them as toxic

substances. Synthetic fragrances are known to trigger

asthma attacks.

 

Less-Toxic Household Cleaning Products

http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=household

 

Air Freshener, Deodorizer, Odour Remover

****************************************

Far from freshening air, chemical-based air fresheners

and deodorizers add dangerous chemicals to the air we

breathe. Air fresheners work by using a

nerve-deadening chemical that interferes with our

sense of smell, by coating nasal passage with an oily

film, by masking an offending odour with a different

odour, or by deactivating the odour.

 

Air fresheners are made from a number of chemicals

including formadehyde, a carcinogen and sensitizer,

naphthalene, a suspected carcinogen, xylene, a

neurotoxin and possible reproductive toxin, butane

gas, a neurotoxin, cresol, ethanol, phenol and strong

fragrances. Some solid deodorizers include the

pesticide paradichlorobenzene, a carcinogen which can

also cause liver and kidney damage. Aerosol air

fresheners release chemicals as tiny particles which

can be inhaled deeply into lungs and transferred into

the blood stream. Plug in air fresheners break

chemicals into even smaller particles.

 

The key to freshening air is to remove or dilute the

offending odor (by cleaning, ventilation or

absorption), not to cover it with another chemical.

 

Less-toxic Alternatives

 

* Air Scense - pump air freshener

* Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds (contains SLS)

* Heavenly Fresh - odour absorber for small

places (Canadian Tire)

* Infinity - Heavenly Horsetail

* Nok Out - odour destroyer

& #61623; Volcanic Rock deodorizer – made from ionic

rock called clinoptilolite

& #61623; available from Lee Valley Tools

 

Ask commercial carpet cleaning companies to clean

using only water and baking soda, steam, or club soda.

Chem-Dry Cleaners in the Halifax area uses less toxic

cleaning solutions for carpets and upholstery.

 

Dishwashing Liquid (Hand)

*************************

Most dishwashing liquids contain detergents, coal tar

based colours, and artificial fragrance. They may

contain Quarternium 15, an eye and skin irritant which

can release carcinogenic formaldehyde. If the label

says " Do not use with chlorine bleach " , then the

product probably contains ammonia. Many dyes are known

to be carcinogenic; they can penetrate the skin and be

deposited on dishes. Conventional detergents are

petroleum-based.

 

Less-toxic Alternatives

* Bioasis Dishwasher Detergent

* Down East - Dishwashing Liquid

* Nature Clean - Natural Dishwashing Detergent

* Seventh Generation - Natural Dish Liquid

 

Dishwasher Detergents

*********************

Many dishwasher detergents contain dry chlorine which

is activated when dissolved in water. Chlorine fumes

in the steam that leaks from dishwashers may cause eye

irritation and difficulty breathing. Dishwasher

detergents may also contain quarternium 15, an eye and

skin irritant and an allergen which can release

carcinogenic formaldehyde. Dyes and artificial

fragrances are common ingredients.

 

Less-toxic Alternatives

* Down East - Dishwashing Powder

* Nature Clean - Natural Dishwasher Powder

* Seventh Generation - Automatic Dishwashing

Detergent

* Simply Unscented

* Shaklee Basic D

 

Home-made Alternatives

Mix equal parts of borax and baking soda and store in

a tightly sealed container. Use 2 tablespoons per

load. If you have hard water, double the amount of

baking soda in your mixture. For either mixture, use

vinegar in the rinse cycle.

 

A ball of aluminum foil in the dryer can reduce static

cling without adding chemicals.

 

Home-made Alternatives for Furniture Polish

 

Polish with plain olive oil, almond or walnut oil.

Polish with food grade mineral oil. Although it is

petroleum based it is non-volatile and relatively

safe. Available in drug stores.

 

Furniture Polish

1 cup olive oil, almond or walnut oil

1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice

 

Shake well and apply a small amount to a soft rag.

Spread evenly over furniture surface. Polish with a

dry cloth.

 

Laundry Detergent

 

Most detergents are derived from petrochemical

ingredients. They may contain bleaches, synthetic

whiteners, and chemical fragrances, even in some

so-called " fragrance free " brands. Some detergents may

contain ammonia, ethanol, napthalene and phenol. Many

liquid brands contain ethoxylated alcohols which can

be contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane.

Detergent residues on clothes and bed linens can be a

source of skin irritation, and lingering scents from

scented products can cause respiratory and other

reactions in both the user and others.

Petroleum-based detergents cause more household

poisonings than any other household product, (when

eaten by children.) Laundry soaps, available as bar

soaps or flakes, are usually made from natural

minerals and fats and tend to be less toxic than

conventional detergents.

 

Laundry Whitener

Add up to 1/2 cup of 20 MuleTeam Borax or Arm & Hammer

Washing Soda to washer. Use sodium hexametaphosphate,

amount depends on water hardness.

 

Grease Stains

Add one can of Coke to washer for severe grease

stains.

 

http://www.aeha-quebec.ca/res_health.htm

Environmental Health Website

 

Janice