Does Clean Mean Healthy? By Green Wheel Cleaners

Here Helen from Green Wheel Cleaners, a completely non toxic cleaning service, writes about the dangers of household cleaners and the safer non toxic alternatives.

We live in an age of convenience and no one knows this better than the marketers. Take for example the cleaning industry. You only have to walk down the cleaning aisle of your local market or switch on the TV to see the tactics used by marketers to sell us the strongest, fastest, most efficient cleaning products. They use scare tactics to make consumers believe that by killing all the bacteria in our homes with their chemicals it makes for a healthier home.  As a society many of us have come to rely on these products. We see them as an essential part of any household. We feel a sense of security in using recognisable products and brands.  The ingredients of many of the products, however, are much less familiar to us. In fact the majority of the ingredients have been invented over the last 60 years, and most of them have gone through little or no long term safety testing. Even today in Canada, companies are still under no obligation to list the ingredients of cleaning products on their containers. 

So why wouldn’t we want to clean our houses with the strongest chemical we can buy? If our children are crawling around on the floors testing every new object they can find by putting it in their mouths, surely we would want to make our home as sterile as possible?  According to the ‘hygiene hypothesis,’ children who are not exposed to enough disease-causing pathogens are not able to develop a healthy immune system. It concludes that because children’s immune systems are not fighting the infections they were designed to fight, their immune systems have shifted to developing more allergic tendencies. Research on the hygiene hypotheses shows that children who are more exposed to germs have an increased immunity to common illnesses and have a decreased risk of asthma, type 1 diabetes and autoimmune diseases. ^{(1) (2)}

So while the powerful effects of conventional household cleaners are potentially creating imbalanced immune systems, the toxic nature of the products may also be causing devastating effects to our health.  In recent years the use of toxic domestic cleaning products has been linked to the increase in asthma rates, birth defects, fertility problems, some cancers, chronic fatigue syndrome, liver damage and many more. Children are especially susceptible to toxic build up as in proportion to their body weight children eat more and breathe more than adults. ⁽³⁾

Due to practical and ethics issues, studies on the effects of household cleaners on fertility and reproduction have been limited to non-human studies. Glycol ethers are of huge concern when it comes to fertility. Glycol ethers are degreasing agents commonly found in all-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners and glass cleaners. The Environmental protection agency in the U.S summarized:

“animal studies have reported testicular damage, reduced fertility, maternal toxicity, early embryonic death, birth defects, and delayed development from the inhalation and oral exposure of glycol ethers” ⁽⁴⁾

One of the studies in the U.S measured the effects of the glycol ether and other volatile organic compounds in household cleaners. They found that under normal cleaning conditions in the home the levels of these chemicals could exceeded the safety thresholds recommended for an industrial setting. ⁽⁵⁾

Precaution is the key, do your research. As much as possible find out the ingredients of the cleaning products you are using. Go to the manufactures’ websites and look at their material safety data sheets (MSDS).

 Here are a few chemicals to be aware of:

There are other options for cleaning your home, and if you haven’t already tried them, they are worth looking into.

1.Use Microfiber cloths

Microfiber cloths unlike traditional cleaning cloths are made up of microfibers so small that the eye can barely see them. The increased surface area and star shaped fibers makes them effective at capturing bacteria, dust and dirt. This reduces the amount of cleaning products needed for cleaning tasks.  Always air dry microfiber cloths; heat from a dryer can damage the microfibers making them less effective.
 

2.       Invest in a steam cleaner

Steam cleaners were a revelation to me. The steam from the cleaner kills bacteria, dust mites and mould and makes difficult jobs like cleaning the oven a lot easier. It can be used in place of a mop to lift stubborn dirt from floors and disinfect at the same time. The steam also penetrates the hard to reach places like under the rim of plug holes and the back of faucets. Try it; you will be shocked at how much hidden dirt it finds. No cleaning products required and no tough scrubbing!

3.Switch to natural products. Here are some examples:

Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarbonate of Soda is a naturally occurring mineral with the ability to balance the naturally made acidity and alkaline that resides in all living things. Bicarbonate of soda can neutralize mould, bacteria and mildew to name a few. This makes it a powerful deodorizer. It is also used to scrub surfaces, remove stains, disinfect and it is non-toxic and cheap! It truly is one of the wonder substances for healthy cleaning.

White Distilled Vinegar

The other wonder substance of healthy cleaning! Vinegar is derived from grains, fruits or vegetables and is 100% non-toxic. Because of its acidic nature it can break down bacteria, mould and dirt, making it a very versatile effective cleaning agent. Vinegar can be used as a stain remover, mildew eliminator, soap scum dissolver, chrome polisher, lime descaler, fabric softener, room deodorizer and as an unclogging agent.

Essential oils

Essential oils are volatile aromatic oils that are obtained from various plants. They are used in natural cleaning recipes for three reasons. Firstly, they have a pleasant natural odour:  the smell is derived from whatever plant the oil was extracted from. Secondly, lots of essential oils contain antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties. Thirdly, some oils like orange oil are excellent at removing tough stains and grime.

Do your research before using essential oils. Not all essential oils are suitable for cleaning. Popular oils used in natural cleaning are: orange, rosemary, fir, balsam, chamomile, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, thyme, spruce and peppermint

Borax

Borax is a natural mineral compound that creates a basic solution in water. It is a great natural bleach and cleaner. It can be used as a natural laundry booster, multipurpose cleaner, fungicide, preservative, insecticide, herbicide and disinfectant.

While borax is 100% natural and a lot safer the chemical commercial bleaches if used correctly, it should be handled with care as it can be mildly toxic if ingested. For this reason it is not a good idea to use it on carpets or floors or any surfaces where children and pets might be most exposed to any residue. The best uses are for toilet bowls, bathroom tiles etc.

For more information you can request the material safety data sheet from the borax website:

http://www.borax.com/product/borax-decahydrate.asp

Castile Soap

This natural soap is made from vegetable fat/oil such as hemp, palm or olive. It is a versatile cleaner that mixes well with other ingredients.

If you don’t have time to research and try to make your own cleaning products there are more and more green cleaning products entering the supermarket shelves. Be careful though, not everything that claims to be green is non-toxic. My advice; don’t buy anything without the ingredients listed on it.

When I started up my cleaning business it was an easy choice to go with 100% non-toxic cleaning products. I find them effective and pleasant to work with, and I leave my clients with not only a clean home or work space, but also a healthy one.

From further information about the cleaning services offered by Green Wheel Cleaners, please visit us at www.greenwheelcleaners.com

1.        Strachan DP (August 2000). "Family size, infection and atopy: the first decade of the "hygiene hypothesis"". Thorax. 55 Suppl 1 (90001): S2–10. doi:10.1136/thorax.55.suppl_1.S2. PMC 1765943. PMID 10943631. http://thorax.bmj.com/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=10943631.

2.        The 'hygiene hypothesis' for autoimmune and allergic diseases: an update. Okada H, Kuhn C, Feillet H, Bach JF. INSERM U1013, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Paris, France.

3.        Centre for Children’s Health and the Enviroment.  (2002). Children’s Unidue Vulnerability to Enviromental Toxins. (Fact Sheet). Mount Sinai School of Medicine. 2002. Available at: www.childenviroment.org/factsheets/childrensvulnerability.htm

4.        U.S. EPA (2000). Glycol Ethers Hazard Summary. U.S. EPA, Air Toxics Division, January 2000. Available at: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/glycolet.html.

5.        Nazaroff, W. et al. (2006). Indoor Air Chemistry: Cleaning Agents, Ozone and Toxic Air Contaminants, April 2006, prepared for the California Air Resources Board.

6.        Savonius et al. (1994). Occupational asthma caused by ethanolamines. Allergy, Dec. 1994, vol. 49, no. 10, 877-81;

7.        Jajosky et al. (1999). Surveillance of Work-Related Asthma in Selected U.S. States Using Surveillance Guidelines for State Health Departments

—       California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993–1995. MMWR 1999;48(No. SS-3).

8.        June 25, 1999. Purohit et al. (2000). Quaternary ammonium compounds and occupational asthma. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, August 2000, vol. 73, no. 6, 423-27.

9.        J.A. Bernstein et al. (1994). A combined respiratory and cutaneous hypersensitivity syndrome induced by work exposure to quaternary amines. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, August 1994, vol. 94, no. 2, Part 1, 257-59.

10.     HESIS (2007). Glycol Ethers: Fact Sheet. California Department of Health Services, Occupational Health Branch, Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS). Available at: www.dhs.ca.gov/ohb/HESIS/glycols.htm

11.     Cordier, et al. (1997). Congenital malformation and maternal occupational exposure to glycol ethers. Epidemiology. 1997 Jul;8(4):355-63

12.     Environment Canada (2003). 2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Methoxyethanol: CurrentUse Patterns in Canada, Toxicology Profiles of Alternatives, and the Feasibility of Performing an Exposure Assessment Study. May 2003. Available at: www.ec.gc.ca/toxics/docs/2be-2me/EN/profiles.cfm

13.     California Department of Health Services, Occupational Health Branch, Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service HESIS (2007). Glycol Ethers: Fact Sheet. California Department of Health Services, Occupational Health Branch, Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS). Available at: www.dhs.ca.gov/ohb/HESIS/glycols.htm

14.     Hardin, B. D., Goad, P. T., AND Burg, J. R. (1986). Developmental Toxicity of Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether (diEGME). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 6, 430–439.

15.     Sierra Club (2005) Nonylphenol Ethoxylates:A Safer Alternative Exists to This Toxic Cleaning Agent. November 2005.

16.     National Environmental Trust (1998). Toxic Toys: A Select Annotated Bibliography on the Toxicity of Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP) and Its Migration from Children’s Products. Available at: www.net.org/health/products/toyscience.vtml

17.     Our Stolen Future (2006). About Phthalates. Available at: www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm#.

18.     Bornehag, C-G, et al. (2004). The Association between Asthma and Allergic Symptoms in Children and Phthalates in House Dust: A Nested Case-Control Study. Environmental Health Perspectives 112:1393-1397 (2004) . Available at: ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2004/7187/abstract.html

19.     Healthy Child Healthy World. Chemical Encyclopedia Available at: http://www.healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/chlorine/

20.     National Cancer Institute. Factsheet. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde