Eco Friendly Cleaning Products

by HDME Staff

Know why you should consider switching to eco friendly cleaning products? When you look at the product labels of standard cleaning solutions, you are inevitably faced with a long list of chemicals, many of which are quite toxic and harmful. It isn’t at all abnormal to see phosphates, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, formaldehyde, and chlorine bleach.

The World Health Organization has published a list of chemicals that are known to have properties of a toxic, harmful, or carcinogenic nature and that are found in everyday hoe and body products. These are bad for humans, but are especially dangerous to children who are particularly vulnerable to inhaling and consuming these chemicals and their fumes.

This being said, they’re not only bad for the people (and pets) in your home, they also have a negative impact on the environment. For this reason, many people are switching over to eco friendly cleaning products to help to reduce the harm they are causing to themselves and the environment. These green products use solutions that are eco- and human-friendly instead of the traditional formulas that are full of toxins.

True eco friendly cleaning products have been carefully analyzed to ensure that they have little-to-no negative environmental impact. When looking at these products, though, you can perform your own analysis of what they contain. For example, have a look at their pH levels, as well as their biodegradability, and their level of solvents. In good eco friendly cleaning products, try to find solutions that have a pH level of 7 or lower. Essentially, the lower the better. Anything more than a 7 is thought to be extremely corrosive, so the closer to neutral you can find, the better.

Biodegradable products will often list their nature as such and are quite desirable in eco friendly cleaning products. Solvents, on the other hand, should be avoided. Common solvents to watch out for include propylene glycol ethers (PGE) and ethylene glycol ethers (EGE). These are considered very harmful and if there is an alternative available, it would be preferable to choose that alternative.

There are other benefits to using environmentally friendly cleaning products, which include a much lower risk of allergies. This is especially true among the elderly and children, who are more prone to reactions such as allergies and sensitivities to chemicals that are touched or inhaled from cleaning solutions.

The most severe allergies and sensitivities are generally a reaction to phosphates, bleaches, and fragrances. These allergic reactions can range from quite mild to rather severe. By eliminating the worst offenders for these reactions, you can minimize their chances of occurring. Eco friendly cleaning products don’t contain the worst ingredients for allergic reactions, so they often avoid the problem altogether.

With the one simple step of switching to eco friendly cleaning products, you can dramatically reduce the toxins and allergens in your home, and can reduce the environmental impact all at once.

The Big Question for YOU!
What eco friendly cleaning products do you use and how well do they work? Tell us what you like and dislike based on your experience.