The Dilemma of the Cleaner – Getting Sick from Cleaning for Health

The overall objective of the cleaner’s task is to upkeep a healthy living, working, etc. environment (home, office, classroom, clinic, etc.) Some of the most important cleaning for health tools, are the cleaning reagents/products, targeted at removing dirty and microorganisms that may cause diseases. The problem to the cleaner is that although most of the cleaning reagents currently flooding the markets can perform wonders in achieving the cleaner’s goals, i.e., a clean and healthy environment, most of them are also hazardous to the cleaner, causing acute/immediate health problem (allergies, skin irritation or burns, respiratory disturbances, or even fatal total dis-function of the body). Some of the ingredients of these cleaning reagents, may be absorbed slowly by the body, and later can cause long-term/chronic illnesses. These products may be synthetic or extracted from natural sources or both.

To protect yourself, your family, and our precious planet, here are a few of the most commonly used harmful ingredients to avoid:

• ButoCleaning product labels can be misleading, and many cleansers labeled “natural” or “gentle” xyethanol: A common ingredient in kitchen, window, and multipurpose cleaners that can interfere with the health of your red blood cells.
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  Ammonia: Found in glass and bathroom cleaners, ammonia can be very irritating to the eyes, skin, throat, and lungs.
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  Chlorine Bleach: A potent antimicrobial and respiratory irritant, bleach is a major ingredient in mildew removers, toilet bowl cleaners, and scouring powders. Mixing chlorine bleach with ammonia can create highly toxic chlorine gas, so consider using hydrogen peroxide as a safer bleach alternative
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  Sodium Hydroxide: A known mucous membrane irritant, this is used in many oven cleaners and drain openers.
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  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): SLS is a detergent that creates the rich type of lather we’ve become accustomed to in cleansers, and is present in most shampoos and hand soaps. This ingredient can be very irritating to eyes, mouth, and skin.
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  Fragrance: Although the term “fragrance” sounds innocent enough, it can refer to any one of thousands of chemicals linked to skin, kidney, respiratory, and cellular issues.
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  Parabens: These antimicrobial, chemical preservatives are associated with negative effects in breasts, hormones, and reproductive areas.
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  Phthalates: Commonly found in a host of cleansing products including dish soaps, detergents, and shampoo, phthalates have been shown to negatively impact respiratory health and reproductive function, as well as cause DNA damage.
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  Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QUATS): Found in antibacterial household cleaners, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets. At least two studies identify QUATS as the cause of respiratory issues in cleaning workers.
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  Triclosan: This antimicrobial agent has been used in a wide range of products including dish liquid, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, and even mops. In addition to impacting microbial balance and infiltrating living tissue, Triclosan can also lead to increased sensitivity to the environment as well as harmful cellular and endocrine changes. Thankfully, the FDA recently banned the use of Triclosan (and its close relative triclocarban) in hand and body soaps, but you’ll still need to be on the lookout for these toxic ingredients in other products.
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  Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Don’t let the word “organic” fool you! Inhaling these gases, which are frequently used in products including household cleaners, disinfectants, and air fresheners, can cause eye, liver, nervous system, respiratory tract, and skin troubles—as well as GI discomfort and challenges with equilibrium.

However, although quite challenging, there is good news for the cleaner to prevent ill-health from these toxic cleaning reagents, through use of emerging alternative safer cleaning products. These products are aligned to the alternative, holistic or natural health approaches. The biggest challenge to the cleaner however is that not all that is labeled natural found in our markets, is safe. It might be quite a challenge to figure out the safe products to use and might need help from knowledgeable people on safe natural health products. Very often if you go to a conventional grocery store or super store selling natural health products including cleaning reagents labelled natural cleaning products, you are unlikely to get someone knowledgeable enough to help on identifying safety issue of the products.

At Health & Vitality Naturals, we are available to help the cleaning community to source safer natural cleaning reagents, that can help cleaners achieve their cleaning goals and at the same time stay healthy. We help you walk through the maze of identifying safe natural cleaning products and you compete the task by selecting a product of your choice. Check our online store on this blog.