Q: What are the safest cleaning products?

 

A: It’s time for Spring cleaning, but for a true green clean it’s important to know what’s in your cleaning products. Cleaning products are a major contributor to poor indoor air quality. According to a study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, many common household cleaners and air fresheners, when used indoors under certain conditions, emit toxic pollutants at levels that create health risks (Nazaroff, April 2006).

 

Two common components of household cleaners looked at in this Berkeley study were ethylene-based glycol ethers and terpenes. Ethylene-based glycol ethers are water-soluble solvents and are classified as hazardous air pollutants under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and as toxic air contaminants by California’s Air Resources Board. Terpenes are chemicals found in pine, lemon and orange oils and are known for their distinctive scent, and some studies have shown that they may react with ozone to produce toxic compounds such as formaldehyde, a respiratory irritant that is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.

 

There are many other chemicals in cleaning supplies, and they all vary in toxicity levels. While it’s a good idea to read warning labels, they generally only refer to acute exposures and often provide inadequate health safety information. Exposure to some of the ingredients in cleaning products can cause eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment. The long-term effects are not known for many of the compounds, but some are known to cause cancer in animals; others are known to cause cancer in humans.

 

Cleaning products are also contributing to water pollution. Hormone-disrupting chemicals such as triclosan from antibacterial soaps and cleaners were found in the San Francisco Bay during a year-long study by the Environmental Working Group (a non-profit organization). Triclosan has been linked to thyroid disruption in frogs at low levels found in many streams (Veldhoen 2006). In tap water and fresh water, triclosan is known to form chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems (Adolfsson-Erici 2002, Lindstrom 2002; Balmer 2004; Lores 2005; Fiss 2007).

 

Switching to eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products is a great place to start making your home greener. You can buy some in the store or try making your own. Vinegar and baking soda will clean just about everything in your home. Start by using 50/50 vinegar and water as an all-purpose or window cleaner. Borax is great for cleaning toilets (you may want to leave it in over-night). And a great drain cleaner is 1/2 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of vinegar. Once the combo stops bubbling, then pour in some boiling water.

 

And don’t forget — when throwing out conventional cleaning products, take them to a hazardous waste site so they don’t end up in our lakes and streams.If you’re still determined to use some of your traditional store bought cleaning products, be sure the rooms are well ventilated during and after cleaning and store them away from living areas and out of reach of children.