Why You Should Make Your House Hold Cleaners Part 2

Reason#2 Safety

I had successfully stopping using all store bought window cleaner and all purpose spray cleaners and switched to homemade. For those recipes you can click here.  It was a relatively easy switch and I was amazed that I never had streaky windows anymore. I was not yet convinced that bathroom cleaners and such would be nearly as effective as the stuff I bought at the store but in time I would realize how wrong I was.

One day I was cleaning my bathroom with my harsh tub and tile cleaner while I was two or three months pregnant with my son and after about 20 minutes I nearly fainted from the fumes.  My eyes were watering and I couldn't breath.  I panicked and headed to the doctor because at the time I had no idea or maybe just refused to believe that the fumes were the cause of my ailments.  Blood work was done along with an ultrasound of my beautiful baby boy and my doctor looked me straight in the eye and said " looks like no more cleaning the bathroom for you". Well, this was totally unacceptable for a nesting mama. I did some researched and found out that the toxic chemicals in my household cleaners contain chlorine, though it often masquerades behind aliases such as "sodium hypochlorite" or "hypochlorite." and that when inhaled in can cause terrible irritation in the lungs.  This is particularly dangerous for people with lung conditions or children.

Besides the obvious issues of being in a closed bathroom and cleaning with these toxic chemicals I also found that when you wash your laundry or dishes that when these machines go through the various stages of cleaning that these chemical are thrown in to the air through a process called "volatilization."and we are breathing them in. These chemicals are also found in toilet paper, paper towel, coffee filters and a whole host of items found in the average American home. The issues is not just in the initial exposure to the chemicals but the accumulation in the human body over time which causes a marked decrease in the immune systems ability to fight off disease and illness. It has been proven that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. This 15-year study concluded it was a direct result of higher exposure rate to toxic chemicals in common household products. According to the EPA, this year alone some 11,420 people will die from indoor air pollution. Millions more will be sickened by their exposure to a host of toxic chemicals within their homes and offices.

Besides my desire to lessen the exposure of toxic chemicals to my family as I mentioned before I have a very curious son.  He will put nearly anything in his mouth or try to smell things.  Now I know exactly what he is trying to ingest or smell.  You should still lock away cleaning products even if they are made of vinegar and soap flakes. 

******Never mix bleach and ammonia...this will make toxic fumes that are very dangerous******