Chemicals to Watch Out For in Your Household Cleaners

You should keep a safe home by trying not using harmful cleaning products. You should try to avoid using cleaning products that are toxic not only to you but to the environment as well.

There are some things that you should identify and watch out for with the cleaning products you use. Here are some of the things to look for.

∗ Corrosives - Always stay away from cleaning products that are labeled danger and corrosive. Some types of these dangerous chemicals can be in lye, phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, and hydrochloric acid. These types of corrosive chemicals can be in drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and toilet cleaners. These types of chemicals can cause burns on the skin and even explode if they are not used the proper way.

∗ Phosphates - Phosphates are natural chemicals that are mainly used in dishwashing detergents. When phosphates are released into the environment they can cause algae to bloom in lakes and ponds, which is harmful to life in these water areas. You should try to use phosphate free detergents. You can also make a homemade dishwashing detergent made with a half and half mix of Borax and baking soda.

∗ Ammonia - There are many commercial products that have ammonia. But ammonia can give a string irritation to the eye and lung areas of the body. If you have asthma you should definitely stay away from ammonia cleaning products.

∗ Products with Petroleum - Many cleaning agents are actually refined petroleum products that bring about health problems. In order to make these products it harms to the environment when they are distilled and extracted.

∗ Bleach - Many products have bleach in them but these types of cleaners can be harmful if not used correctly. Bleach can put off toxic fumes and also can be a skin irritant.

TIP: There is a Household Product Database where you can check the toxicity of many commercial cleaners. This database is part of the Specialized Information Services of the National Library of Medicine that has many commercial cleaning products and some of the harmful effects they have. To check out this database you can visit: http://www.hpd.nlm.nih.gov. When you visit this site you can click on the household product you are looking for and find out information on it.

Safety Tips:

∗ Most cleaning products will have harmful chemicals so you need to follow the instructions carefully when you use them in your home.

∗ Be aware of the expiration dates on all the cleaning products in your home. They may not work as well after they have expired and they also may become more harmful as well.

Author: Jason Green