The Dangers of Commercial Cleaners and Beauty Items

Chances are, you are cleaning your home with conventional cleaners you have picked up in store…  after all, a trip to the grocery store usually results in a walk down several aisles of cleaners.

Everything from disinfectant to all purpose cleaner, granite cleaner, even cleaners to clean your washer.   While they might appear to be great deals and common in almost every household, they are really just very unnecessary to purchase.

I would honestly think twice about using them – as far as the cleaners you have, I would toss them and start fresh at home. 

All of these commercial cleaners are toxic – read the labels, you’ll be able to see that these items mention everything from calling poison control to dangers if the cleaner is ingested or even handled by children.

Although the word toxic to most might seem like an overstatement, it really isn’t an overstatement at all – if you check out the Environmental Working Guide (EWG) to Healthy Cleaning, you can search more than 2,500 products for their current rating and status.  The EWG rates items on a scale of A to F – F of being the most toxic products you could use or have in your home.

It’s important to read the label every time you shop, even though many labels don’t offer complete information.  OR, just avoid shopping for these items altogether – skip the store entirely and you won’t have to do any thinking about the items you are buying – provided you are making your own (cleaners & beauty items) & are buying local (organic produce).

Toxic Ingredients in Household Cleaners

Toxic Chemicals vary so greatly in household cleaners – from mild to severe, you would be surprised to know that many of the popular household cleaners can lead to skin and respiratory issues, fertility issues, ADHD, watery eyes and burning and a large effect on your immune system.

They contain items that fall into 3 categories:

1. Carcinogens – Cancer rates are skyrocketing…more than 1/3 of people will develop cancer in our lifetime. Many cancers are due to avoidable exposures to industrial carcinogens in the food we eat, cosmetics, and beauty products we use, and household products we buy.

2. Neurotoxins – Neurotoxins are substances that are poisonous or destructive to nerve tissue. Although the substances in commercial cleaners are not used in large quantities, over time, there is room for toxicity build up.

A 2011 study published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, “Fragranced Consumer Products: Chemicals Emitted, Ingredients Unlisted,” analyzed 25 scented household products, including laundry and dish detergents, fabric softeners, cleaners, soaps, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants and shampoos. The researchers found that the products emitted more than 130 different volatile organic compounds. Of these, “24 are classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws, and each product emitted at least 1 of these compounds.” (Src)

3. Endocrine disruptors – these disruptors mimic your human hormones, which leads to false signals in the body that can lead to infertility, early puberty, menstrual problems and miscarriage and even cancer.

A wide range of substances, both natural and man-made, are thought to cause endocrine disruption, including pharmaceuticals, dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, Src)

The American public spends millions on household cleaning products each year – to fight germs, treat stains and combat odors – to keep your home, car, and office (even classroom) clean. Little do many people realize the harm they are actually doing in purchasing these items, that hold ALL these chemicals. 

Products to Avoid

You might not agree 100%, but we rounded up a list of items you should avoid purchasing in store ~

Antibacterial Products like soaps, and cleaners – which contribute to antibiotic resistant superbugs (and actually do more harm than good). Hand soap is so easy to make yourself.

Fabric softeners, laundry soap and dryer sheets – including popular brands like Tide, Downy and Bounce.

Air fresheners – from aerosol to mist, brands such as Febreeze and Lysol are some of the worst products – these items can contribute to allergies, and asthma

Beauty items like bubble bath, shampoo & conditioner, hand soap, body wash and face scrub – many have 1,4-dioxane, sodium laureth sulfate + more.

Bleach and All purpose cleaners like Lysol, Clorox, and even Fabuloso – which are rated as an F on the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Household Products.

Toilet Cleaners such as Lysol, Clorox and even Kaboom.

The list could go on – but by now you should see a trend.

Not only do these items have health hazards, they are also bad for the environment too – they go down your drain and can severely affect wildlife, and water quality. Even “natural” cleaners found in store can have chemicals – not to mention they are usually more expensive than regular commercial cleaners, when in most cases you can simply make yourself.

Make your Own DIY Beauty and Household Products

With just a few ingredients in your pantry you can make your own cleaners at home, save money and save yourself the toxic headache.  To clean with natural products you’ll need just a few things:

• Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Liquid Castile Soap
• Essential Oils (be wary of what Oils you use, you can see what we recommend here)
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Borax
• Spray bottles (or, repurpose old Bragg Cider Vinegar Bottles, as that’s cost effective too)
• Terry Towels

You can also use Liquid Castile Soap to make your own homemade Body Wash, Face Wash and Bubble Bath for the kids. Borax can be used to make your own laundry soap, and baking soda is a great carpet cleaner.  DIY All Purpose Cleaner is VERY easy to make if you have old bottles around your house.

You can also make your own {Non-Toxic} Fabric Refresher….. and the easiest makeup remover that costs just pennies to make.

… But Wait – Do you think the EWG is Biased?

Although the EWG is comprehensive and a great resource, there will always be those who believe them to be biased – the bottom line is that you need to have quick and accurate information about the products you use to make informed decisions on what you purchase daily or weekly.

We cannot blindly believe that our government, food companies and cosmetics companies have our best interests at heart – if that was the case, our country wouldn’t be skyrocketing into phenomenal figures for health problems that may very well be contributed by the products we use and food we eat. Keeping you sick is big business for them.

Unless our government, society, doctors and scientists start working for solutions to health and take the focus OFF wealth, we will continue to see a lack of regulation when it comes to food, and cosmetics.

These corporations make big money sponsoring politicians that write our laws – many of the products we put in our mouths and on our skin are banned in other countries.  Bottom line, these products are designed largely for addictive profits in the U.S. 

The U.S. specializes in plastic surgery, overeating, cancer, and heart disease – and we are great at marketing and selling items that {over time} will largely affect your health – the items you eat.. drink, and put in your body.

Save yourself the money – ditch your products and work towards creating a healthier environment for your family. Sure, you won’t be able to eliminate harmful products entirely, but you can eliminate a large majority by making a shift, over time, to be more aware of what you are using on your body and in your home.