Why you should choose natural cleaning products
4th Apr '18 • By Service.com.au
Have you ever stopped to think about the contents of your cleaning products when you’re in the middle of making your house spotless?
Many traditional household cleaning products on the market are jam-packed with chemicals and toxins that not only have the potential to cause harm to your family and pets, but also the environment. Our guide on why you should choose natural cleaning products will help you become aware of the ingredients that you are bringing into your home and will allow you to make more informed decisions when making your purchases.
Happy and healthy
Commercial household cleaning products are basically cocktails of ingredients that are potentially harmful to the health of yourself and your loved ones, especially those more sensitive such as children and pets. These ingredients, commonly including bleaches, ammonia, carcinogens, and artificial fragrances can cause irritation to skin and eyes such as chemical burns, and pose a threat to internal organs through inhalation.
Pristine Cleaning has noted some of the more serious impacts, pointing out that “Exposure to cleaning chemicals, even using them as the label suggests, through a lifetime can cause chronic conditions such as cancer, respiratory disorders, hormonal disorders and reproductive difficulties. As your reproductive and hormonal systems are the most vulnerable in your body, they’re the most affected by chemicals, which can ultimately cause infertility. Children, especially, in the womb and as infants, are more vulnerable to environmental toxins than adults. Exposure to chemicals in early development can cause or exacerbate chronic and disabling diseases such as birth defects, cancer, asthma, and neurobehavioural dysfunction and also increase the likelihood of disease and disability later in life.”
Cara Little at Pure Home Body, a registered Pharmacist who is passionate about the use of natural products has also offered some insight on the harmful effects of these ingredients on children stating, “Some chemicals may also affect our nervous tissue and these are referred to as neurotoxins. This is a big issue for me with children. Their nervous system, brain development and growth does not need to be exposed to harmful toxins that can disrupt its normal course. Their bodies are so tiny and fragile and are working so hard to grow we don’t need to place additional burden on their bodies to metabolise and eliminate toxins that could potentially be affecting their development.”
Seeing the words “toxic”, “flammable”or “warning” on the labels of your cleaning products is an indication that the items you’re using cannot possibly be good for you. Therefore, if you have children or furry friends in your home who may potentially have access to your household products, by replacing them with natural options you are also giving yourself the peace of mind that if your products get into little hands (or paws!) they are not going to pose such a threat.
Diy
Not only are natural cleaning products safer, but they can also be more cost effective as you can make them yourself! There are thousands of recipes online and even books dedicated to creating your very own cleaning products for a minimal cost as many of the ingredients that can be used are staples that you will most likely already have in your cupboards, such as bicarb soda and vinegar.
These DIY products can also be used in a variety of different ways to clean your home, so you will save space by having only a basic arsenal of solutions you’ve mixed up rather than having a hundred different commercial products for different purposes.
Sustain the planet
By using natural cleaning products and not contributing to the harmful pollutants being emitted into the environment through the air and being washed into our waterways, you will be ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful planet by reducing your carbon footprint. Many natural cleaning products available for purchase are produced using sustainable practices with biodegradable ingredients and packaging which further ensure that you are minimising your negative impacts on the earth.
As mentioned above, Cara at Pure Home Body has highlighted one of the harmful effects of bleach on the environment mentioning that, “when it goes down the drain and into our waterways, it can combine with minerals and other toxic compounds to form other compounds that linger in our waterways and take a long time to break down.”
Many of the companies that produce natural products are also dedicated to supporting community and environmental initiatives, so by investing in those companies’ products, you are also investing in socially responsible practices.
Back to business
Using natural cleaning products is a fantastic way for businesses to add to their current sustainability initiatives. Doing so will also make a positive contribution to the health of employees, visitors to the business, and cleaning staff, not to mention the fact that businesses can take advantage of their ability to buy in bulk in order to reduce costs and packaging.
Although letting go of your trusted commercial cleaning products may be difficult to start with, hopefully our guide has helped you to understand all of the wonderful benefits of using natural products to keep your home clean and your family, pets, and the environment healthy and happy!
