This year homeowners can do their Spring cleaning with safer, time-tested ingredients they already have in their cupboards and closets, while avoiding toxic products that cause:
The typical American home contains 3-10 gallons of hazardous materials and uses and stores more than 60 hazardous household products.
Toxic chemicals are found in such ubiquitous products as
Health effects of ingredients in common household products include:
EMS.org has fact sheets on chemicals in household products, a guide to safer home cleaning recipes and tips, expert contacts and sources of additional information. Find out why consumers should avoid chlorine bleach, and how to clean windows without paper towels and unclog drains without chemicals.
Go to: http://www.ems.org/household_cleaners/factsenn.html.
Fortunately, most homeowners already have safer ingredients in their homes that can be used to make simple, economical and effective cleaners.
Ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, salt and lemon juice are found in most homes and have been proven effective as cleaning ingredients for generations.
Home cleaning recipes such as those found at EMS.org can reduce environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, packaging and shipment of commercial products, since home cleaning recipes use ingredients which are safe to buy in bulk, and which ounce-for-ounce go a lot farther than commercial products.
For example, it only takes a half-cup of vinegar to make a quart of simple, all-purpose cleaner.
Environmental Media Services April 5, 2001
We need to minimize our exposure to chemicals as much as possible and this site appears to be a useful resource in that direction.
I also urge you to consider getting rid of your existing towels, sponges, rags and other conventional tools you use to clean your home with. Not only are they some of the top sources for illness-causing germs in your home, but also they do a very poor job of cleaning the biological and toxic aspects of dirt in your home.
In their place, I highly recommend the PerfectClean line of cleaning tools, like the PerfectClean terry cloths and dusters. Due to their ultra-microfiber construction, you can use them with only water (so you eliminate the need for cleaning your home with chemicals) and they clean at a deeper level than any other product you could find out there.
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