No longer is it enough to say you have a clean house so therefore it is a safe place to live. The claims of a cleaning product’s capability have for years been entrusted in its name, ‘a bathroom spray’ or a ‘kitchen grime remover’. Although they may be effective in removing what you can see, it is often what is left in its place or its effects that you can’t see that may be having a far greater impact on your life.
The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) revealed that over a period of 20 years, individuals had a 14% decrease in lung function as a result of exposure to chemicals through cleaning at home. Furthermore studies reported by the Telegraph have shown links between asthma and exposure to some cleaning products, highlighted by Dr Jan-Paul Zock, from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology. 2. Although cleaning products are only one form of indoor air pollution, there are sustainable ways to avoid it as well as more eco-conscious approaches to have a clean house without damaging your health.
Natural Cleaning Agents
Distilled white wine vinegar and baking soda are two commonly available items. They do not a specific use per se such as the toilet cleaner, however used in conjunction wisely, they can have your toilet squeaky clean and sparkling in no time with no unpleasant odors.
By investing in a few purely natural products and only using these to clean with, you will find that you are not contributing to the one time use plastic spray bottle waste mountain and still getting the same results if not better in your home, without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. Environmentally friendly window cleaning is possible using merely pure water to achieve an impressive shine. Revolutionize and speed up your bathroom clean by using a half water, half white wine vinegar solution to clean your shower screen in the absence of pure water at home. Use the same ratio as a descaler to soak your shower head in for a few hours, or test it out on the kettle.
A Sustainable Philosophy
It is not solely to do with the chemicals you avoid or keeping the windows open and using the fresh air to dry your washing outside on the line. Look at your tools. Is your broom made from sustainable resources? A wooden broom with natural bristles is far more sustainable than a plastic manufactured version. Buying in bulk and recycling containers is both cost effective and will reduce your impact on the planet.
There are little things that you can alter in your day to improve the cleanliness of your home. Allow yourself time to make changes to adopt eco-friendly, sustainable practices that you can commit to in the long term rather than feel pressured to save the planet and your long term health overnight.
Writer: Sally Keys is a professional freelance writer with many years experience across many different areas. She made the move to freelancing from a stressful corporate job and loves the work-life balance it offers her. When not at work, Sally enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with her family and traveling as much as possible.