Facts About Cleaning Products

While we all love sparkling counter tops and shiny windows, most of us don’t know we’re using highly hazardous materials to get our “clean” on.

Beyond causing headaches and irritating allergies, these cleaning products can significantly effect our personal health:

• The U.S. EPA found that the air inside our homes is on average two to five times more polluted than the air outside.
• According to the Clean Water Fund, the average American uses 40 pounds of toxic cleaning products, throwing away 12 percent of their leftovers in landfills and pouring a total of 32 million pounds down the drain.
• Since World War II, 80,000 chemicals have been developed to optimize our pesticides, cleaners, plastics, personal care products and industrial products.
• Many common cleaners contain neurotoxins, depress the nervous system and threaten the healthy function of the liver and kidneys.

When hazardous cleaning products are disposed of in landfills, the chemicals they contain can seep into groundwater. Cleaning chemicals that find their way down our drains also end up in our water system and others drift from the air of our homes into the air outside.

• The toxins in our water systems activate metals causing algae blooms and penetrating the fatty tissues of wildlife, seeping into their endocrine systems.
• Cleaning products produce eight percent of non-vehicular volatile organic compounds (VOCs), leading to air pollution, smog formation, asthma and the inhibition of plant growth.

Chemical toxins are highly present in antibacterial cleaners, air fresheners, dishwasher detergents, oven cleaners, carpet and upholstery shampoo and toilet, tub and tile cleaners. By choosing greener cleaning products and properly recycling hazardous products, you can reduce the presence of these harmful toxins in our ecosystems and optimize your health—while still keeping your home clean.