What are Natural Household Cleaning Products?
Natural household cleaning products are products that use natural ingredients and do not contain any toxic chemicals in their formulations. Often these natural cleaning products include essential oils, baking soda, vinegar and other plant-based oils and surfactants for a safer and cleaner home.
Not only do they smell nicer, but surfaces and beddings at home are made safe and clean for the whole family, kids, babies and even pets. Most other non-natural household cleaning products contain nasty chemicals like triclosan, phosphates, ammonia and chlorine, all of which can mess with your health.
Some Common Toxic Chemicals in Household Cleaning Products:
Tricolsan - Found in dishwashing liquid and hand soaps marked ‘antibacterial’. Tricolsan can build up in rivers and lakes and is toxic to algae. It is also harmful to humans, as it may disrupt your hormonal function and is linked to cancer and liver problems.
Phosphates - Commonly found in laundry detergents and home cleaners. It is toxic to fish and cannot be filtered out of waste water. It is linked to occurrences of heart disease, premature ageing, kidney illness and even death.
Ammonia - Found in glass cleaners and polishing agents for the bathroom. Ammonia causes breathing problems like asthma or chronic bronchitis if there is long-term exposure to it. It can also become a poisonous gas if mixed with bleach, another common household chemical.
Chlorine - Found in toilet bowl cleaners, scouring powders and laundry whiteners. Chlorine is very common in the household - you’re exposed to it through the air and the skin when you clean with it. It is linked to thyroid function and can cause difficulty in breathing, chest tightness and eye and skin irritations. Bleach contains chlorine and is also used in many products to clean the house and laundry.
Why Natural Household Cleaning Products Are Good For You
Toxic household products release chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are breathed in and contribute to chronic respiratory illnesses. Other chemicals may also react with ozone in the air to form dangerous fine particles that pollute the air.
As a result, it is best to keep your home well-ventilated when cleaning and even use an air purifier to cleanse the indoor air in your living space.
You can also switch to more natural household cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda or natural household cleaning brands. By going through your current supply of household cleaning products, you can begin to substitute them one by one and know that you are protecting your family and loved ones with better products.
3 Natural Household Cleaning Brands
Using natural household cleaning products is a breeze. Once you’ve found the right brand, you’ll notice that most products are highly concentrated, non-toxic and smell amazing, making your job of cleaning the home easier and more enjoyable.
Ecover is a pioneering brand in eliminating toxic chemicals from household products back in 1979. Their products use non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based and mineral ingredients to clean your home. Products tackle tough stains, fight grease and grime, are not tested on animals, suitable for septic tanks and contain natural refreshing scents.
The brand also walks the talk-- they are a B corp which uses sustainable bottles made out of sugarcane for their household products, aims to lower water wastage, and reduce their waste and carbon footprint.
Their All Purpose cleaner is suitable for all washable surfaces and biodegradable plant-based ingredients with a refreshing fragrance. It can be used on floors, tiles, painted wood with a dry cloth, spray bottle or even a mop.
Zum brand is a no-nonsense natural cleaning brand using ingredients like food grade coconut, olive, palm and castor oils, baking soda and essential oils for their household cleaning products. All products are vegetarian or vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free and organic where possible.
Their laundry soap is highly concentrated for high efficiency loads and contains no phosphate, parabens, cocamidopropyl betaine, or sulfates. In fact, their laundry soap comes in pleasing aromatic scents like Frankincense-Patchouli, Sea Salt, Frankincense & Myrrh, Cedar-Lavender, Tea Tree-Citrus, Lullaby Lavender, which are all safe and beneficial for your health.
DoTERRA is one of the top essential oil companies in the world. It created its own quality standard for essential oils in their industry - the Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade CPTG, so that each of their essential oils are held to the highest level of purity. While other brands may manufacture synthetic and adulterated essential oils, doTERRA oils go through responsible sourcing, stringent testing and strict independent third party audits.
Their On Guard Laundry Detergent uses their special On Guard protective blend and bio-originated enzymes to target and lift stains. It is a natural, highly concentrated laundry detergent that can do up to 64 loads of laundry. You can rest assured that your clothes and wastewater come out clean and safe for the environment and health.
Armed with the availability of amazing natural household cleaning brands, the switch over to these products is easy. It’s likely that once you’ve started using them, you won’t want to go back to other toxic products. These natural cleaning products not only make your home smell better, but they make your space feel cleaner and healthier too. By making the switch over to these natural and sustainable brands, you too can similarly create a whole new cleaning repertoire to feel good about.