6 Hidden Toxic Ingredients In Your Cleaning Products

The pain in the shoulder did not subside. Beth Greer, a journalist by profession, followed a healthy diet of organically grown food, so she went to the doctor confident that it would be nothing serious. But an MRI revealed a tumor in the chest – fortunately benign – that required a complex surgical operation.

Beth Greer decided not to have surgery right away and to help her body regain balance by completely detoxifying her life.

He started with environmental “poisons” that could contribute to the growth of his tumor. She got rid of all the cleaning supplies in her house and started making them herself with ingredients like hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, baking soda, or lemon.

He thoroughly inspected everything that entered his house and his body. Eliminating toxics worked. Nine months later, the tumor had disappeared and this experience led him to write a book, Super Natural Home , which was a best seller in the United States.

Currently Beth Greer gives workshops and talks on how to lead a natural lifestyle at home, without toxins and free of synthetic chemistry.

Banish cleaning products that are harmful to your health

More than 50% of cleaning products used in the home contain ingredients that damage the lungs and respiratory system. In some we can find carcinogenic components such as formaldehyde or chloroform, or compounds that cause blindness, asthma and other serious diseases.

These are the conclusions of a detailed analysis of these products carried out by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2012.

They found that they include ingredients like 2-butoxyethanol, a solvent that can damage red blood cells, or sodium or potassium hydroxide (caustic soda or potash), used in oven cleaners and can burn skin, lungs and eyes. .

In our homes you can find up to 62 toxic chemicals that have been linked to diseases such as asthma, cancer, reproductive disorders and infertility, hormonal disorders, neurotoxic diseases or nonspecific ailments, in addition to damaging the fragile ecosystems of nature.

Children are the most affected by this invisible pest and little known by those who usually do the cleaning at home. Medical researchers have found a clear association between childhood asthma and frequent use of bleach, disinfectants, and air fresheners. Using them just once a week can already trigger an asthma attack, and the risk increases with sprays.

The most harmful ingredients in cleaning products

These are the most dangerous ingredients:

1. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors

They are used in synthetic “fragrance” and “perfume” products such as all-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners, air fresheners or dish soap, and even toilet paper. But beware, also in many personal hygiene products.

They are endocrine disruptors, that is, they impair the hormonal balance of adults and children, cause infertility (decreased sperm in men), migraines and asthma.

2. Perchlorethylene, neurotoxic cleanser

Perchlorethylene (tetrachlorethylene, PCE or PERC) is found in solutions for dry cleaning, stain removers and carpet and upholstery cleaners, wood cleaners, shoe cleaners, etc.

It is a neurotoxin and a “possible carcinogen.” It causes dizziness, severe eye and respiratory irritation, or loss of coordination.

3. Triclosan, away from your dishes

In most liquid dishwashers and soaps labeled “antibacterial”.

It is useless in practice, but it can alter natural ecosystems and favors the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. It is a probable carcinogen.

Its use in soaps has already been banned in the US.

4. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), causing dermatitis

Present in fabric softeners and most cleaners and disinfectants that are labeled “antibacterial”.

They pose the same problem as triclosan, cause dermatitis, and are suspected of causing respiratory disorders.

5. 2-butoxyethanol, effective cleaner but very toxic

In cleaners for the kitchen, glass cleaners and multipurpose cleaners.

It belongs to the category of “glycol ethers”, a group of solvents that are very effective in cleaning, but that cause sore throats, and in high concentrations, narcosis, pulmonary edema and severe liver and kidney damage.

6. There are many others on the list

Add to this ominous list ammonia, chlorine, sodium hypochlorite (bleach), formaldehyde and many others that, although they cannot be considered especially dangerous for people, have a very damaging impact on nature when reaching river water. and springs (such as phosphates –in laundry detergents– or surfactants).

And the worst thing is that the labels are not useful for information, you would have to be an expert in chemistry to identify them. Phthalates, for example, rarely appear, but if you see the word “perfume,” they are probably phthalates.