Creating a Safe Haven: The Role of Eco-Friendly and Non-Toxic Products In Family Homes
We can all agree that living and working in clean environments is beneficial to your health. However, the majority of home cleaners are composed of a toxic concoction. While it may be more convenient to leave the cleaning to the pros, coming home to a house scrubbed with a cocktail of harsh chemicals exposes you to the hidden risks associated with using such chemicals.
Making the move to use as many green products as you can is one of the best ways to mitigate the harm being done to the environment and prevent the numerous hazards linked with using toxic cleaning products.
Cleaning materials do not have to be hazardous to be effective and produce the intended effects. Switching to natural and eco-friendly cleaning solutions offers several advantages beyond having clean surfaces.
Here we will discuss the importance making sustainable choices and using eco-friendly cleaning products in your homes.
Non-Toxic Products Provide Better Indoor Air Quality
Most people believe that the air they breathe indoors is less polluted than the air they breathe outside. The US EPA estimates that indoor air quality is 2.5 times worse than outside air quality.
However, it is evident that the likelihood of adverse health consequences from inhaling contaminated indoor air is proportional to the number of hazardous substances in the air, as well as the time and frequency with which you are exposed.
While it is nearly impossible to eliminate chemical emissions and achieve perfect air quality, it is possible to limit exposure, improve indoor air quality by keeping the area well-ventilated, and reduce pollution sources such as smoking, heating, household products, and so on.
The products you use in your homes are one of the most common sources of poor indoor air quality and one of the easiest to eliminate. Inhalation is the most common route of exposure for these products. Many household cleaning solutions contain inorganic compounds like ammonia as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde, perchloroethylene, benzene, naphthalene, and nitrogen dioxide.
For example, glass cleaners, dry up quickly at normal temperatures because of evaporation. The chemical begins to circulate in the air as soon as it is sprayed, and it may produce immediate eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, dizziness, or aggravation of asthma symptoms. If you want to make your home safer and healthier, we recommend switching to an eco-friendly glass cleaner.
Green Home Cleaners are Safer For Your Children and Pets
Toxic substances are absorbed not just by inhalation, but also through ingestion and skin absorption. Every parent keeps dangerous cleaning items out of their children’s reach and sight, yet according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, personal care products and home cleaning compounds were the most common causes of poisoning in children aged 5 and under.
Pets, like newborns and small children, are vulnerable to home cleansers that contain dangerous chemicals. If we have a pet or children at home, it’s natural to wonder how the flooring affects them because they spend so much time playing and crawling on it. They not only touch surfaces, but they also want to taste everything, particularly their hands. Aside from respiratory consequences, frequent use of home cleaning solutions is linked to rhinitis and other allergy symptoms in children.
The good news is that natural cleaning agents do not pose such risks.
Maintains Your Belongings and Makes Them Last Longer
One of the most significant advantages of using natural cleaning solutions is their long-term impact. Traditional cleaning products frequently fail to be sustainable, meaning that harsh chemicals have a detrimental impact on the life and texture of your items.
Sink stains and buildup may be removed with abrasive cleansers. Surfaces may get stained or discolored over time since abrasiveness can permanently damage the surface. The same is true for extremely acidic house cleaning agents. Furthermore, if you accidentally spill a bit of, say, acidic toilet bowl cleaning on your clothing or carpet, it will bleach the color immediately.
Mixing different chemicals to get better cleaning performance, even if you use one chemical on top of another, not only impacts your health but is also another reason why your surfaces are more prone to damage.
Nontoxic cleaning products such as vinegar work the same way and will clean your surfaces without damaging them.
Better for the environment
Natural products are better for the environment. Toxic, non-green cleaning chemicals are also possibly harmful to the environment. When washing down the drain or evaporating volatile organic compounds, these products are discharged into the environment during routine use. People who use items containing harsh chemicals contribute directly to air and water pollution.
Many surfactants used in traditional products biodegrade slowly or transform into more hazardous, persistent, and bioaccumulative compounds, posing harm to aquatic life.
Furthermore, the manufacturing of cleaning products has an impact on the environment. When it comes to production, each country has various rules and regulations, making it impossible to know if an organization is taking good care of the harmful waste they generate.
Even though regular sewage treatment efficiently decreases or eliminates the majority of cleaning product elements in wastewater, certain cleaning product chemicals are not adequately handled. According to the EPA, alkylphenol ethoxylates, a common surfactant chemical in cleansers, cause health problems in wildlife exposed to contaminated waterways by disrupting the endocrine system. This is one of several surfactants included in conventional goods that endanger aquatic life and biodegrade slowly or into more harmful compounds.
Join the Movement Towards Safer, Healthier Homes
In conclusion, the shift to eco-friendly and non-toxic products in our homes is more than a trend; it’s a necessary move toward ensuring the health and safety of our families. Companies like Melaleuca have shown that it’s possible to have effective, affordable products without compromising on safety or environmental impact.
Melaleuca’s commitment to non-toxic, safe products is evident in their rigorous testing and research. They focus on using natural ingredients that are effective yet gentle, ensuring that every product is suitable for family use.
