Safer Cleaning Products

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

I have been looking for " safer " cleaning products to use at home. The more

I read about all of the chemicals in the products I use every day, the more

I wonder if my kids (who are known to be sensitive to meds, etc) could be

having a problem with what we expose them to. If you do any kind of

research on the subject you read about various suspicions of household

chemicals potentially being blamed for the increase in cancer and

auto-immune disorders, most of our kids are already at an increased risk for

these things.

For instance, I have stopped using most household cleaners (window and

multi-purpose cleaners) and just use straight vinegar or vinegar/water mix.

Vinegar is known to kill bacteria, molds, fungus, etc. It works well and

the smell is gone by the time the cleaner dries. It can be used to clean

floors, woodwork, windows, etc. Another safe antibacterial product is

essential lavender oil, as well as tea tree oil. You can mix 20 drops of

either oil with 1 cup of water, put in a spray bottle and shake before using

(you can order the essential oils online or get them in most health food

stores).

I've also stopped using commercial dishwashing detergent, like Cascade, it's

one of the most toxic chemicals in the home and the chemicals are released

into the air with the steam. This can aggravate respiratory problems (this

would be three of my four kids). I found a recipe online for a non-toxic

product, just mix one part Borax with one part baking soda (preferrably

washing soda). Use two tablespoons of the mixture in place of the other

stuff. It's a little less expensive and much safer. They also recommend

replacing the Jet Dry stuff in the rinse cycle with vinegar (just pour it

into the rinse compartment). I've been using this recipe and have no

complaints!

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else has experimented with this type of

thing and has any advice or if anyone has any websites that might be

helpful. I did find this one that I thought I'd pass along (there are

additional subjects towards the bottom).

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/164

My biggest problem is that I have hated giving up Lysol, even though I know

it has harmful stuff in it, it's just so easy to use and dries so fast!

Take care,

Mom to Conner (11, Asperger's, mild CP, partial seizures, asthma, GERD,

Hashimoto's disease, hypogammaglobulinemia, complement deficiency, antibody

deficiency, NK cell defect, and resolved adrenal insufficiency),

Hayden (11, PDD-NOS, IBS and moderate hearing loss/aided),

Evan (11, asthma and mild hearing loss/unaided),

and Kelsey - (10, asthma)

Please visit us at www.caringbridge.org/in/connersmith