The best ways to clean your house for good health.

Regular cleaning is an important part of keeping your home clean. However, how can you keep your house tidy while still ensuring your health and safety while cleaning? This article will give you the answer.

 

 

Pay attention to the ingredients of the detergent.

Studies show that the air inside our homes is more polluted than the air outdoors, and some of these toxins come from household cleaning products. These contain a variety of chemicals linked to health problems, including those that affect respiration. However, these risks are dose-dependent.

Common cleaning products contain around 193 types of chemicals that are hazardous to health. Many are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as acetone, methanol, and glycols like 2-butoxyethanol. These substances easily evaporate into the air. If inhaled, they can cause allergic reactions and irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Too much irritant can cause inflammation and damage the airways, potentially leading to respiratory problems. In fact, the rate of asthma is often higher among professional cleaners than in other professions.

 

Excessive exposure to toxic cleaning agents inevitably leads to numerous health problems. Large doses of strong disinfectants can overwhelm our immune system, while smaller amounts used too frequently over many years can also be harmful. Therefore, pay attention to the ingredients when choosing this product.

Use only a few high-quality products.

To protect yourself when cleaning your house, start by using fewer products to limit your exposure to various chemicals. You can choose multi-purpose cleaners instead of a specialized approach: one for glass, another for the bathtub, a specific floor product, etc. Re-evaluate your product inventory to find what needs to be cut back.

 

Only disinfect when necessary.

Don't overuse bleach and other harsh disinfectants. " Cleaning shouldn't be synonymous with disinfecting ," says Doug Collins, a chemist at Bucknell University who studies cleaning products.

You want the cleaning power of a disinfectant when it comes to tackling serious dirt like bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungi. That's why hospitals use disinfectants daily. However, for your home, soap and water are often effective enough. " Soap is really good at removing grease ," says Collins. He suggests alcohol-based products—those that don't add chemicals to kill bacteria—as another example of a basic cleaner that works this way.

Improper use of bleach is particularly harmful. Bleach is a great disinfectant because it's a strong oxidizer, but this property also makes it potentially dangerous. Collins explains that the body has antioxidants " that reduce the oxidizing ability of bleach and counteract it ," but if you're frequently exposed to it, " there will be a leak through the defense mechanism, so health is easily affected ."

Use unscented products.

Products labeled as fragrance-free may be safer for your health. This is often difficult for many people because most of us prefer fresh scents, like pine or lemon, to make the cleaning process more pleasant.

However, some of the chemicals that create these odors, such as limonene, are VOCs that groups including EWG have identified as potentially problematic. Research shows that 35% of Americans who use scented products experience symptoms such as respiratory problems and migraines. Unscented detergents release fewer VOCs. They are healthier.

Try natural cleaning products.

Nowadays, it's not difficult to find a brand that produces environmentally friendly household cleaning products because the green living trend is on the rise. You can buy floor cleaner from Co Mem, Thao Moc An, or make your own solution from lemon and lemongrass. Or the simplest is clean water combined with essential oils. For stubborn stains, you can use baking soda and lemon.