Cleaning Products SSC: Household Cleaning Products

When spring arrives, opening your windows and letting in the fresh air is good not only for your state of mind but also for your health, as the EPA has found that concentrations of pollutants inside homes can be two to five times higher than outside.

Ironically, a major source of indoor air pollutants is conventional cleaning products, because they're loaded with fragrances and petroleum-distilled chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that vaporize into the air.

"There's definitely a cause-and-effect from using petroleum-based cleaning products, especially in poorly ventilated areas. As the chemicals build up in the air space you're working in, the toxicity also builds up," says Mike Vogel, head of the Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes program.

A Spanish study of over 4,000 women published in November 2003 found that 25 percent of asthma cases in the group were attributable to domestic cleaning work. In the U.S., a 2002 Inform report detailed the negative impacts of cleaning products on janitors' health. Reducing the use of volatile and odorous products, Inform concluded, could improve indoor air and protect health.

Happily, safer alternatives can be bought or mixed from such common household staples as white vinegar and baking soda. Below, some best choices for various tasks.

LAUNDRY

Laundry detergents and fabric softeners are some of the most heavily scented cleaners. Chemicals known as phthalates, which have harmed hormonal systems and reproductive organs in animal tests, are common in fragrance formulas because they make the scent last longer. But fragrance residues on clothes can cause skin irritation and provoke allergies, according to Harvey Karp, M.D., a Los Angeles pediatrician.

As an alternative fabric softener, Kat Gasparich, a Manhattan artist and mother of 18-month-old Winter, uses a half-cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. Since vinegar breaks down uric acid, it keeps her baby's cloth diapers smelling fresh; it also eliminates static cling.

Kat avoids chlorine bleach (also called sodium hypochlorite) due to its caustic fumes and toxicity if swallowed, and doesn't worry about stains. "Besides, in warmer weather, the sun does a great job bleaching them," she says. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant too. To boost your detergent's cleaning power and remove odors, add a half-cup of baking soda or washing soda, two related minerals, along with the detergent. For stubborn stains, try a pre-wash soak in water mixed with either borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar. Or mix washing soda and water into a paste—wear gloves, as washing soda can irritate skin. Or buy non-chlorine bleaches that contain sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate.

For store-bought laundy products: Look on labels for plant-based cleaning agents or castile soaps instead of petroleum-based surfactants, which deplete natural resources and may contain harmful impurities. The catch-all term "fragrance" may hide ingredients such as phthalates. Look for plant essential oil scents or products that are truly fragrance-free, and don't believe the antibacterial hype! In March 2004, researchers at Columbia University reported that a study of 238 Manhattan households found virtually no difference in the rate of infectious disease symptoms (runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, etc.) in homes using antibacterial products—including laundry detergent—and those that did not. Best bets: Seventh Generation(www.seventhgeneration.com, 800-456-1191); Ecover (www.ecover.com, 800-449-4925); Sun & Earth(www.sunandearth.com, 800-298-7861); Bi-O-Kleen(www.bi-o-kleen.com, 800-477-0188).

FLOORS

My favorite nontoxic floor cleaner is one cup white distilled vinegar per gallon of hot water. I've used this on my wood floors after a large party and it removed sticky residue and killed odors, with no rinsing needed. Or use 1/2 cup borax (like vinegar, a natural disinfectant) and 2 gallons of water. You can add 1/4 cup of any liquid soap for extra cleaning power, but soap should be rinsed.

For store-bought products:

AFM Super Clean concentrated all-purpose cleaner/degreaser (www.afmsafecoat.com, 619-239-0321);

Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds hard-surface, all-purpose cleaner (www.drbronner.com, 760-743-2211);

Ecover Natural All-Purpose cleaner (www.ecover.com, 800-449-4925);

Murphy Oil Soap (www.murphyoilsoap.com, 800-486-7627).