Where are we heading to?
As we head into spring with sun shining high and cold windy days turning to pleasant warmer summer days, we prepare ourselves for deep spring cleaning. Statistics show that more kids and pets are taken to emergency for ingesting household cleaning products; hence parents and pet owners should be cautious about the cleaning products lurking in the house. Many of the cleaning products are generally stored in areas that are easy to access by the children or pets.
Ads boast that daily housework has been revolutionized thanks to the latest cleaning products. So we assume that the products on the market are safe for our health and the planet. In reality, many contain an array of potentially harmful ingredients. According to a recent Norwegian study involving 6,230 participants—published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine—daily exposure to certain household cleaning products can cause respiratory problems comparable to those associated with cigarette smoking.[6]
Therefore, one has to be careful about where products are left/stored. The most dangerous cleaning products include rust removers, toilet bowl, drain cleaners and calcium/lime removers.
By following proper instructions and labels that are mentioned, we ensure that the solutions fully dry before touching them, which is important for pets and toddlers. These chemicals are ingested as pets start licking their paws, licking their hind legs or their front legs and ingesting those chemicals; Whereas the kids are just crawling and sprawling across the surface area as they play. The most common damage these harmful products can cause is an attack to the nervous system. Most of the times it’s too late till when the symptoms show.
Natural Cleaners: Manufacturers, Laws and Consumers
A lot of “natural” cleaners are presumed to be safe, this is not an absolute fact. Millennial’s exercise regularly, eat natural foods, and buy products labeled eco-friendly.
It is also safe to say that Millennials influence the decision of purchase of cleaning products. Therefore, it is important to understand what the natural cleaners are made of. Terms like green, eco-friendly, and natural are marketing terms with no legal definition and one doesn’t know what’s lurking in the cleaning products hiding under their kitchen sink.
Household chemicals are governed by the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, (CCCR, 2001) in Canada and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA)in the United States. These two laws have many similarities. Their role is to force manufacturers to classify their household products according to the level of danger for human health and the environment. This is determined through specific tests conducted during the product’s use. However, the tests do not take repeated exposure into consideration. Also, while the finished product is evaluated, the ingredients that comprise it are not individually assessed. The Environmental and safety agencies don’t necessarily require to list every ingredients, there are some manufactures that still do, but they are not completely honest with it either – Although it is worthy to note that there have been sizeable differences in the safety of using some green products over others.[1] [2] [3] [4]
In 2012, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC, published a Cleaners Hall of Shame to reveal many of these hidden hazards, including some you won’t recognize or can’t pronounce. Reading it is enough to make your skin crawl.
While making decisions about cleaning products and cleaning tasks, our decisions based on a perceived ability to get the job done rather than apply the same benchmarks used when making health-conscious dietary and exercise choices. We grew up assuming bleach as the perfect disinfectant – but in fact, bleach has been proven to be hazardous.
Bleach and other disinfectant fumes are harmful to our lungs and other body parts. The SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for Clorox Regular Bleach states: “This chemical is considered hazardous by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).” [1] [5]
https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/cloroxregularbleach27-13-16pde.pdf
Making Better Cleaning Choices and Practicing Good Habits
The notable improvements in the area of cleaning is the Introduction of Steam Cleaners – The one you must have seen used on ironing a Suit or a Bridal gown. Although expensive at the moment they can really stir up the market by using the steam from pressured hot water for cleaning. You’ve probably never heard of TANCS, but here’s exactly what the reports says about how this water-only technology from Advanced Vapor Technologies work. [5]
At Certified Green Cleaning Inc. – a green cleaning company in Calgary, our aim is to ensure only green cleaning products and solutions are used to carry out all our cleaning needs. We strictly ONLY natural cleaners and disinfectants, which are mostly enzyme and vegetable based. The cleaning products used at Certified Green Cleaning are guaranteed neutral, colorless and odorless.
If you are looking to go ahead to employ services of a cleaning company/cleaners for spring cleaning, take your time to ask and investigate what type of cleaning agents they are using, how safe are their practices for you and your family. As mentioned earlier there aren’t any completely hundred percent natural and green products, but choosing a company that uses the best one from those available and that follows good green protocol with their cleaning can give you a clean and chemical free house after your cleaning.
Get a quote to get your cleaning done with us or Book Online at or call us at 1-877-270-0269.
HAPPY CLEANING TO YOU!
References:
5 https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-arent-millennials-killing-cleaning-products-too/
6 http://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/press-releases/resources/women-cleaners-lung-function.pdf