Safer Cleaning Options
When someone is on a journey to “clean” up their products cleaning products are often at the top of this list. Many of the ingredients in our cleaning products can potentially disrupt our hormones or impact our health negatively in other ways.
It can be a bit overwhelming knowing where to start or what to switch to. I’m of the mindset that less can be more and I love simple. I spent some time years ago making what I was using and while it’s a great option, not everyone has the desire, time or energy to do this so pre-made options are nice to have. I’m including some of my personal top choices that I’ve made or used over the years.
It would be nice to be able to run to the store and just grab a product off the shelf that had all the right buzz words on their label, but unfortunately there is a lot of greenwashing and we often can’t trust what the label says.
I am sharing some of my favorite options I’ve used over the years and hopefully this helps you find one you love as well! In our home I use Force of Nature for almost all our cleaning and a steam mop for the hard floors. For glass/chrome/stainless steel I use Force of Nature with a Norwex Window rag. This covers most needs and if you need some serious germ killing make sure to let the Force of Nature sit for 10 minutes.
I have a canva document that has clickable links.
What is hormone Disruption?
Hormone, or endocrine, disruptors are chemicals that have the potential to interfere with the body’s endocrine system. The endocrine system regulates mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism, sexual function and reproductive processes. Some chemicals mimic a natural hormone and thereby fool the body into responding; a false cue like this could result in the body producing more estrogen, which in turn could lead to breast cancer. Other disruptors block the effects of a needed hormone, or cause overproduction or underproduction of hormones (for example, an overactive or underactive thyroid).
Interestingly, tiny amounts of these chemicals can sometimes do more damage than large amounts. It may be counterintuitive, but the body is used to dealing with really small amounts of natural hormones, produced nearly constantly. So when foreign endocrine disruptors from our environment—like our food, cleaning products and cosmetics—enter our bodies in tiny doses throughout the day, they mimic real life. Any of these changes may produce serious developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune problems.
Impact of Cleaning Products on Women's Lungs as Damaging as 20-a-Day Cigarette Habit: Study"
Scientists at Norway’s University of Bergen tracked 6,000 people, with an average age of 34 at the time of enrollment in the study, who used the cleaning products over a period of two decades, according to the research published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
They found that lung function decline in women who regularly used the products, such as those who worked as cleaners, was equivalent over the period to those with a 20-cigarette daily smoking habit.
"While the short-term effects of cleaning chemicals on asthma are becoming increasingly well documented, we lack knowledge of the long-term impact," said Dr. Cecile Svanes, a professor at the University of Bergen in Norway and senior author of the study."
"When you think of inhaling small particles from cleaning agents that are meant for cleaning the floor and not your lungs, maybe it is not so surprising after all," said lead study author Øistein Svanes, a doctoral student.
https://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/press-releases/resources/women-cleaners-lung-function.pdf