As a parent, you may feel that danger lurks around every corner. His main job is to keep his children safe at all times and to make sure they are happy and whole to begin with.
For many parents, it’s shocking to discover that common household products like detergents and cleaners may contain more toxins than manufacturers advertise. While you may be doing everything in your power to keep your kids safe, you could be exposing them to toxic levels of chemicals in countless over-the-counter products.
A recent report analyzed more than 20 household cleaners and found that several top-selling brand name products, including Tide and Simple Green, contained levels of toxic chemicals that were not disclosed to customers. Some chemicals have been linked to birth defects, pregnancy complications, and even cancer.
The good news is that you can keep your family safe by being a smart consumer. Here are four ways to avoid using toxic chemicals around the house:
1. Limit the use of over-the-counter pesticides. As any experienced Alabama pest control company will tell you, homeowners are likely to overuse and even abuse store-bought pesticide sprays.
Even though you may be using a pesticide spray for the simple purpose of killing an insect, it can leave harmful chemical residues around your home that can affect small children and pets. To control an indoor bug problem, it’s best to contact an experienced exterminator who knows how to use the correct volumes of professional bug spray in a home.
2. Research the products you buy. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, some brand name products do not disclose levels of toxic chemicals that could be harmful to customers.
However, you can do your research to choose safer, non-toxic alternatives to chemical cleaning products that will be gentle and less harmful when used around the house. In most cases, if a product contains words like “caution” or “warning” on the label, it is highly toxic and should be avoided.
3. Use spray pump cleaners. While this may seem like a minor difference, using a pump spray cleaner instead of a spray cleaner will eliminate the release of unnecessary VOCs into the closed environment of your home.
Also, pressurized spray cleaners and beauty products create a fine mist that is easy to inhale; Pump spray products are best used around pets, young children, and the elderly.
4. Clean with natural remedies. Yes, you can achieve the same results by cleaning with common ingredients found in your kitchen instead of chemical cleaners. In most cases, soap and water work well enough to remove bacteria from a surface.
You can also use an ingredient like baking soda to clean showers, sinks, and toilets. Vegetable oil mixed with lemon juice works well to fix wooden furniture. Try keeping a vinegar and water mixture on hand in a spray bottle to use in place of Windex to clean chrome and mirrors. Having a supply of natural cleaning remedies will help keep your home spotless without compromising your family’s health!