Chemical Free Cleaning Products: Top 5 Harmful Chemicals in Household Cleaning Products

Almost every household today uses cleaning products, be it chemical-based, plant-based or homemade. There is nothing to worry about the last two kinds of cleaning products. What should alarm consumers is the use of chemical household products. The name itself is something that sounds harmful to the health and environment. In fact, chemical-based products pose health risks to people who get exposed to them very often.

The environment also suffers from the harmful toxic substances that are found in these products. Just look around you and you will find many of these chemical products. Some can be found in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Even inside your car and in the backyard, you will most likely find chemical-based cleaning products, such as laundry detergents, air freshener, window glass cleaner, stain remover, and many more.

Did you ever ask yourself if these products are totally safe? Have you ever wondered if these things could be dangerous to your health and to the environment? It might surprise you to know that a lot of the household cleaning products you use are toxic or hazardous.  Other strong chemical products can lead to serious health and environmental problems. If you don’t believe it yet, let’s take a look at the top 5 harmful chemicals that are found in your common household cleaning products.

1. Phosphate. If you haven’t heard about this or you are not quite familiar with it, this chemical is usually found in laundry detergents. It can cause redness of the skin, rashes, allergies, sinusitis, and other health problems. Since laundry detergents are used to wash your clothes, there’s a great chance that that residue left will stay on your skin and irritate it or cause rashes. Aside from the negative effects on people’s health, phosphate is also harmful to the environment as it is considered as one of the biggest water contaminants. A very high level of phosphate can kill fish and other marine lives in rivers and oceans.
2. Methylene chloride. This chemical is commonly found in stain removers. It is classified as a carcinogen that can pose danger to the liver and brain. Too much exposure to methylene chloride can also lead to irregular heart beat and worse, heart attack. In many cases, this chemical can irritate the skin and the eyes.
3. Acetone. Considered as a neurotoxin, this chemical is known to cause liver and kidney ailments. It is highly dangerous to pregnant women because exposure to it can be dangerous to the developing fetus. It can also irritate the skin and the eyes. Acetone is a common ingredient of spot remover cleaners.
4. Formaldehyde. There are lab tests that found out that this chemical, which is usual ingredient of furniture polisher, can cause cancer and damage DNA. There are cases showing that exposure to this chemical can lead to asthma as well. Other health problems caused by formaldehyde include joint and chest pain and headaches. 
5. Ammonia. Found in many household cleaning products, ammonia can also irritate the eyes and cause respiratory problems. In some cases, ammonia can lead to bronchitis, kidney and liver failure, and pneumonia.

There is an answer: chemical free cleaning products such as Vermont Soap Organic Liquid Sunshine. For those of you that use excercise mats or yoga mats, there is also Vermont Soap Yoga Exercise Mat wash.

There is no reason for you to suffer with chemicals in the home. Stop using them and go natural. Chemical free cleaning products are safer.