It seems like all of North America has become hypersensitive about germs. Everywhere you look there are cleaning supplies that have every chemical imaginable. These chemicals are not good for our health or the environment. Sanitizing everything in sight seems to be the norm these days with products ranging from antimicrobial to antibacterial to antifungal. We are just determined to illuminate every single germ out there as well as use safe green cleaning products.
Other cultures have always known that natural cleaning products are the best thing for the environment and the health of everyone on the planet. They seem to get the fact that everything needs to work together in harmony. Using these chemically manufactured products may seem like a good idea but can have some detrimental effects on our lives and the health of our bodies and the world around us.
Chemical effects on our lungs:
Scientist did a 20 year study that show breathing in these products year after year can have harmful effects than you think. Professional cleaner suffered the most and showed that their lungs were as affected as someone smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. It affected 2 areas of lung function which are FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and FVC (forced vital capacity). These show how much a person can breathe in and how much they can exhale. Exposure showed a decline in each of these breathing patterns with prolonged use of chemical cleaners. They believe these chemical cleaning products is causing the decline of the lungs by irritating the mucus membranes in the airways. They found that it affected mostly women and felt that was because there are more women in the cleaning industry and also cleaning at home.
You and your homes microbiome:
The problem with chemical cleaners is they not only kill bad germs, but good ones too. Some of these ingredients such as ammonia can absorb into the skin and cause problems with the good bacteria in the body. The toxic chemicals from these products also can find the way into the soil, water and air and can affect the wildlife on the planet as well. When these chemicals were tested on rats it showed that it not only affected the rat but also the babies before birth and that were still nursing. It not only changes the health of gut but our immune system as well. We need exposure to certain microbes to help us build up our immune system. If we don’t have some microbes to build up our system we become vulnerable to things like food sensitivity.
Chemical Cleaners and viruses:
Not only do chemical cleaners kill germs but they also help harmful microbes build up a resistance to these chemicals and leave us even more vulnerable to catching a virus.
Cleaner labels:
You may go in the store and see products labeled gentle or natural, but they are misleading. If you look at the label they still have chemicals in them that can harm you and the world around you. Fragrance sounds like such a lovely word but can have any one of the many harmful chemicals.
If you want to get away from store bought products and clean in a more natural way there are things like castile soap. It can be used with water for a hand cleaner, dish soap or shampoo and there are other natural products you can add to it. Essentials oils, vinegar and baking soda can be added to make laundry detergent, window cleaner and more. Give your world a new outlook and go all natural.