Is There Poison Lurking in Your Home?
by Nick Harter, President, Indiana's Green Network, Inc.
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A typical home or office has dozens of cleaning and personal care products that contain harmful chemicals. Please take a moment and count the number of cleaners under your kitchen and bathroom sink. How about your laundry room or garage? How many did you find? Most households and offices contain over dozens of cleaning products that consist of hundreds of hazardous chemicals. You should be shocked to know the potential of these products to harm or even kill your children, pets and you if they are not used with the utmost caution.
Did you know that synthetic chemicals, including the ones we commonly use around our homes, day care centers, schools, libraries, shops, and restaurants have never been tested or proven to be safe, especially when combinations of exposures occur. No one knows the danger of the combination of chemicals that the average man, woman, child and pet comes into contact with, until WE show the symptoms. And how many decades have our symptoms been ignored for the sake of selling these harmful chemicals?
Could a tragedy happen in your home? Sadly, the answer is YES. For example, a young child crawled over to the dishwasher while her mother was unloading the dishes. Before the mother knew it, the young girl had put her small finger in the detergent dispensing cup and ate a finger full of wet, but un-dissolved dish detergent. Within minutes her face was red and blistered, the inside of her mouth and tongue were burned white. Fortunately, the mother rushed her to a nearby hospital emergency room for medical attention and she recovered in a few days.
This is just one example of thousands of cases where unsuspecting children unwittingly ingest or are exposed to serious life threatening poisons. The U.S. Poison Control Center has nearly 1.5 million reported cases of accidental ingestion of poisons every year with most cases involving children who were under 12 years of age.
It is important, in this day of social awareness, to attempt to use less toxic methods of cleaning our homes. Not only do the toxins in most of today’s home cleaners poison those who use them, but they also get washed out into the waterways and poison wildlife.
The following are three simple recipes which can be made for a fraction of the cost of cleaners found in stores. They are low-toxic and work just as well as the store bought stuff. I highly recommend trying them out, and I welcome your feedback on them.
Alkaline All-Purpose Cleaner:
½ teaspoon washing soda
2 teaspoons borax
½ teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
2 cups hot water
Combine the washing soda, borax, and soap in a spray bottle. Pour in hot water (it will dissolve the minerals), screw on the lid, and shake to completely blend and dissolve. Spritz every six inches or so of surface once or twice, wiping off the cleanser with a rag as you go.
For tough dirt, leave the cleanser on for a few minutes before wiping it off. Shake the bottle each time before using.
Makes 2 cups
Preparation Time: About 1 minute
Shelf Life: Indefinite
Storage: Leave in the spray bottle
All-Purpose Window Cleaner:
¼ cup white distilled vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
2 cups water
A few drops essential oil, for scent (optional)
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle, and shake to blend. Spray on, then remove with a squeegee, paper towel, or newspaper.
Makes 2¼ cups
Preparation Time: About 1 minute
Shelf Life: Indefinite
Storage: Leave in the spray bottle
Deodorizing Spray:
8 drops lavender oil
4 drops each bergamot and clove oil
2 drops oil of peppermint
½ cup vodka
½ cup distilled water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spritz into the air four or five times in areas you feel need freshening, being carefully to avoid your eyes when spraying.
Makes 1 cup
Preparation Time: About 1 minute
Shelf Life: Indefinite
Storage: Leave in the spray bottle
These recipes come
from
Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living
by Annie Berthold-Bond
I highly recommend this book, as it has tons of recipes for all kinds of products!
Email Questions/Comments: Nick@IgniteIndiana.org
