Posts Tagged ‘natural home cleaning products’

Everyone knows that to keep office workers healthy, standards of cleanliness must be met. Bathrooms must be cleaned and sanitized daily, lunchrooms must be maintained at a very high level as food preparation takes place there, and ordinary germs, both bacterial and viral, must be eliminated to avoid the spread of diseases. Added into this is the growing awareness of “sick building syndrome” and the potential complications and conditions to workers in such a “sick” building. Managers of these facilities and buildings are starting to take into consideration such steps as using water and air purifiers, low or even no VOC paint, and furniture and carpeting that don’t themselves give off toxic fumes. Simpler, yet as effective, is the use of products that are environmentally friendly. You will find information on these products in the following article.

Thing To Avoid:

1. Volatile Organic Compounds – In learning what to avoid, you will come across the term “Volatile Organic Compounds”, conveniently abbreviated as VOCs. In layman’s terms, this would the fumes released by certain solids and liquids, which according to the EPA are as much as ten times the density inside a buidling as outside. It will certainly be no surprise that the a lack of ventilation in enclosed buildings is a prime factor in the concentration of these VOCs. These compounds are released not only by common cleaning supplies, but by such surprising additions as dry cleaned clothing and air fresheners. Paint and paint remover and plywood and pressed board used on and in walls emit their own mix of VOCs and can contribute to sick building syndrome.

In learning about Volatile Organic Compounds, one also learns of the detrimental health effects, both long and short-term, of exposure. Some of the most common include eye irritation, headaches, flu-like symptoms, dizziness, and the triggering of asthma attacks. The most severe can be life threatening, such as cancer. Does your office use a spot cleaning for carpeting or fabric cleaning? How about a floor cleaner or bathroom and kitchen cleaners or glass and multi-purpose cleaners? If the answer is yes and they are not non-toxic cleaners, you are exposed to VOCs. Reduction of these Volatile Organic Compounds is important for everyone, but even more so for the elderly, people with lesser functioning immune systems, and pregnant and nursing women.

You may think that if you are not in the immediate area where VOC-emitting cleaning products are used, then you are not being exposed. This is not true, unless your building uses an air purification or ventilation system that is constantly cleaning the air. Although your nose may become used to the smell, the actual fumes last for hours in the air. Even less known is that the fumes are present just from the bottles sitting in the area where they are stored.

2. Solvents – Contributing to the Volatile Organic Compounds in the air are the chemicals found in solvents. Some of these are noted to have carcinogenic and toxic properties. A surprising number are in common usage, such as Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs), alcohols, Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), and esthers.

Look For:

1. Neutral pH – What exactly is meant by the term “neutral pH”? There are three factors involved: the reaction of the cleaning product with the surfaced being cleaned, the reaction with the environment when interacting with the water system, and the reaction of the product with your skin. A neutral pH means that when the product touches a surface it is non-reactive. For example, a pH value over 7.0 is considered to be an alkali, such as bleach. Battery acid, unsurprisingly, is acidic with a pH under 7.0. A product is determined to be neutral if the pH is 7.0.

A neutral pH cleaning product won’t harm even the most sensitive surfaces, such as marble, and you don’t have to worry about it throwing off the pH balance of your skin. Even with frequent use, a neutral pH product without any harsh chemicals will keep your cleaned surfaces, such as desks, conference tables, countertops and carpets free of harmful residue.

2. Biodegradable – While facilities managers are concerned about the internal surroundings of their buildings, it is also important to consider the effects of what they use inside on the outside environment. Our environment gets exposed to everything we wash down the drain. Cleaning chemicals commonly pollute our environment instead of dissipating into non-harmful co-factors, but even the amount of time it takes to biodegrade makes some cleaning products superior to others. Look for cleaners that meet the EPA’s highest standard of biodegradability within 28 days with no aquatic toxicity.

3. Plant-Based – The use of plants for medicinal and health purposes is a long-established fact. Add the cleansing properties and you have a complete arsenal, all non-toxic and organic. No synthetic chemical compound offers the non-toxic benefits of the plant-based products. Fortunately, the plant-based compounds clean as well as or better than their harmful counterparts, including less to no Volatile Organic Compounds in the work environment.

Managers of facilities and buildings have been given their position due to their level of experience and how they handle responsibility. Making the best decision for the health of the workers is easy when it comes to replacing toxic chemical cleaners with all natural multipurpose cleaning products. Healthier workers are more productive and using all natural cleaning products can greatly contribute to this. Reducing the environmental impact is an added bonus that every smart manager can appreciate!

Instead of the chemical ingredients we are so very used to, a great change in household cleaning would come from the extensive predominance of natural cleaning products relying on eco-friendly substances alone. Chemical cleaners pose higher health risks particularly for children, and the overall toxicity reaches very high. Natural cleaning products are safer for everybody, including for the environment. Some green cleaning combinations are made by companies specialized in environmental production, while others can be mixed at home with very common ingredients available in the house. Vegetable soup, saponin plants, lemon juice, salt, vinegar, baking soda or mineral can become viable cleaning solutions.

The benefits of natural cleaning products are both individual and collective. First of all, health is no longer endangered by the toxic fumes and the pollution gets lower. Respiratory and dermatological problems are usually the health troubles resulting from the use of conventional cleaning products. The great part of eco cleaning is that no harm occurs either to the environment or to the human body system. You can prepare the natural cleaning products at home or buy them from supply stores.

Glass cleaners that contain isopropyl, are incredibly irritant for the skin, nose, eyes and throat. Then, serious skin damage occurs from the use of chlorine-based bathroom cleaners. These are just two examples of the thousands of chemicals that we rely on for the cleaning of our homes. You will be the first to enjoy the advantages of using biodegradable natural cleaning products. Moreover, you can save lots of money with cleaning and maintenance products. The costs are very high if you sum up all the cleaning products used per year.

Think how much you can improve in terms of individual costs and increased productivity, not to mention the possibility to keep pollution levels under control. Natural cleaning products are also incredibly useful for people who have a cleaning job and get constantly exposed to chemical substances. Efficient results are also possible even for professional usage. cleaning products natural are expected to increase in terms of market exposure over the next few years, but it is up to us to accelerate their market influence.