Go grab a bottle of Lysol or Windex and you tell me just how many “ingredients” on the back of that thing you know, or can even pronounce.  Here’s just a few from the back of a well known “KILLS 99.9% OF GERMS” product:

• N-alkyl (1% C8, 1% C10, 67% C12, 25% C14, 7% C16, 1% C18)
• Dimethyl Benzyl ammonium chloride 0.08%
• N-Alkyl (AGAIN?) (40% C12, 50% C14, 10% C16)
• Dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride 0.2%

For starters, what the HECK is “C12”?  Or “C8”?  What is “C”?  And why are both ingredients listed on the back twice with different amounts of the mysterious ingredient “C” in them?

Maybe you know the answer, but I’m willing to guess that most of us don’t.  And that still doesn’t excuse ingredients such as these for being poisonous to our bodies.  .  I’m also pretty sure there are more ingredients in this than these “active ingredients”

If you’re also wondering why there’s usually a big warning label on products such as these and a “do not spray in mouth or eyes or call poison control” stipulation, that’s because these cleaning items have THESE in them:

Carcinogens:  Cancer causing substances that are found in almost all of today’s marketed household cleaners. 

Neurotoxins:  These make you stupi… stoo… sdtup… whatever, they make you less smart.  These toxins slow down the neural activity in our brain, and also will cause you some horrible headaches.

Endocrine Disrupters:  The chemicals in these cleaning products can actually MIMIC our own hormones, which can cause a number of problems for humans and animals alike!  Infertility, behavioural problems, miscarriages, lowered immune capabilities, cancers, ADHD – an endocrine disrupter can allow for any one of these unfortunate circumstances to befall you and your family.

Think about how many times you’ve loaded your dishwasher up with a product that’s jammed with these three things.  A day or two later you’re drinking out of those glasses and eating off of those plates.  Or those counter tops – how many times have you sprayed them down with a cleaner and eaten or scooped food off of that same counter?  You may think that scrubbing and rinsing your shower or sinks after using a cleaning product is good enough, but think again.  Most of us don’t spend 5 minutes rinsing and scrubbing with a clean sponge to be sure there’s no residue left behind.

I’m not suggesting you leave your house a complete pig sty.  You can easily make cleaning products from these five inexpensive yet effective products:

-         Vinegar

-         Baking Soda

-         Washing Soda

-         Lemon Juice

-         Borax

You can easily look up mixtures online or on this website for any cleaning need you may have.

Just think about it: you’re saving your family from pesticides, formaldehyde, APEs, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), organochlorines, styrene, phthalates, 2-butoxyethanol…(need I go on?).  Live a healthier – AND cleaner! – life today.