Jackie Koerner

Good Clean Fun

Poisoning can happen to anyone.

Created by a bunch of advertising agencies is this fear of germs Americans have.  We bleach everything.  We want stuff that says “Kills 99.9% of bacteria” and other vengeful antics we would only wish on germs.  Did anyone bother to read the warning labels on the back of those wonderful cleaners?  Many of them want lots of ventilation when in use.  Do not ingest or flush with water if in contact with skin or eyes.  Of course, there is the ever popular “Keep out of reach of children”, which, I have to ask, does mopping the floor and allowing my child to play on that freshly cleaned floor classify as “out of reach”?  How harmful are these cleaners which we entrust our family’s health?

Children. They’re ever curious and of course all chemicals should always be kept in a locked cabinet.  The concern here is what sort of residue from these harmful cleaners gets on their skin and in their mouths after cleaning surfaces.  One site I found listed the possible issues created by such common household cleaners.  Most of the poisoning occurs slowly.  Many household cleaner components contain chemicals that have been linked to an increased instance of asthma.

Pets. There have been pet poisonings with some of these chemicals.  Most kidney failure was linked to chemical use.  Children can sometimes let us know when they have something on them to be washed off, but babies and pets cannot.  Pets simply wind up cleaning themselves, and ingesting the chemical.

For more natural cleaners, try vinegar, baking soda, peroxide, and basic soap and water.  There are also some great natural cleaning tips and recipes here.