In order to keep a healthy home, cleaning is a must. While at Pure Living we advocate for making your own household cleaning products (and provide many recipes or links to our favs!), we have to admit that sometimes store-bought is just simpler. And we won’t blame you for not wanting to add another chore to your already long “to-do” list.

Unfortunately, most of the products we keep under our kitchen sink, in our garage, or on the bathroom shelves are full of hazardous substances that may cause potential health complications. So it’s best to be in-the-know about safety and handling, and avoid some of the worst offenders if at all possible.

If you do purchase over-the-counter cleaning supplies, make sure you’re reading labels very carefully and know your limits.

Absolutely Avoid or Limit Exposure of:

• Sodium hydroxide
• Hydrochloric acid
• Butyl cellusolve
• Formaldahyde
• Bleach
• Ammonia
• Sulfamic acid
• Petroleum distillates
• Sulfuric acid
• Lye
• Mopholine

Some of the worst cleaning culprits in our homes are air fresheners, bleach, oven and glass cleaners, mildew sprays, all-purpose cleaners, and furniture polish. These ubiquitous cleaners contain everything from propane and chlorine to ammonia and formaldehyde, all of which are linked to birth defects, hormone disruption (premature puberty), asthma, and fertility issues. Oven cleaners in particular can be one of the most dangerous cleaning products due to their corrosive properties. They can cause severe damage to the eyes, skin, mouth and throat.

There is no legal mandate for manufacturers of household cleaners to list all ingredients on the labels – this makes consumer education and homework all the more important! For more information on purchasing products or handling some of the cleaners you already own, head to the U.S. Department of Household Products Database. Here you can find almost any household product on the market and a listing of its ingredients so you can decide whether or not you should be using it.

Our Pure Living shop is a convenient one-stop-shop where you can find toxin-free items – completely void of hazardous ingredients – to use throughout your home, including home cleaning products. If you’re looking to swap out unsafe cleaning solutions and supplies, be sure to check out our e-cloth products. e-cloth utilizes a “revolutionary way to clean” with cloths that contain 480,000 fibers per cm2. Because of this enormous cleaning power, e-cloths give surfaces a deeper clean than cleaning with chemicals. The fibers break up and remove more grease and dirt than traditional cloths (or other cloths made with similar, lower-quality fibers) by using only water.

E-cloth believes: “Fragrances are often added to cleaning products and they are not always what they appear to be. e-cloths use just water to clean grease, dirt and bacteria.”

Shop these and other non-toxin products now, and reclaim the health and safety your home.

For more info on safe home cleaning, read Good Housekeeping’s Cleaning Products You Should Never Mix.

Image courtesy of Good Housekeeping.