Toxicity in cleaning products?

Mellouk89
Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
edited November 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm wondering what cleaning products I should use as i'm seeing a lot of articles about toxic substances mainly endoctrine disruptors being present in many cleaning products. Is it ok to just use water and buy a window cleaner? What do you personally use?

Replies

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    KNoceros wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Don't believe everything you read and hear.

    Basically this, but if you want an alternative window / glass cleaning product try vinegar.

    Or if you don't like the smell (like me), a little citric acid dissolved in water. Works especially well if you have very hard water.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    The Norwex-type cleaning cloths actually work pretty well, and I even think the one for windows works better than doing it the old fashioned way. You can buy knockoff ones that are not part of an MLM scheme on Amazon called e-cloth.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    Vinegar works for a lot of things. For things that require a gentle abrasive, use baking soda (not baking powder). Obviously, using both together is endothermic (gets cold, loosely) and creates foam which is fun, but not very useful. Acids like vinegar are good for cutting soap scum or lime deposits from hard water. Both vinegar and soda are inexpensive. (Get the plain white distilled vinegar, nothing fancy.)

    There are also cleaners that use orange oil, which I believe is slightly solvent, but I don't know as much about that.

    I use a lot of basic soap, vinegar, and soda, though. One tip I like: Get a shaker bottle with good sized holes and a tight top, ideally one that won't rust or break (stainless steel is good, or plastic), such as one intended to be a parmesan cheese shaker. Put baking soda in it, keep it where you keep cleaners. Very useful.

    I still use some harsher cleaners occasionally, but these handle most daily stuff.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    I clean almost entirely with diluted vinegar.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    Speakeasy76 wrote: »
    The Norwex-type cleaning cloths actually work pretty well, and I even think the one for windows works better than doing it the old fashioned way. You can buy knockoff ones that are not part of an MLM scheme on Amazon called e-cloth.

    I bought the Norwex claws because my friend was selling them and I wanted to be supportive of her. They are ridiculously expensive but I have to say they really are amazing. I very rarely use cleaning products except for in the bathroom. The toilet sink and tub need something more substantial than a microfiber cloth and water lol.

    I even use the Norwex and water for my stove top. And I 100% agree about the window cleaning cloths! No need for Windex!

    I occasionally wipe my counters down with Lysol wipes. And that's really it. The bathroom cleaner and the lysol. Wipes.

    I have a steamer mop for my vinyl floor in the kitchen. I only use water in it it does a fantastic job.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    I live on a farm.

    Bleach.
    Pine sol.
    Sprayway window/glass cleaner. windex when i cant find that.
    Clorox clean up
    Clorox and Lysol Wipes

    I buy purell and germex by the gallons

    look.... everything outside of this house is covered in sh!it. Literal *kitten*. Chicken, duck, goat, cattle when we have them, dog. I am NOT playing games inside, cause that *kitten* out THERE gets tracked in HERE. Between the manure and the red clay...nope. not playing.

    But I guess most people don't live on farms. I'll take my chances with the chemicals.

    LOL

    Yes living on a farm and being surrounded by all that fecal matter does make a difference!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    I live on a farm.

    Bleach.
    Pine sol.
    Sprayway window/glass cleaner. windex when i cant find that.
    Clorox clean up
    Clorox and Lysol Wipes

    I buy purell and germex by the gallons

    look.... everything outside of this house is covered in sh!it. Literal *kitten*. Chicken, duck, goat, cattle when we have them, dog. I am NOT playing games inside, cause that *kitten* out THERE gets tracked in HERE. Between the manure and the red clay...nope. not playing.

    But I guess most people don't live on farms. I'll take my chances with the chemicals.

    LOL

    Yes living on a farm and being surrounded by all that fecal matter does make a difference!

    I foster kittens for my local shelter and you wouldn't believe how much poo those teeny tiny things can produce. That is the one area I use pet safe antibacterial/anti fungal cleaners. Zep makes a great concentrate that you can mix up with water to make a spray or add full strength to laundry. It also is an odor eliminator so the bedding comes out with no urine or poo smell. I love them to death but when they are being weaned and learning the litter box I have a week or so of intense smell and mess.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,496 Member
    Bigger fish to fry.

    If it's on a store shelf of a mass retailer in the US and I'm using it for it's intended purpose I'm not worrying about toxicity.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    For weekend "clean the house day" we use a small steam cleaner on most surfaces...bathroom countertops, mirrors, windows, shower and bath, toilet, etc and also use it to "mop" our floor tiled surfaces. For everyday cleanup like the kitchen, we mostly use diluted vinegar.

    The only chemical cleaner we tend to use is toilet bowl cleaner. We're not so much concerned with toxicity as much as we don't like the smell when the entire house has been cleaned with cleaning products.
  • Zoomie402
    Zoomie402 Posts: 263 Member
    I steer clear of the harsher things only because both of my kids have asthma and my son really seems to flare up when he gets a whiff of the fumes. At 16 and 12, my kids are old enough to help with chores, so I do my best to find brands that won't send them into coughing fits. Grove is my go to for cleaning lately. I have found a ton of great cleaners there. They also have similar cleaning cloths to Norwex that won't cost as much.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    In the kitchen I mostly use vinegar (or a vinegar-based produce cleaner that works really well on sticky messes) or baking soda, depending on what I'm cleaning. I like baking for cleaning up cooking fat, especially if there are bits of browned/burned food in it -- I use it to absorb excess fat after pouring off what I can in a can or jar with a lid, and then the abrasive properties help scrape of the burned bits. I especially like it for my cast iron.

    About the only time I use stronger stuff is when I've had raw poultry or fish/shellfish on a surface or in/over the sink -- then I'll use something bleach-based.

    In the rest of the house I use commercial products a lot, although there are times when I've started in the kitchen and moved to another room and just keep using vinegar or the vinegar-based produce cleaner.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    I use non-toxic stuff. I try to minimize chemicals whenever possible. Some think they are harmless, but they are not. There are many things that people think are ok that later are shown to be harmful, like many gardening products, weed killers, food additives, etc.

    When exposed to cleaners like 409 and Fabuloso and also detergents like Tide, I can’t stop sneezing and break out in a rash. This is my body telling me something is not right. I have never had sensitive skin either and am not a person who has a lot of allergies to things.
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,994 Member
    I’m on the other end, as my natural tendency is to be a massive slob. It is something I have struggled with my entire adult life.

    There is toxicity in not using “chemicals” too.

    Find the balance that works for you.

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