Bathroom Cleaning Products

All those synthetic cleaners can be as hard on your pocketbook as your health. Just vinegar and baking soda will often do the trick! Dish soap and hot water can also be effective, especially if you use microfiber cloths and mops, which trap more germs and grime than other materials.

What To Avoid

2-butoxyethanol:2-butoxyethanol is found in glass cleaners and other multipurpose cleaners. It can cause irritation of the nose and eyes, headaches and vomiting, and may be linked to reproductive problems.

Toluene:Toluene is used to dissolve grease and grime (a solvent), but it can disrupt hormones and impact the brain and nervous system.

Ammonia:Ammonia is used in polishing agents for faucets and shower hardware. It can irritate lungs and may contribute to asthma and bronchitis. If Ammonia combines with Chlorine, often in bleaches, it can be VERY harmful!

Chlorine:Chlorine is found in many bleaches, scouring powders, toilet bowl cleaners, and mildew removers. It can mix with other common chemicals in our homes and often causes more harm than good. Simply cleaning with dish soap and a microfiber cloth is often all that is needed.

Triclosan:Triclosan is an aggressive germ killer found in many hand soaps and cleaning products. Its overuse actually makes germs more resistant and antibiotics less effective.

Sodium hydroxide:Sodium hydroxide is used in drain cleaners. It can irritate or burn skin, eyes, and lungs, and may cause sore throats.

Safer Choices

Lemon & vinegar: Try making your own non-toxic household cleaning spray solution! It only has two ingredients: lemon and vinegar.

Hydrogen peroxide:A 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide that you commonly find in a drugstore works great for household cleaning and disinfecting.

Baking soda:For cleaning surfaces, make a paste using 2 parts baking soda and 1 part water and apply directly or use a cloth to wipe the surface

Find Safer Products

Websites and Apps:

Clearya
Clearya is a free browser extension and app that notifies you when there are unsafe ingredients in your makeup, personal care, baby care, cleaning and other products, and helps you find safe products.

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics - Nontoxic Black Beauty Project
They offer a list and database of non-toxic beauty products made and sold by Black-owned companies that are committed to toxic-free beauty and personal care products.

Detox Me
This app allows you to scan barcodes on products to find relevant tips. They also offer a buying guide to decode product labels and find non-toxic alternatives.

Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG has a "Skin Deep" database that rates personal care and beauty products based on their safety and toxicity levels. EWG also offers a Healthy Living app that allows you to scan barcodes and find safer products.

Think Dirty
This app and website allow you to scan or search for personal care products to see their ingredient safety ratings.

Tags

bathroom, cleaning, cleaning products