by: Yolanda Yvette McDonald
People have known the dangers of chemical detergents for a long time, but people also continue to use them. Why? They have either found natural detergents too expensive, too hard to find or not effective enough. This excerpt from an article from Canada about some of the common chemicals found in products today that are a clear danger:
HEALTH EFFECTS OF FRAGRANCE CHEMICALs (1)
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:
NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS:
Many of the fragrance chemicals can act as sensitizers, which causes immune system damage so that you can become allergic to the chemical.
"Recent studies have revealed that most households/offices contain over 63 hazardous products that together contain hundreds of chemicals." (2)
So, what is the alternative? Natural detergents. While in the past these detergents have been less effective than their chemically laden counterparts, this is no longer the case.
Consumers everywhere, including those at businesses, hospitals and schools are switching to environmentally, safe, effective cleaners to increase health among family members, clients and employees.(3)
Using formulas with citrus-based oils, many natural cleaners have been adopted by national parks services including Yellowstone, Grant Teton and Yosemite as well as by Warner Brothers and Fox Studios, the University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ and many world-famous resorts.
These natural cleaning solutions are often available in concentrated form also, which means they will last longer than chemical detergents.
You owe it to yourself and your family to try these cleaners if for no other reason than the peace of mind you will receive from knowing that you are no longer housing a chemical lab in your kitchen and bathroom.
Further, I suggest you check the references I used below to put together this article. They are very eye-opening and have insprired more than a little fear and anger in many who have read them.
References:
(1) http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Education/CASLE/fragrance.html