A Cleaner Clean

Finding a cleaner cleaner may sound a little ridiculous but you may very well be doing more harm than good during your Sunday scrub down.

If you have children in your home, please be conscious.  They cannot break down toxins as well as adults.  In fact, over 30% of childhood asthma has been linked to chemical exposure.

You may be aware of the fact that some ingredients are better than others but it’s REALLY difficult to know what to look for when you are rushing down the product aisles.

In general, you want to look OUT for the following:

• Sulfates
• Petroleum
• Solvents
• Dyes
• Parabens
• Synthetic Fragrances
• Alcohol
• Ethoxylates
• If there is a Warning/Caution/Danger Section

What’s also sad is that this is an area that makes it really tough to be brand loyal.  Many times I’ll find a product that meets all my standards only to realize that the same brand has another product that is packed with chemicals!

Click to see my secret weapon below.

The EWG has a product search and it rates them all by a typical grading scale.  You can quickly type in your favorites to see how they stack up.  You may be surprised to see some common “clean” companies pop up with D ratings!  When shopping, you can also be on the look out for the EWG SAFER CHOICE label which is given to products that uphold the highest standards.

Another tip to just make things easy is that when you find a Multi-Purpose you like, you really should be able to use it on nearly everything in your house.  You can eliminate buying a specific product for individual needs.  I love Dr. Bronner’s for that!  Listing a few more top picks but just take a few minutes and type your products into EWG’s search just to see where you may be able to swap out next time!

A Few of my favorites are linked below…

And just to be clear, as always, I am not saying that your family is all doomed for illness or that you are going to drop dead if you spray old school Windex on your bathroom mirror.  However, when you are ready for a new bottle, why not step outside your comfort zone a little, do yourself and family a favor, and check a label.  The price you may pay in a better product will most definitely pay off in greater measures for the long run.  Happy Cleaning!