Next time you clean your kitchen or bathroom, take a moment to read the labels of the products you're using. Then ask yourself if you really want to scour your house with cleansers that carry a skull and crossbones or the words "harmful or fatal if inhaled or swallowed" on the label. Though all of these products are purportedly safe if you follow the proper handling instructions, which are also on the label, let's face it—when was the last time you cleaned with splash goggles, a face mask, and the window wide open? If you're like most people, you have inhaled.
Some of the most common chemicals in cleaning products can irritate skin or mucous membranes, such as those that line the nose and throat; others are poisonous when swallowed. Many can cause dizziness, headache, and nausea if you use them in an unventilated area (such as your bathroom). For example, both sodium acid sulfate and hydrochloric acid, which are found in toilet bowl cleaners, can burn the skin; cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach burns if swallowed; and result in blindness if splashed in the eyes. Chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is a lung and eye irritant; ammonia, found in glass-cleaning and other products, irritates the lungs and skin. Mix bleach and ammonia together, and the resulting lethal gas, chloramine, can cause coughing, choking, mild asthmatic symptoms, or more serious respiratory problems after even a brief exposure.
Household cleaners may contain as many as 1,400 other ingredients, including fragrances, preservatives, solvents, dyes, and buffering agents. On the label they're called "inert" ingredients because they don't contribute to the product's cleaning ability (though they may make it suds up or smell better). Even some of these may be potentially toxic, says Philip J. Landrigan, MD, director of the children's health and environment department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
Manufacturers are required to put specific warning labels on products that contain hazardous ingredients. In addition to identifying the chemical, the label will suggest ways to avoid exposure—such as ventilating the room or avoiding skin contact—and what to do in case there's a problem.[pagebreak]Even if you're vigilant about using cleaning products as directed, you still may wonder whether you might be better off using products that don't require you to don the domestic version of a hazmat suit. Rightly so—emerging science suggests links between cleaning products and these health problems:
Breathing disorders A recent study from the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain, found that women who clean houses for a living have a 46% greater chance of having asthma and a 61% greater risk of suffering from chronic bronchitis than do women in other professions.
Exacerbation of asthma, eczema, or "multiple chemical sensitivities" "If you have these conditions, even very low exposures to chemical-laden cleansing products can worsen your symptoms," says Howard Hu, MD, MPH, ScD, professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Getting a Safer Shine
Using fewer chemical cleansers doesn't mean you have to sacrifice cleanliness and sparkle. "Natural" cleansers, free of toxic ingredients, "pose fewer dangers but retain their ability to dissolve stains, fats, and oils," says Hu, who especially likes the all-natural citrus-based ones. However, if you're extrasensitive or very allergic, even natural cleansers may trigger asthma, sinus irritation, and similar reactions, he warns.
You can also go the homemade route. We put three do-it-yourself cleansers to the ultimate test: the holiday cleanup at the Prevention Test Kitchen. JoAnn Brader, kitchen manager, reported that our home-mixed versions rivaled the supermarket cleansers she usually buys. You'll save a bundle, too.[pagebreak]
All-purpose surface cleaner Mix 1 quart hot water, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil-based soap or oil-based detergent (such as Seventh Generation), 1 teaspoon borax, and 2 tablespoons white vinegar.
Scrub paste Mix baking soda with enough liquid soap to make a paste. (Make only what you need right away; it dries up quickly.) Use it for countertops and pots, even ovens. We scrubbed some food-encrusted pans with the paste and a plain steel-wool pad, and it worked as well as the usual steel-wool pad with soap. (As an alternative, consider nontoxic Bon Ami instead of powdered cleansers that contain bleach.)
No-streak glass and window cleaner Mix 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 quart warm water. Use old newspapers instead of paper towels to clean.
Tips for Using Cleaning Products Safely
Go easy on germ warfare. "Those antibacterial, germ-killing sprays and wipes just aren't worth it," says Philip J. Landrigan, MD, director of the children's health and environment department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "No matter how much you use, you'll rarely achieve a 'germ-free' kitchen or bathroom—and instead, you're substituting a chemical hazard [the cleaners] for a biological hazard [the germs]."
Never blend cleaning products; you may create a lethal new substance.
Store products in original containers. Don't transfer any cleaning product to another container for any reason. If you do and there's an accident, you won't know what to tell poison control.
Read the label and follow directions carefully.
Call poison control first. In an emergency—your child eats or drinks a cleanser, for example, or you've unintentionally misused something—don't wait for a reaction. Your local poison control hotline is available 24/7 at (800) 222-1222.
The National Institutes of Health hosts the Household Products Database, a user-friendly website that lists the ingredients in brand name products as well as special handling or safety advice and potential health risks.
More from Prevention: 7 Simple DIY Cleaning Recipes