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Are Your House Cleaning Products as Bad for You as Smoking?
Your home is your sanctuary, your private retreat, your escape from it all. But if you’re using conventional cleaning products, your home is exposing you to toxic chemicals on a daily basis. Here’s why it’s essential to detox your household cleaning routine and the products that will help you do it.
To see our full range of eco-friendly, non-toxic natural cleaning products, visit our online shop.
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The Clean, the Bad & the Ugly
When you look at the health consequences of the common ingredients found in home cleaning products, it’s just not worth the risk to bring them into your home.
Women
A 2018 study showed that women who work as cleaners or regularly use cleaning products at home suffer a serious decline in lung function over time. The study showed that women could sustain as much lung damage from regularly breathing in the cleaning products as they would have if they had smoked a pack of cigarettes everyday for 10-20 years!
The Breast Cancer Prevention Partners maintain a list of substances strongly linked to causing breast cancer. And appearing on that list? You guessed it, you’ll find the names of common ingredients in household cleaners, including fragrance and phthalates.
Children
There’s lots of evidence to suggest that kids are particularly vulnerable to the effects of regular exposure to conventional cleaning products. It’s believed many of the harsher ingredients are endocrine and hormone disruptors, and they can negatively impact brain development as well as disrupt the microbiome and cause unhealthy weight gain in young children.
The Entire Family
If anyone in your family experiences frequent headaches, allergies, asthma or skin sensitivities, you should be especially careful of the cleaning products you use—the ingredients in cleaners from major brands can trigger all of these conditions.
The Environment
But it’s not just the occupants of your home that can suffer negative consequences of conventional cleaning products; they negatively impact the environment as well.
These cleaners exit our homes by way of the sink, the toilet, and the water drained out of the washing machine and the dishwasher. The chemicals and microplastics in the cleaners go on to contaminate groundwater and eventually end up in agricultural fields where they disrupt ecosystems and in the seas where they harm marine life.
A Gentler Way to Clean Your Home
We don’t have to sit back and accept these dire consequence of conventional house cleaning products! Thankfully, there’s a whole laundry list (excuse the pun) of responsible, eco-friendly, non-toxic brands of cleaning products now available.
Many of these brands were started by individuals who wanted healthier house cleaning solutions for their families.
They’re all cruelty-free and committed to sustainable, environmentally-friendly and ethical production practices.
Above all, these brands make it possible to clean your home in a way that is safe for you and your family.
Our Favorite Natural Cleaning Products
Zero Waste Cleaning Products
E-cloth
The E-cloth range is a revolution in natural home cleaning and a favourite among the staff for cleaning inside Organico and our homes.
The E-cloth collection of reusable cleaning tools requires nothing more than water to clean away dirt, grease and bacteria from your home and to shine surfaces. Send them through the wash cycle and they’re as good as new.
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Natural Cleaning Brushes
The Terra Sana vegetable brush is a durable scrubber for fruits and vegetables made of coconut fibre. It really scrubs out the nooks and crannies of fresh produce.
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The Memo wooden dish brush and nail brush are made of FSC certified sustainable beech and made to withstand a long life of scrubbing.
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EcoEgg
The EcoEgg works to clean your laundry on its own—no detergent or fabric softener required—and it lasts up to 210 washes.
It’s filled with two types of natural mineral pellets that work together to lift off dirt and odours and leave less residue on your clothes.
The Laundry Egg is dermatologically tested and kind to skin. It’s gained approval by Allergy UK and achieved the Allergy Friendly Product Award.
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The EcoEgg Dryer Eggs help reduce your electricity bill by cutting down drying time by 28%. The pair of dryer eggs work to lift and separate clothes so they dry faster in a tumble dryer.
The dryer eggs naturally soften and fragrance your clothes with essential oil fragrance sticks that last up to 40 dries.
Just like the laundry eggs, they are dermatologically tested and kind to skin.
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Ecoforce Peg Basket
The Ecoforce peg basket is made from 93% recycled plastic from both pre- and post-consumer waste. The basket is sturdy and hard-working and made in the UK.
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Natural Cleaning Liquids and Detergents
Sonett
Sonett, a brand based in Germany, uses 100% biodegradable raw materials completely free from synthetic fragrances, dyes, bleach activators, preservatives, enzymes and petrochemicals.
There is no genetic engineering or nanotechnology (no microplastics!) involved in their production. And the oils in their soaps and essential oils are 100% certified organic.
The Sonett product range includes laundry powders, laundry liquids, dishwashing and dishwasher soaps and rinses, toilet cleaners, mopping fluid and hand soaps. And their range is hypoallergenic.
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Bio-D
Bio-D use 100% plant-based ingredients. They’re certified vegan, cruelty-free and they’re certified ethical by The Ethical Consumer Magazine.
The company is just as mindful of what they put into their products as what they leave out—this list includes all the major toxic ingredients common in major brands of cleaning products.
This UK company has now introduced started using containers made from 100% recycled plastic bottles
The Bio-D range includes toilet cleaner, bathroom sprays, glass and mirror spray, laundry liquid, fabric conditioners, washing-up liquid, and multi-purpose sanitisers.
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Ecoleaf laundry
Ecoleaf dishwasher tablets and laundry products are wonderfully cost-effective natural cleaning solutions.
The Ecoleaf products are vegan, biodegradable, and made from sustainably sourced plant-based ingredients.
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Marcel’s Green Soap
Marcel’s Green Soap make 100% natural and petroleum-free cleaners that are at least 97% biodegradable. They use organic oils and unique scents made of renewable plant ingredients.
Their packaging is made from 100% recycled plastic and their products are free from harmful chemicals and made with ingredients that have a minimal impact on the environment.
The Marcel’s Green Soap range includes a multi-purpose spray and dishwash liquids.
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Lilly’s Eco-Clean
The idea for Lilly’s Eco-Clean was born when the brand’s namesake started her own cleaning business and became very ill—so ill she couldn’t work. She eventually traced her health problems back to the cleaning products she was using. After that she decided to formulate her own range of natural cleaning products using essential oils, vinegar, and naturally-derived detergents.
The Lilly’s Eco-Clean range includes laundry liquids, fabric conditioner, washing-up liquid, floor cleaner, toilet cleaner, degreaser and descaler, and an all-purpose spray.
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Natural Scents for Your Home
A calming, cleansing scent can make a big difference to your home’s atmosphere by transforming your space into one that smells and feels fresh, clean and inviting.
Since you and your family will be breathing in these scents, it’s so important to choose products made with clean, non-toxic ingredients.
Sodasan Living Senses
Sodasan does a lot to implement green energy methods and offset their carbon emissions. Their products are free from synthetic preservatives and fragrances and they don’t use any ingredients manufactured through genetic engineering.
Their room fragrances are made with a base of certified bio-alcohol and the sticks and wooden cap are made from sustainable beechwood.
The lavender room fragrance is soothing and calming while the lemon room fragrance is cleansing and energising.
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Absolute Aromas Scent Sprays
Absolute Aromas select oils from controlled, sustainable sources with little or no negative impact on the environment. All of their ingredients are non-GM.
These natural room sprays are perfect to use in your home, your office, or carry with you when you travel (for those instances when your car or a hotel room could use a little aromatherapy).
The Absolute Aromas lavender room spray evokes a sense of calm and balance while the Breatheasy spay promotes clear breathing with a blend of eucalyptus, cajeput and peppermint.
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Attitude Air purifier
The Attitude Air Purifier contains a powerful charcoal filter that naturally purifies and absorbs air particles and contaminants. Its adjustable vents give you easy control of fragrance intensity.
This plant-based, vegan scented air purifier uses only plant- and mineral-based ingredients. It’s certified sustainable, its production doesn’t contribute to climate change, and it’s completely free from harsh ingredients including parabens and formaldehyde.
The purifier’s refreshing aroma of lavender and eucalyptus will diffuse throughout your room for up to 6 weeks (depending on room size).
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Natural Cleaners for Wood
Bee’s Knee’s
West Cork’s own Bees’s Knees source their ingredients in Ireland to make gently, high-quality wood cleaning solutions that won’t irritate skin.
The natural wood polish is made of a blend of local beeswax and natural oils which bring out the inherent beauty of your wood without leaving a sticky residue.
The Clean & Feed is a wood liquid polish made with a blend of orange and mineral oils and local beeswax. It safely cleans and nourishes wood products of all kinds, including chopping boards and unfinished wood.
Now you can clean and protect your wood just like they did in the old days.
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Clean, Happy and Healthy Home
The old saying is true: a clean home is a happy home. And we’d go a step further by saying that a naturally clean home is a happy and healthy home.
With the variety of natural cleaning products available, you’ll be able to find the cleaning solution that works for you to keep your home clean and your family feeling good.