Had a great time on Ebru Today talking about how to detox our homes as we prepare to seal ourselves in for the colder months. I focused primarily on cleaning products because I think so many folks don’t realize just how toxic they can be and how important it is, especially when our homes are closed up during the colder season, to try to reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals.

Here are a couple of things to consider when thinking about the kinds of cleaning products you want to use in your house:

• The EPA ranks indoor air pollution among the top 5 environmental dangers
  
• The average household has 3 – 25 gallons of toxic materials in the house, most of which are cleaning products
• A European study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that regular use of common household cleaning sprays was linked to a 30 – 50% increased risk of asthma – YIKES!
• There are approximately 17,000 chemicals used in the array of common household cleaners found in most homes, only 30% of these are tested for side effects on human health and the environment! ahhhhhhhh

Here are a few toxic chemicals found in many household cleaners and their effects on human health:

or Make Your Own! 

Some of my favorite, effective and simple DIY cleaning product recipes . . . 

Borax-Free Laundry Detergent (for sensitive skin) – my friend and fellow green sista from the GreenSisterhood.com, EcoKaren, does a LOT of research for all her posts and projects, so you can count on the efficacy of her recipes. I loved this one because I have particularly sensitive skin, AND IT CLEANS WELL!

All-Purpose, Glass Cleaner & Much more – another sista from the hood, Stephanie Moram offers several simple recipes using white vinegar to make effective household cleaners.

Oven Cleaner – this is a crazy easy recipe and while it doesn’t do the scrubbing for you, it doesn’t kill you either!

All-Purpose Amazing Baking Soda – Beth Terry is another extremely thorough blogger who documents her adventures with products and experiments extremely well. Her post on the many uses of baking soda offers quite a few great ways to use baking soda for everything from bathroom cleaning to scrubbing stubborn pots to room and rug deodorizer.

Garbage Disposal Cleaner – LOVED this one – vinegar ice cubes – Brilliant!

Natural Soft Scrub that WORKS – another simple, but effective one from EcoKaren, she cracks me up . . .

Homemade Foaming Soap?!? – I’ve got a touch of Howard Hughes (not the super wealthy part – bummer) – the germaphobic hand washing part (although I’m not quite as crazy as he was about it!). Most hand sanitizers and soaps contain triclosan and other icky toxic ingredients, which are bad for us/bad for the environment. I must try this recipe! Meanwhile, here’s a short Green Light (minute and a half) ditty on why most hand sanitizers are yuck.