A 2007 study that involved more than 3,500 otherwise healthy people in 10 different countries found that weekly use of spray cleaners increased the risk of developing asthma by 30 to 50 percent. Some of the worst culprits -- antibacterial surface cleaners, air fresheners, furniture polish, oven cleaners, etc. -- may be lurking under your kitchen sink right now. (If there are, please don’t dump them down the drain. Use them up or call your recycling center for disposal advice.)
Although it doesn’t seem evident in advertising, it’s a scientific fact that we must encounter a reasonable number of benign bacterial organisms over the course of a lifetime, otherwise our immune systems would fail to protect us from the big stuff. Cleaning counters and floors with formaldehyde, chloroform and other hazardous waste materials is overkill, and germs aren’t the only living things affected.
The good news is that nature provides alternatives to these chemicals that effectively get the job done without persisting in the environment or (literally) knocking you out.
Plants have a lot to contribute to the party. They offer saponins and other compounds that are sustainable, readily biodegradable alternatives to non-renewable petroleum-based surfactants that won’t harm fish or wildlife. As an added bonus, botanicals won’t remain on clothing like optical brighteners do or hang around to outgas VOCs from the carpet or kitchen counters. Worried about germs? Fear not. Most botanical essential oils possess antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral or antifungal properties — in some cases all of these properties.
REFERENCES *Recipes excertped from The Naturally Clean Home 2nd Edition, ©2008 by Karyn Siegel-Maier with permission from Storey Publishing, LLC.