A quick look through the kitchen and laundry room cupboards in most homes reveals an extensive range of chemicals products for every application. These range from laundry detergent and softeners, to kitchen and bathroom cleaning products and a wide range of ‘air-fresheners’ – which, in any case, simply disguise odours by supplying a stronger synthetic chemical odour.

All of these products contain synthetic chemicals, mainly petroleum based hydrocarbons, that can be trouble for everyone, but especially for the chemically sensitive. Arguable the biggest problem for multiple chemicals sensitivity (MCS) sufferers with regards to modern domestic chemical products is that fragrances are added to the vast majority. Fragrances aren’t essential to the action of any cleaning product but it has become a popular way to market products by adding different fragrances to almost anything. This, along with the widespread use of ‘air-fresheners’ means that the air in most houses is heavily polluted with petroleum based chemicals.

The following chemicals, and any other scented or synthetic products should be removed from the home, or at least their use reduced:

· biological washing powders
· air fresheners
· fabric softeners
· window cleaning fluids
· all sprays and aerosols
· perfumed vacuum bags and ‘Shake N Vac’ type products
· detergents
· disinfectants

Unfortunately, only the manufacturers themselves know for sure what is in their products, and they are not legally obliged to reveal their formulas to us, the general public. They are required to label their products with the words “Danger”, “Poison”, “Warning” or “Caution” depending on the amount of the product which needs to be ingested to be life threatening. But they do not need to warn the user of the hidden ingredients which form a less immediate hazard to the user. These include solvents, dyes, fragrances, preservatives and other “inert” ingredients.

You cannot look at a label and be sure, for example, that a certain furniture polish doesn’t contain nitrobenzene (a substance commonly used in furniture polish that could be fatal if swallowed), or that a mould and mildew cleaner is free from pentachlorophenol (another commonly used but deadly chemical),

The neurotoxic effects of common household chemicals are becoming more widely known. Neurotoxins are so called because they are toxic to your nervous system - the core of which is the brain. Hence when the nervous system is damaged the entire body can be affected. The cleaning products may also contain carcinogens, hormone-disrupting chemicals and reproductive toxins.

There are many common symptoms which may be related to exposure to household toxins - headaches, depression and even what may appear to be ordinary flu like symptoms.

But possibly the most disturbing fact about cleaning products is that the chemicals they contain can have devastating effects over time. And that is how, generally, we are exposed to cleaning products - over time, daily for years, perhaps even decades.

Terms used to entice us

Manufacturers and advertisers use a variety of terms to get us to buy their products - and most of the time they are completely meaningless.

Natural
This is a term that is bounced around on products everywhere we look - we feel re-assured about a product if we read that it is 'natural'. However there is no legal definition of what this word means and as far as many manufacturers are concerned 'natural' can mean anything that sells their products.

Natural personal care products need contain only 1% truly natural ingredients to have the word on their labelling. But a product can claim to be natural when what it really contains are 'nature identical' ingredients IE synthetic copies of natural substances.






Mild
Today, we all want products that are 'mild' - they will care for our bodies and environment much better than detergent-based products - won't they? What the manufacturers do is to mix a strong detergent or surfactant such as sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) with a milder detergent and other ingredients that modify the perceived impact on the skin and hair.

Hypoallergenic
Contrary to popular belief, hypoallergenic does not mean allergen free, but simply lower in known allergens! What is worth considering is that hypoallergenic products can still contain substances that may potentially be carcinogenic or harmful to your health.

Fragrance Free
Fragrance allergy is the most common cause of contact dermatitis. Whether you buy fragrance-free products because of a previous reaction or because you want to limit your exposure to fragrances, it's easy to be misled by the manufacturers. Even fragrance-free products can have a recognisable scent. This is because fragrance-free products may contain the raw ingredients of fragrance as they use this to 'mask' the odour of the other chemicals.

Biodegradable
The term biodegradable can be misleading on many levels. It is unlikely that the manufacturers have changed their products because of any ethical or environmental reason - more likely that they have realised using this term sells their products better. Almost any product can claim to be biodegradable as long as it eventually breaks down into constituent parts that are found in nature - even if these constituents are toxic compounds such as mercury!

There is no monitoring of biodegradability - and the EU makes no recommendations as to what ingredients synthetic detergents should contain. Detergent manufacturers basically monitor themselves. This usually means that no mention will be made on the label of colours, perfumes and preservatives - all of which potentially have a more damaging environmental impact once in the waste water system.

Antibacterial
Before you start surrounding yourself with a plethora of anti-bacterial products as yourself - how urgent is your need for special toiletries and cleaning products to wash away dangerous bacteria?

The germs you encounter in your home are unlikely to pose a threat to any member of your family - including babies and children. The chances are that you and they have already built up immunity to them - ask your grand-parents what antibacterial products their parents used and you'll probably find that back then they used little more than soap to keep themselves and their homes clean.

Bacteria are programmed to survive. Throwing antibacterial products at them has been shown to make them stronger not weaker. Hospitals are now facing a growing problem of killing germs in their environment, despite using some of the most powerful antibacterial cleaners in the world - the bacteria has simply increased its immunity to form the worrying superbugs that we now seem to be reading about day after day.

www.theboraxshop.co.uk

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