Many traditional household cleaning products contain hazardous chemicals. This is common knowledge; we all know that we should not drink the Bleach. We also know to hold our noses when we use some cleaning products and avoid getting drain cleaner on our bare skin. But did you know that even long after you can longer smell the chemicals in the air, you may still be inhaling them? And that long-term, regular exposure to even small amounts of these chemicals in the air could make you sick? If you feel ‘a bit off’ a lot of the time (and who doesn’t these days?), consider the following:
Some of the most common harmful substances found cleaning products:
There are many chemicals in cleaning products that could impact on your health. The following are just some of them:
- Ammonia: main ingredient in all-purpose cleaners
- Sodium hydroxide: bleach, detergents and drain cleaners
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): contained in many home cleaning products. These are the most dangerous. They vaporise easily at room temperature and are invisible, if not always odorless. An example is formaldehyde.
The impact of cleaning product chemicals on your health:
Impact depends on susceptibility (e.g. asthmatics will be more prone to react to aerosol compounds), frequency of use, ventilation etc. However, over time, many people will experience at least some of the following allergy-type symptoms:
- Itchy, red eyes
- Stuffy noses and sneezing
- Rashes
- Tight chest / shortness of breath
- Coughing
- Dizziness and lack of co-ordination
- Tiredness and depression
That ‘common cold’ you keep getting might just be thanks to all the cleaning products under the sink!
In severe cases, these chemicals can cause:
- Asthma attacks
- Nosebleeds
- Dermatitis
- Chronic Eczema
- May cause Cancer
- VOCs can build up in your liver and kidneys
However, there are now many eco-friendly cleaning products on the market that are health-friendly too. Free of the caustic substances and solvents that can cause irritation, and the VOCs that can build up in your system over the long term, but no less effective as cleaning agents.
BlueStream specialises in finding environmentally acceptable solutions to all oil, diesel, petroleum, grease and fat problems.
