It’s that time of year again when we close the windows and doors in an effort to keep the cold weather out, in doing so we trap the inside air...well, in. We should make a conscious effort to keep our inside air fresh and clean so that we can enjoy the winter without illness and exposure to toxic elements from air fresheners, candles and cleaners.
According to the Guide to Less Toxic Products on www.lesstoxicguide.ca, on a typical cleaning day in a typical Canadian home, levels of chemicals in the indoor air can be hundreds, even thousands of times higher than the outdoor air in the most polluted of cities. Yuck right, I know I prefer fresh clean healthy air when I breathe.

Some of the toxins that we may be exposed to are:
Acetone: found in spot and scuff removers
Bleach: very common and found in a wide range of cleaning products
Formaldehyde: used in a wide range of products including furniture polish
Methyl Chloride: used in stain removers
Parabens: used in products as a preservative
Phosphoric Acid: found in liquid dishwasher detergent, metal polishes, some disinfectants and bathroom cleaners

You can read the complete list and the damage these chemicals can cause at the website listed above. There was a time when convenient cleaners did not exist and households were still clean. If you could clean your house just as well without the chemicals and also create less packaging waste why wouldn’t you. I myself have gotten into the way of chemical free cleaning and I don’t find it any more work than it was when I used the magical do-all cleaners and it is always less traumatic to my skin and lungs.

Here are a few tips that you can use to get you on a path to healthier cleaning and indoor air.
Borax is a natural mineral and can be used in many ways to clean and disinfect your home. Mix it in a spray bottle with warm water for a multi-purpose cleaner in the kitchen and bathroom. On tough tub clean-up pour borax straight up onto a wet tub, let it sit for a few minutes then wipe away with a rag; also great for the toilet bowl. Vinegar and baking soda have many uses and are cheap and easy to find.
You can mix vinegar and baking soda to create a bathroom cleaner or drain cleaner, vinegar on its own as a degreaser and disinfectant. To freshen the kitchen or bathroom during cleaning add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to a mix of warm water, vinegar and baking soda, use this to clean the sink, tiles and counter top.
Boxes of baking soda can be left open around the house as well as the refrigerator to remove odours from the air naturally.
There are many tips available on the Internet for natural household cleaning tasks from furniture polish to paint removers. Find your favourites and get rid of the toxic mess in your cleaning cupboard.