Clean Less - Live Longer
An article from Sustainable Wells ‘A Year of Living Sustainably’ - written by Den Carter about Cleaning Less.
I'm sure lots of us were raised to believe cleanliness is next to godliness which may beg the question of whether God holds shares in Lever Brothers? As a former health professional specialising in preventative medicine and public health I'm going to tell you that cleaning - and the materials we use to do it - is not only bad for the environment but is also bad for us.
There are numerous clinical studies linking the products most people use on a daily basis containing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) to serious health risks.
For example, did you know that air fresheners emit over 100 chemicals, including VOCs such as formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes — some of which are associated with different types of cancer in high doses and can increase diarrhoea, earaches and other symptoms in babies and headaches and depression in mothers. Read More
Or that cleaning materials used in the home around birth increase a child's risk of asthma and persistent wheezing by 41%? A recent large Norwegian study found that women exposed regularly to cleaning materials showed lung damage equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day......Read More
There are many more statistics I could scare you with but let's look at solving the problem instead. Your home probably needs a lot less cleaning than you think and I know I said no more problems, but I really should mention that the bacteria being wiped out by VOCs includes many probiotics which we actually need - not having them can weaken our immune systems. Read More
I would strongly urge you to abandon products you may have in your home and switch to other methods but start with cleaning less often. Other options include:
Opening windows has lots of advantages and is free.
Using natural products which you can make cuts down on toxic chemicals, spending and plastic.
Damp dust rather than spray anything.
Use baking soda mixed with warm water and a drop of essential oil for general cleaning.
If you need more oomph, mix baking soda and white vinegar - though only as much as you need for the task at hand as storing these together can cause an explosive reaction.
Avoid vinegar on marble or granite surfaces as it can be corrosive.
Natural beeswax if you polish furniture (never an aerosol - they have many issues!)
White vinegar is a great cleanser cutting grease, inhibiting mould growth and reducing scale or scum. Salt and vinegar is not just for chips - it will also scour away crusty bits from burnt or rusty things.
Make your own soap powder, it's easy, cheap and way better for the environment. There are lots of natural alternatives so please do use them.
I will leave the last word to Dr. Alex Farrow who produced the asthma in babies paper for The Children of the 90s longitudinal study but also expressed concerns for elderly people on whom this combined chemical load can have negative effects (at each end of our lives we spend around 80% of our time indoors). His professional conclusion on air fresheners was "Squeezing a lemon is just as effective"
So let's do less cleaning, stay much healthier and save the odd lemon from our G & Ts to keep our homes safe and fragrant!