Go Green With Your Cleaning Routine
- Surviving Breast Cancer
- Aug 7, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 6
Guest Blogger, Katerina Gmitter, Founder of EcoThriver.com
How green and clean is your cleaning routine? Did you know that conventional cleaners can introduce hundreds of chemicals into your home? Did you know that there is no FDA approval needed for many of the chemicals in cleaning products? Due to trade secrets, companies do not need to disclose their full ingredient list. This allows hundreds of chemical compounds to be included in one ingredient, fragrance, or parfum.
Why Does Green Cleaning Matter?
Many cleaning supplies and household products can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, or throat, cause headaches, cancer, and other health problems. Many products contain volatile organic compounds that are harmful when inhaled. This includes air fresheners, fabric softeners, scented laundry detergent, ammonia, and bleach (found in many cleaners, including dishwashing detergents). Did you know there are ingredients used in the U.S. that are banned in European countries due to their toxicity?
The Benefits of Going Green with Cleaning
This January, I celebrate 9 years of cancer survivorship! When our family first decided to go “eco” and “nontoxic,” I was beyond overwhelmed. I just finished treatment, including a double mastectomy and 6 months of chemotherapy. I met with a nutritionist (helpful) and a cancer survivorship “guru” (not helpful) who literally was on my living room floor simulating how to give myself a coffee enema. That is when I delved into my own research on how to eliminate household toxins, live a cleaner and greener life, reduce my personal risk of recurrence, and raise healthier kids.
By going green with your cleaning routine, you are improving your indoor air quality, your health, your lungs, and your energy. Toxins from conventional cleaners (like formaldehyde) get into the air, sit on surfaces (including glassware and dishes), and are absorbed through your skin. Cleaning was actually one of the later healthy changes we made because I felt it was so overwhelming to decide what to choose.
Avoiding Toxic Cleaning Products
I grew up with conventional store-bought cleaners, and their smell told my brain the house was clean. My brain used to recognize the smell of bleach, Windex, and Pledge as “clean."
Now my brain recognizes that clean doesn’t have a scent, and if it does, it is a lingering vinegar scent or the scent of fresh lemons.
How do you start greening your cleaners? Terms like “natural” and “safe” are overused, and greenwashing is a large problem.
Here are some steps to follow:
Read ingredients; if ingredients aren’t listed, do not buy it! Products claim to be safe and natural, and they just aren’t.
Cleaners fall into 3 categories: worst, better, and best. You can use this guide to help you make educated choices.
Avoid fragrance in all your cleaning products (all products really!) If you really want a smell to your products, you can add some lemon essential oil, lavender, or grapefruit.
You can make your own cleaners! Here is a great resource: https://www.womensvoices.org/take-action-with-womens-voices/green-cleaning-parties/green-cleaning-recipes/. Had I known how easy it was to make my own products, I would have started sooner!
My Green Cleaning Arsenal includes white distilled vinegar, peroxide, washing soda, and castile soap. I make a fantastic dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent! Vinegar and water are used to clean my floors, counters, and more. I have started teaching eco-cleaning classes as well! Empowering other women to live a cleaner and greener life is my passion.
The past 9 years of survivorship have brought out the best and worst of life. I have learned that healing is not linear and that small changes can have a large impact. Here's to making at least one small change that may lead to more!
Happy clean and green cleaning!
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