Take the TOXICS tour:
Rid your home of hidden toxins by choosing safer alternatives

by Gwen Mergian

Honest Weight shoppers generally know volumes about, and go to considerable lengths to eliminate, chemicals in the foods they eat. Ironically, these same savvy shoppers may be unaware of hazards lurking in conventional cleaning products. More likely than not, conventional cleansers, fresheners, laundry products, drain cleaners, dishwashing detergents, carpet shampoos, floor polishes and the like contain hidden toxins whose longterm health risks have never been evaluated by non-industry regulators.

The EPA estimates that the air in an average American home is two to five times more polluted than the air just outside its walls, largely due to toxic chemicals that evaporate from home decorating or cleaning products.

Product labels don’t offer much in the way of guidance, since companies are not required to disclose “inert” ingredients that can be harmful, as well. To complicate matters further, label information only addresses acute (i.e., immediate) effects and offers no warnings or discussion about long-term health impacts.

Just because a product says it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s nontoxic, according to Jeffrey Hollander, CEO of Seventh Generation cleaning products. That claim, though widely used, is undefined and unregulated. So between the empty claims and nonexistent standards, what’s a concerned consumer to do? Why not reduce risk where you may by educating yourself about the known hazards in common consumer products?

To see what harmful chemicals currently inhabit your kitchen, bathroom and laundry shelves, start by taking the toxics tour. Then make a thoughtful effort to use lesstoxic alternatives or, better still, make your own.

The first stop in detoxifying your home is to get rid of any product you suspect may be hazardous. Look for the words “Warning,” “Danger” or “Poison” on the labels. Secondly, consider eliminating products that are a hazard to the environment, such as phosphates, which cause algae bloom and foam in lakes and streams.

Honest Weight offers an array of safer household products — everything from allpurpose cleansers and laundry powders to stain removers and toilet bowl cleaners. All of our household products contain vegetable-based rather than petroleumbased ingredients, reports membership coordinator Nate Horwitz. Additionally, the Coop does not carry products that contain chlorine bleach. A common disinfectant, chlorine is highly caustic, which means it can burn skin and eyes and can be fatal if swallowed.

In the environment, chlorine bleach can create organochlorines, which are suspected carcinogens as well as neurological and reproductive toxins. Oxygen bleach, made by combining natural soda ash with oxygen, offers an effective alternative. “We recommend products that are chlorine and phosphate free, ones made without synthetic fragrances and dyes,” says Kathleen Boehning, health and body aids department head. Fragrances can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, and asthma.

Kathleen says her favorite brands in the household products aisle are Bi-O-Kleen and TreeLife. Bi-O-Kleen laundry products are very concentrated she noted, and contain grapefruit seed extract and orange peel extract. Grapefruit seed extract, which kills mold and bacteria, works well as a disinfecting agent in a variety of household products. In addition, orange peel is a natural grease buster. “It takes an oil to cut an oil,” she pointed out.

TreeLife’s all-purpose spray cleaner, with tea tree oil and lavender, also gets high marks from Kathleen. “I found this great for cutting mildew in the shower.” Susan Wheeler, the Coop’s herb buyer, especially recommends Bi-O-Kleen’s Bac- Out, a stain and odor eliminator. “I have a toddler, so it really does a good job.”

Susan says the amount of suds is one key difference between conventional and natural products. “You’ll find you don’t get as much suds from these products,” she says. “People might be inclined to use morebubbles equals clean- but you don’t really need more. You just need to watch the action it accomplishes.”

Nate, however, doesn’t have a favorite product or brand. “I feel that all the household products here are good. Literally, I use whatever’s on sale.”

Even with plenty of less-toxic alternatives readily available, some consumers still prefer the old adage, “Less is more.” In this case, more means getting back to basics and making your own homemade cleaners. Annie Berthold-Bond, in her book Better Basics for the Home, admits that it takes time to learn the basics about using less toxic ingredients. But after that, she says, it takes no more time to pick up a bottle of homemade cleanser than it does one that is store bought. “Many of the recipes take literally seconds to whip together,” she says. “You don’t need much more than a few essential oils, white distilled vinegar, soap and baking soda to clean and care for your house with great success.”

Whether homemade or store bought, less-toxic alternatives exist for nearly every cleaning need around the home. And since Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, it only makes sense to make the home environment as healthy as possible. Touring their home with an eye for harmful ingredients may also help consumers distinguish between what they really do need, and what may be “luxuries” that could compromise their families’ health.

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