Cleaning products

[marti]

Have you ever wondered about the cleaning products you use every day? I can't count the times I made a mistake when using bleach and inhaled the fumes and then got scared about what it was doing to me.

I'm looking into "natural" products and wondered if anyone had any information.

[Dale76]

Have you ever wondered about the cleaning products you use every day? I can't count the times I made a mistake when using bleach and inhaled the fumes and then got scared about what it was doing to me.

I'm looking into "natural" products and wondered if anyone had any information.

I used to do some commercial cleaning and found Dustbane to be a good brand for safe cleaners. They really only sell commercial products however. There should be green products available at any janitorial supply as a lot of companys will only use green products.

[marti]

If I can expand on this subject a little......

What do you know about things like Scentsy or scented candles? It seems like there are toxins in everything we use from food to fabric.

Kind of makes me wonder about the cause of MS etc. Although I know MS has been around longer than scented candles! I'm sure every generation has had it's "triggers".

I'd just like to hear your experiences with these things and your opinions.

[Mamabug]

My daughter tends to have sensitive skin. She also has eczema. She has found that homemade cleaning products, including shampoo and laundry detergent do the trick for her. They use natural ingredients that can usually be found in a grocery store.

The bonus, she says, is that her homemade products are also much less expensive than store-bought.

[hunterd]

my mom can`t use scented toilet paper or tissues. dyes are a no no too.

[dyin_myelin]

I use natural products, and I wouldn't worry about mainstream cleaners triggering MS-I've used such naturally-based products all my life, drank water out of glass bottles to avoid bisphenol-A, worn only natural fiber clothing, avoided make-up, etc. Anyway major suppliers are Seventh Generation and Ecover. SG quick clean wipes smell just about as bad as any oil refinery or landfill, but I like all their other products.

If you search around many natural products like Nature's Gate are on Amazon, and you can qualify for free shipping if you choose certain vendors and meet a minimum order amount. I never thought I'd have lotion shipped to my house and used to like to run out to Whole Foods, but I don't think twice about it anymore.

[marti]

So do you guys think there's any connection between these store brand products and our illnesses? I can't imagine there is, but it makes you wonder.

I've read some pretty scary stuff about scented candles and the bars they use in the heated things. In fact I read that room deodorizers are especially dangerous.

I guess if that is the case, we've all been poisoning ourselves with perfumes, hair dyes, Lysol, wipes, seasoning packets etc. Is anything safe??

Sorry, I'm becoming OCD! Always looking for answers.

[palmtree]

I'm extremely chemically sensitive. Nothing with a scent, no soaps, no detergents. I have to have special hypoallergenic everything.

You have to be careful about some of those 'natural' products. Many contain harmful chemicals. I wonder about the ones that say no animal testing. If it's too dangerous for animals, what are they doing selling it to humans? I really think the overload of chemical products has harmed our immune systems.

[marti]

I'm extremely chemically sensitive. Nothing with a scent, no soaps, no detergents. I have to have special hypoallergenic everything.

You have to be careful about some of those 'natural' products. Many contain harmful chemicals. I wonder about the ones that say no animal testing. If it's too dangerous for animals, what are they doing selling it to humans? I really think the overload of chemical products has harmed our immune systems.

Thank you. So how do we know what's harmful or dangerous? Do you happen to know which products are actually safe?

[ru4cats]

A long time ago, I discovered cleaning products from "The Clean Team", and I have used them ever since. The Red Juice and Blue Juice have no scent at all and are environmentally friendly. You can purchase a large bottle of concentrate and make your own. When you do this, they are incredibly inexpensive. The company is located on the web, and I can highly recommend the company.

[Cat Mom]

I had my first child at 21 (27 years ago) so I'm blaming my youth for doing this! Thought you'd get a kick out of it...

When I was potty training her I nearly killed her! I took her to the doc for severe drowsiness, especially after sitting on the potty. Long story short, it ended up being the touch of bleach I put in it after dumping her pee out and giving a wee rinse. The ammonia in her pee, mixed with the bleach... you know the rest!

Scents can be dangerous, especially when chemistry is added. Be careful if you're prone to being affected by certain smells!
Jen

[msgijo]

I had my first child at 21 (27 years ago) so I'm blaming my youth for doing this! Thought you'd get a kick out of it...

When I was potty training her I nearly killed her! I took her to the doc for severe drowsiness, especially after sitting on the potty. Long story short, it ended up being the touch of bleach I put in it after dumping her pee out and giving a wee rinse. The ammonia in her pee, mixed with the bleach... you know the rest!

Jen

OMG! no wonder she was so hard to potty train!

Thanks for the laugh. I am trying to remember - this sounds like something that I would have done ....

[palmtree]

That's a good question. How do you know if a product is safe?

I've had to do this by trial and error. If my body reacts to it I throw it out. Very expensive condition.

A few things I've learned that might help. Anything with a fragrance should be avoided. Palm oil based soaps seem to be the best for me. Avoid anything with sodium laurel sulfate. If you look on the labels of all shampoos and toothpastes they have that in it. Powdered laundry soaps are particularly harmful.

Here's a list of products I've had good luck with.

Toothpaste-Biotene
Shampoo-don't use it
Hair conditioner-Cleure or Vanicream
Body lotion-Vanicream
Dish soap-palm oil based Trader Joes
Body soap-Neutrogena, use very little
Hand soap- dish soap
Face creams-Physicians Formula
Hand cream- Palmers Cocoa Butter

Delicate laundry-Planet
Washing machine-Sun and Earth Citrus Power
Trash bags-Seventh Generation (yes ordinary trash bags have perfume in them)

I hope this helps.