ToT: A Day in the Life

I wish I could tell you what a typical day in our home is like. I wish we had a typical day. In my work, my days are shaped around everyone else's day . . . court, meetings, school, work, you name it. So my best efforts at predictability are thwarted regularly. I wish I could say I was used to it.

Daily Detox: Disinfection

As far as detox goes, a little chlorine bleach or anti-bacterial stuff isn't so bad. Most of it is considered a skin irritant, which we know from winters full of hand sanitizer or scrubbing the bathroom with bleach water. Our hands can dry out and peel like crazy! And of course, when using bleach we have to dilute it and ventilate the area, and it still stings our eyes and burns our lungs. But is that all? What's really at risk when using bleach or other disinfectants?

When looking at triclosan, a popular anti-microbial in many washes and creams, the ladies at No More Dirty Looks report there's no real health benefit to using it unless someone is at risk for certain infections. There's always talk of anti-germ agents creating super-bugs, when the germs adapt and survive anyway. It can disrupt your hormones via thyroid issues, too.

Clorox themselves report bleach as a corrosive, saying in certain concentrations it can damage skin, lungs, eyes, and heart. The generally agreed-upon limit is that bleach is safe for normal use. However, the Material Safety Data Sheet says very plainly that no exposure limit has been established. Meaning, scientifically, no one knows when bleach usage crosses from safe to unsafe. Don't forget, with everyone in your neighborhood using it, it goes into the water supply. Eek.

I'm not a scientist, so this is obviously nowhere near rigorous. Count this as my personal preference. I'll use bleach to disinfect when there has been illness in my home, but that's about it. I use hand sanitizer after playing with some sickly children at work. Other than that, no thanks. It makes me feel weird, and that just doesn't seem good for me, my family, or the environment.

Alternatives? Vinegar! Seriously! It's an acid and it has disinfectant properties. Some people can't handle the smell, but when it dries, the smell is gone. I promise! Also, hydrogen peroxide. 1/2 cup of peroxide mixed with a gallon of water will take care of a household worth of cleaning needs. We love the resultes, and it feels good to know there are very few potentially harmful chemicals in our home.

Remember: BE CAREFUL when mixing any kind of cleaning chemical, natural or not. Make sure you're not making a toxic potion!

Here's my real question. It's pretty easy for me to find safety info on cosmetics. It's pretty easy to find natural cleaning solutions. What I can't seem to find is a solid database of safety info for cleaning products. I have learned not to trust labels or company claims, but where can I go to get unbiased info? Any thoughts?

Squeaky Clean

When people talk about developing renewable energy, it's often about replacing oil-based fuel with something else. Most everyone can agree the oil spill this summer was not ok (understatement of the century), and most everyone would like to keep it from happening again. But it's not only gas that contributes to our need for oil! It's plastic, cleaning products, and even personal care products we use every day. What we purchase directly impacts demand for cheap oil, which directly impacts the length to which companies will go to get it.

Petroleum-based products are just part of the problem with cleaning products. These chemicals can contain harmful odors; some can make us sick if they touch our skin. I've always wondered what we'll come to learn about these products in the future--don't forget, Coca-Cola truly used to contain cocaine! Sometimes it takes awhile to understand the long-term effect of certain chemicals. For those reasons, and many others, we opt for natural cleaning products like the ones found at Ecos. There are all kinds of options out there! Our favorites are formulas we can make ourselves with ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda.

Be careful, though, as vinegar can corrode certain enamels (as we've sadly learned).

What natural cleaning solutions work well for you? What do you recommend to avoid?