SUMMARY:
The cleaning products you use can contribute to your family's wellness in a significant way. That's because many of the most prevalent cleaning products use ingredients that can be harmful to your health. The list of harmful ingredients is a long one, but some of the most common include chlorine bleach, quaternary disinfectants, and ammonia.
So, why are these ingredients harmful? Google any one of the 3 ingredients listed above and it won't take long to find some pretty scary side effects caused by each one. In fact, a peer-reviewed 20-year longitudinal study that tracked over 6,000 people who used common household cleaners at least once per week made some eye-opening conclusions, including:
Yikes! So, how do I avoid these ingredients if they are in so many products? Great question! We have pulled together a handy chart which you can access below. It outlines what types of products contain chlorine bleach, quaternary disinfectants, and ammonia, and how those ingredients sometimes appear on a label. And, we have some great news-you won't find harmful ingredients like chlorine bleach, quaternary disinfectants, or ammonia in ANY EcoSense products.
Here's to lessening your family's toxic load!
CHLORINE BLEACH (Primarily found in bathroom, dish, laundry, and all-purpose cleaners). |
QUATERNARY DISINFECTANTS
(Primarily found in disinfecting and all-purpose cleaners). |
AMMONIA (Primarily found in glass cleaners). |
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What are the other names for this? | Sodium hypochlorite | Benzalkonium chloride (BZK, BACs), Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride | Ammonium hydroxide |
What does it do? | Bleaches stains to mask discoloration, but doesn't actually remove the stains. | Kills germs | Evaporative cleaner that cuts through grease |
Why is it unsafe? | Can permanently damage skin, attacks the membranes in your respiratory system, and can create toxic gases when mixed with other cleaning products | Linked to the development of asthma | Can be corrosive to skin, eyes, and lungs; erodes tissue; irritates nose and throat. |
What products is this ingredient in? | Cloroxs® Bleach, Soft Scrubs® with Bleach Cleanser, Lysols® Bleach Multi-Purpose Cleaner | Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, Great Value Disinfecting Spray, Formula 409® All Purpose Antibacterial Cleaner | Windex® Original Glass Cleaner, Glass Plus, Spartan® Glass Cleaner, Lysol® Disinfectant Spray |
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