Give your home a green clean
Ever wondered what’s actually in all those cleaning products you use to keep your house fresh? We speak to the founders of green company method about why going natural in the house could help save your health and the planet
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NEXT time you are in your kitchen, take a deep breath and have a look around. If you have recently given the nucleus of the house a summer-inspired clean – a nice scrub down of the sink, an anti-bacterial wipe-down of your kitchen tops, a sprinkling of bleach to keep your porcelain white – you might be feeling smug, but you’ll probably be surprised to learn that your house isn’t actually clean.
In fact, the air in it is about two to five times more polluted than the air outside – due entirely to the amount of chemicals in your everyday cleaning products.
While a recent report found that Britain is the dirtiest country in the developed world – just behind India and Malaysia in terms of household cleanliness – Britain also has the highest rates of asthma worldwide.
Many scientists believe that indoor household chemicals are to blame, at least in part, for the increase in chronic illnesses such as asthma (which has increased fourfold since the 1970s), cancer, fertility difficulties and neurodevelopmental problems in children.
Why? Because all those bleaches, disinfectants, air fresheners and aerosols that you use to keep your home squeaky clean all have a slew of ingredients you probably know nothing about – and many of them are now known to be incredibly toxic to both humans and the environment.
THE CHEMICAL CRUNCH
“People have absolutely no idea of the number of chemicals they’re exposed to every day,” says Elizabeth Salter Green, author of The Toxic Consumer and founder of CHEM Trust, a charity devoted to protecting people and the environment from harmful chemicals.
“We just assume that, living in a highly developed Western society, all these chemicals have been tested for their toxicity and effects on neurodevelopment and fertility. But they haven’t: 99% of the 10,000 chemicals in everyday trade don’t have adequate health and safety testing data.”
Adam Lowry, co-founder of eco-friendly cleaning brand method, calls the ingredients in everyday household products “bio-terrorists” and steers clear of them.
“You buy organic food to keep pesticides out of your body,” says Adam, whose book, Squeaky Green: The method Guide To Detoxing Your Home, looks at going natural with your domestic chores.
“But then you spray pesticides all over the kitchen to clean it. That can’t be good.”
So what’s in all those products?
BLEACH
Chlorine bleach is a common one that we use, usually holding our breath, to clean the really dirty areas of our home. But it’s a pesticide that needs at least 30 minutes of contact time to kill bacteria.
It poisons more children worldwide than any other chemical, says Adam, and has detrimental effects on the environment.
“The chlorine in bleach reacts with stuff when you wash it down the drain, and creates consistent chemicals that gather in your fat cells,” explains the environmental scientist.
“Basically, whatever you put down the drain ends up in your drinking water, so as you drink more water, you get a higher concentration in your body. It ends up in our fish and in plants, which we eat, too.”
Plus, it stinks. Chlorine bleach is a caustic element that’s dangerous to your skin and to the environment. If you’re keen on keeping your toilet and sinks clean, you can try a non-toxic, concentrated, biodegradable unchlorinated bleach such as Ecover’s Toilet Cleaner or method’s Bowl Patrol, a lactic-acid based non-toxic mix.
Or, if you prefer an all-natural clean, try this tip from Anna Shepard, The Times’ Eco Worrier and author of eco-guide How Green Are My Wellies?.
“As often as you remember, pour an eggcup of vinegar down the loo to prevent limescale,” she suggests.
“If it builds up, scoop out all the water and scrub at the limescale with undiluted vinegar, and a sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda if it’s really tough.”
TRICLOSAN
An anti-bacterial agent, triclosan has been registered as a pesticide by the US Environment Protection Agency, and in the UK, there are fears that its use is helping spread the occurrence of superbugs such as MRSA.
“Triclosan is in nearly everything,” says Elizabeth.
“It’s in handwashes, washing-up liquids, detergents, deodorants, chopping boards, bin bags and toothpaste. It’s an anti-bacterial that is a relatively new chemical, so we don’t know much about it yet, but we do know it doesn’t break down into the environment very well.”
“Triclosan is particularly pernicious,” agrees Adam.
“It accumulates in your fatty tissues and is believed to interfere with normal thyroid hormone function, disrupting your immune and reproductive systems.”
Want to get rid of triclosan? Ditch your cleaning products and deodorants for the natural variety, or look for conventional products that don’t have triclosan in them.
This might be harder to do with toothpaste, so try a health-food store for a natural one such as Kingfisher.
Adam suggests using your old toothpaste (if it’s the white, creamy variety) to buff your CDs and DVDs clean by wiping them from the centre out (not around and around) and rinsing with water. You’ll discover your old Crest is remarkably good at stopping CDs from skipping, too.
SYNTHETIC MUSKS (PARFUM)
“The only natural musk in the world comes from a deer that lives in the foothills of the Himalayas,” says Elizabeth.
“Everything else has a synthetic fragrance – your shampoo that smells like flowers, the floor polish that smells like lemon, the washing powder that smells of lavender.
“Parfum has a hormone-disrupting capability and has caused breast cancer cells to proliferate,” she adds.
“The idea is that you inhale it, it goes into your body and accumulates, and ends up being passed on to your unborn child.”
Finding products without parfum is a bit difficult, but not as hard as it seems. Opt for washing powders that are fragrance-free.
Natural shampoos, conditioners, lotions and creams usually come parfum-free, and products with the highest content of parfum – perfume – can be purchased from places such as Diptyque or L’Artisan Parfumeur, where only essential oils and not synthetic ingredients are used, says Shepard.
SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS)
SLS has received a bit of bad press lately, with reports that it is carcinogenic, a skin allergen and a possible cause of eczema and dermatitis. But both Elizabeth and Adam think that, in small quantities, SLS is OK.
“SLS is a degreaser in soaps, shampoos and cleaning products that’s used, in its undiluted form, as an engine degreaser in garages,” explains Elizabeth.
“It’s watered down extensively in cleansers, and while I wouldn’t want to put it on my children’s skin, there’s no proof that says it’s a hormone disrupter, toxic or dangerous. But it can exacerbate dryness in sensitive skin, so that’s why I don’t like it.”
Adam says: “SLS is a safe ingredient and has not been classified as a known, probable or even suspected carcinogen by either the International Agency for Research on Cancer or the American Cancer Society.
“It can be a moderate skin and eye irritant when used in high concentrations and unbuffered, but method only uses SLS in its formulations at sufficiently low concentrations so that any irritation concern is irrelevant.”
If you’re worried about SLS, detergents, cleansers and shampoos from health-food stores are often SLS-free – but they tend not to foam as well.
SOURCING ECO SCOURERS
Interested in finding out where you can buy method’s non-toxic, biodegradable, naturally derived and never-tested-on-animals products? They are now available at Sainsbury’s, Boots, Tesco, John Lewis, Waitrose, Ocado.com, Co-op, Selfridges and Whole Foods, with prices from £1.75. See www.methodproducts.co.uk for more information.
Ecover is available in selected ranges in all major supermarkets and the full range in all good, independent health-food stores. For stockists information, visit www.ecover.com
For more information on L’Artisan Parfumeur, visit www.artisanparfumeur.com
For details about Diptyque, visit www.diptyqueparis.com
Squeaky Green, by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, is published by Chronicle Books, priced £9.99. Available July 28.
How Green Are My Wellies?, by Anna Shepard, is published by Eden Project Books, priced £16.99. Available now.
