Facts about dirt, germs, and cleaners-
Everyone is so afraid of dirt and germs. The dirtiest place in the house is generally door knobs. Second is your tooth brush. Other than that we are looking at cutting boards and sponges only. The rest of the house is generally fine.
The EPA has proven that homemade cleaners with essential pine oil (a potent anti-microbial) kill germs as well as commercial cleaners. Alcohol may be toxic in the bottle, but once it evaporates, it leaves zero residue, and no traceable particles in the air.
Tests from The Good Housekeeping Institute (and verified by UC Berkley) show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar—such as you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). It is extremely acidic. It isn’t allowed to be advertised as such b/c companies would have to register it with the epa as a pesticide.
A study published recently by Tufts University Medical School in Boston indicates that antibacterial soaps and antibacterial-coated products may contribute to the increase of antibiotic resistance in the community. It is possible that these substances could encourage bacteria to mutate in ways that make them resistant to antibacterial products, including antibiotics.
And, what about the idea that people who sanitize their homes don’t get sick less that those who don’t?
In a study at Columbia University involving 238 families, those who used only antibacterial cleaners for about a year were just as likely to get fevers, sniffles, sore throats, coughs, rashes and stomach problems as those who used standard cleaners.
Most germ killing products have a minimum contact time for them to sanitize or disinfect. I read my Clorox Disinfecting wipes. The directions say that in order to sanitize, the surface must stay wet for one minute,. for disinfection, FIVE minutes. So, if you are just running one over surfaces to kill germs, then you are SOL (shit out of luck.)
Another glitch: viruses, which remain untouched by antibacterial products, cause colds, stomach bugs, and flu.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the best method for getting rid of germs and preventing contamination is to wash your hands frequently with regular soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds.
In addition, if you spent only five dollars per week on cleaning solutions, that is about $250.00 PER YEAR. Yikes.
Last night, I timed how long it took me to create a bottle of non-toxic, anti-bacterial, natural cleaner. It took less than one minute. And it cost about three cents.
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A Few References
Here is a reference article put out by our very own CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm
The American Medical Association's Position: http://www.mercola.com/2000/jun/17/anti_bacterial_soap.htm
Volatile Organic Compounds: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
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Here are my tips and hints for cleaning in a more enviromentally friendly way:
1. Buy environmentally friendly cleaners whenever possible.
Especially important are dish detergents and clothing detergents.
Target sells a great brand called Method that is affordable and safe. http://www.methodhome.com/cleaners.html
Seventh Generation is also good. I buy this at my local grocery store. http://www.seventhgeneration.com/
Is money an issue? No problem!!! Make your own cleaners to save your health, the environment and $$$$.
http://www.naturodoc.com/library/lifestyle/cleaner.htm http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/01500631.html
Time and money an issue? Don't want to spend time making all of those cleaners??
All purpose cleaning: I use dish soap and water on a thin sponge. I clean everything with this!!! Ivory is a great dish soap that is cheap and enviro friendly!!
Abrasive Cleaner: Use baking soda on a damp sponge Toilets: Use about 1 cup of borax or washing soda, swish, and soak overnight. Tubs: Wet tub down. Sprinkle with washing soda, scrub, wash off with hot water.
2. If you still feel the need to disinfect , how about cleaning with environmentally friendly products, then disinfecting by wiping with a DISINFECTING WIPE to kill germs? With wipes, you prevent spraying of products into the air and the harmful inhalation that comes with that. . You are simply using the wipes to kill germs only. You can use one wipe to disinfect a much larger area than if you were cleaning with it as well.
3. How about combination cleaning? Clean ONLY your dirtiest household surfaces with disinfectants, and use enviro friendly cleaners on the rest! 4. Use vinegar to disinfect. Vinegar (as well as lemon juice) are so highly acidic that used straight virtually no germ can survive exposure to them. It disrupts the PH balance and does the buggies in. Distilled vinegar has a less offensive odor:
http://www.versatilevinegar.org/
http://forest.fireshui.com/cleaning/vinegar.html
http://womencentral.net/budget-household.html
Vinegar is especially powerful when mixed with salt. Use 1 cup straight vinegar with 1tsp. salt mixed in. You can add essential oils to help with the smell.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9209127&dopt=Abstract
Mixing Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide works wonders too! Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, worked out the recipe for just such a sanitizing combo. All you need is three percent hydrogen peroxide, the same strength available at the drug store for gargling or disinfecting wounds, and plain white or apple cider vinegar, and a pair of brand new clean sprayers, like the kind you use to dampen laundry before ironing. If you're cleaning vegetables or fruit, just spritz them well first with both the vinegar and the hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse them off under running water. It doesn't matter which you use first - you can spray with the vinegar then the hydrogen peroxide, or with the hydrogen peroxide followed by the vinegar. You won't get any lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and neither is toxic to you if a small amount remains on the produce. As a bonus: The paired sprays work exceptionally well in sanitizing counters and other food preparation surfaces -- including wood cutting boards. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner. The best results came from using one mist right after the other - it is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer.
5. DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR SPONGES!!! Not only is it expensive, but also bad for the environment. To keep your sponges healthy and clean. You can wring them out well and place them in the top rack of your dishwasher each time you wash. You can also fill a sponge with water and microwave it for three minutes on high. Allow it to cool off before handling. Also, choose the thinnest sponges possible, and wring them out and dry them between uses.
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