The purpose of cleaning is to reduce dirt, dust, bacteria and moulds from surfaces. Unfortunately modern societies have developed a cleanliness and germ hating obsession which has lead to the development of ever more powerful cleaning agents.

The average household now has under its kitchen sinks and in its laundry cupboards, a collection of synthetic chemicals that would only have been found in a laboratory 50 years ago.

These chemicals are not just toxic if we accidentally eat or drink them. The volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) contained in them enter our indoor air and then our lungs as we use them, and many are other ingredients easily absorbed by the skin. They also indirectly affect our long-term health when they pollute our waterways.

There is a plethora of harmful ingredients that we are exposed to every day. These include:

• Petroleum based detergents
• Solvents
• Optical Brighteners
• Synthetic fragrances
• Chlorine bleaches & compounds
• Phosphates
• Fluoride
• Ammonia
• Phenol/Phenyl (Carbolic acid)
• Glycol
• Formaldehyde
• NTA
• Caustics
• EDTA

The health hazards surrounding these substances have been well documented, and include long and short-term effects. They range from skin and eye irritation, to nausea and vomiting, allergies, brain and nervous system damage, lung irritation, interference with fertility and birth defects, headaches and cancer, to name a few.

Environmental health is affected in as many ways, and animals can reap the same harvest as humans in this regard. Water quality and plant health is dramatically affected, as are beneficial microbe levels in waterways which help to keep the water ecology intact.

An Australian study conducted at Lanfax Laboratories in Armidale, NSW, revealed a new concern with sodium salt content in laundry detergents. The rather high levels of sodium, in laundry powders especially, can have a negative impact on the health of garden plants and soil in grey-water recycling systems, and also further down the chain in waterways when water is not recycled. It was found that laundry powders had 10 to 20 times the levels of sodium than liquids. Excess salt in natural systems is highly toxic to plant and animal life, as can be seen in a devastating way in the Murray River Basin.

Cleaning Alternatives

Any substance that is washed into our sewerage system is going to have an impact on any life that comes into contact with it. It is our responsibility to ensure that the harm caused by our actions is minimised. Indeed, a re-evaluation of the necessity for obsessive cleanliness should be engaged in by every consumer, striving for as natural a balance within our homes as possible. Using products made from plant derived ingredients and non-toxic cleaners can help with this balance, as can the use of alternative cleaning techniques.

We stock a wide range of cleaning alternatives, also available in bulk dispensers so you can refill your own containers.