Sylvane.com » Indoor Health Matters
The West Australian reports that common household chemicals can damage the lungs of unborn babies and predispose them to childhood asthma.
Professor Peter Sly of the World Health Organization says, “We have evidence that everything from the pesticides used on roses to the bleach in the bathroom impact badly on the developing lungs of unborn babies.” Read more about household chemicals and pregnancy
Laundry detergents are supposed to get clothes clean, right? While detergents clear away soil and stains, too many of them leave behind chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment. Read more about laundry toxins
Are you aware of the dangers lurking in your cabinets? I found an informative list of the most hazardous household chemicals at consumerlawpage.com:
Air Fresheners – Many air fresheners actually release a nerve deadening chemical agent! Others interfere with the ability to smell by coating nasal passages with an oil film. Air fresheners may include formaldehyde, a highly toxic known carcinogen, as well as phenol, an irritant that could lead to death.
Tip: Instead of air fresheners, use odor control air purifiers that will not only deodorize but also clean the air. Read more about hazardous household chemicals
If there’s one cleaning chore that I dislike more than vacuuming, it has to be mopping – at least in the conventional sense of the verb. Traditional mopping involves filling up a bucket with water and spreading chemicals across the floor with a germ-infested mop that you have to wring out with your hands. Yuck!
Now there’s a much more pleasant alternative to traditional mopping: the Bissell Steam Mop. This chemical-free cleaning machine works well on smooth floor surfaces like marble, ceramic, stone, vinyl, laminated, linoleum, and sealed hardwood floors.
Simply fill up the steam mop’s tank with regular tap water, and you’re ready to go. No bucket. No chemical cleaners. The Bissell mop heats up the water in just 30 seconds to produce a steam vapor that’s around 240 degrees Fahrenheit – hot enough to kill bacteria, mold, dust mites, viruses, and other germs on contact. Read more about Bissell steam mops
WebMD recently published the top 10 hideouts for germs in your home – and some of them may surprise you.
1. Kitchen Sponges – A kitchen sponge can carry over 134,000 bacteria per square inch! Most people tend to keep sponges for too long, allowing the bacteria to grow over time. Read more about hidden germs in your home
I’ve always recommended against the use of carpet cleaning with hot water extractors (also known as steam cleaners or carpet shampooers) because most of them leave the carpet damp, setting the stage for mold growth. They can also leave a sticky film on the carpet that just attracts more dirt.
Then I saw the Bissell ProHeat CleanShot deep cleaner. This system works much better than any steam cleaner that you can buy or rent. And, for about the same price as renting one, you can have your own to use whenever you want. (If you have light-colored carpets like I do, a deep cleaner will come in handy quite often!) Read more about Bissell deep carpet cleaners
I first learned of Rachel Carson’s work when I read her book Silent Spring in my high school biology class. The book, published in 1962, shed light on the toxic effects of pesticides on nature, especially birds. Silent Spring inspired many people to join the modern environmental movement. Rachel Carson died of breast cancer less than two years after the publication of Silent Spring.
The Silent Spring Institute was founded in 1993 to investigate links between environmental toxins and women’s health issues – breast cancer in particular.
The Richmond Times Dispatch recently published advice from the Silent Spring Institute about dealing with indoor air contamination.
“It ends up being part of your environment,” says Julia Brody, executive director of the Silent Spring Institute. “You end up breathing it, and it gets on your hands.” Read more about toxic chemical contaminants in your home
If you do an Internet search on how to clean grout, you’ll find all sorts of different methods involving harsh, toxic chemicals. These chemicals not only irritate asthma and allergies, but they also leave behind microorganisms in tiny cracks and crevices.
Vapor steam cleaners spray hot vapor deep inside cracks and indentions to kill all microorganisms – without any chemicals! A steam cleaner works much like an espresso machine; it heats water in a boiler to produce a “dry” steam vapor that dries in seconds. Read more about how to clean grout without chemicals
