In an attempt to rid your home of dirt during the spring cleaning ritual, are you also spreading toxins, spraying carcinogens and sprinkling hazardous materials?
Before you reach for that tried-and-true cleanser, experts suggest checking the label for toxic ingredients.
Tonja Reichley is an herbalist and Denver retailer who teaches natural-cleaning classes. She is among the “green” devotees advocating that Americans ditch toxic household cleaners in favor of healthier, homemade solutions composed of vinegar, essential oils and baking soda.
“Most people don’t realize how toxic cleaning products can be,” Reichley says. “Making your own natural products is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and the environment.”
Don’t be fooled by pleasant aromas and simple recipes, adds the owner of MoonDance Botanicals. Nontoxic ingredients may smell flowery but Reichley says they pack a powerful cleaning punch: distilled white vinegar kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of viruses. What’s more, the University of Minnesota recently published an article citing the strength of anti-microbial essential oils against viral, bacterial and fungal microorganisms.
Donna Salzmann works at Craig Hospital and tries to keep chemicals to a minimum in her home. The pending birth of her first grandchild prompted Salzmann to attend a class on natural cleansers at MoonDance Botanicals.
“I just want to make sure that everything is safe,” she says.
Marcy Humphrey is in a similar boat. With her first child due in July, she is more sensitive to what she describes as the overpowering smell of commercial cleansers.
During the MoonDance Botanicals classes, small groups pour vinegar into jars and dip measuring spoons into industrial-size boxes of baking soda. They also pass around small bottles of bergamot, lavender and sweet orange essential oils.
Reichley says homemade disinfectants jump-start energy levels and cost less than commercial brands. Lemon, bergamot and grapefruit essential oils energize and revitalize while lavender can soothe and calm the body and mind.
Melissa McCorkle regularly attends classes at MoonDance Botanicals. She intends to use all 10 of the recipes she took home from the $20 natural cleaning class. “I was surprised to find out how many everyday cleaners were toxic and the percentages of toxins in them!” she says.
Even the term “natural” has become diluted, Reichley adds. Many cleansers marketed as such contain carcinogens and petroleum-based products that can zap energy levels, tax immune systems and cause serious health problems.
“Only when you make it (yourself) is it totally natural,” Reichley says.
Suzanne Wuerthele agrees.
“Many cleaning products claim to be green or natural, and they’re not,” says the Environmental Protection Agency toxicologist. Wuerthele recently discovered that her office was being cleaned with a “natural” product containing 2-dutoxyethanol, a toxin shown to harm reproductive organs. A savvy consumer, Wuerthele was not surprised to find toxins in the cleanser, but asked the EPA to stop using the product.
“There’s an expectation that everything you buy is safe, and that’s just not how it works,” she says. Wuerthele adds that government agencies do not regulate the safety of household cleaners.
Ed Kang with the Consumer Product Safety Commission says cleaning chemicals are often deemed a necessary evil. The commission ensures that labels educate and inform consumers about how to use products safely, but it does not regulate ingredients.
“Green” spring cleaning classes
Concerned about the health effects of chemical-based cleansers?
Consider attending:
MoonDance Botanicals
307 W. 11th Ave., Denver; 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cost: $20. Registration required; Call 303-263-7275.
Ross-Cherry Creek Branch Library
305 Milwaukee St.
(at E. Third Ave.), Denver; 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Part of the Denver Public Library’s Fresh Life Series. No charge.
Register by calling 720-865-1206
Fancy Tiger
1 S. Broadway, Denver; 4:30-6 p.m. April 14. Cost: $25. Register by calling 303-733-3855.
Sparkling Glass Cleaner
Try this recipe for all-natural glass cleaner for windows, devised by Tonja Reichley of MoonDance Botanicals.
Ingredients
K cup of white distilled vinegar
4 cups of water
10 drops of essential oil (optional)
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before using.
-Heather Grimshaw
