Most of us know that bleach is incredibly toxic to our families and our environment.
Used primarily in household laundry, cleaning and disinfecting, bleach contains a chemical called sodium hypochlorite. If bleach spills on your hands, your skin can become red and irritated. Exposure to the chlorine vapors that bleach gives off can result in irritation to your eyes and burning in the lining of your mouth and throat. If you ingest bleach, it might burn the lining of your throat. While ingestion is not fatal, it can still cause prolonged bouts of nausea and vomiting.
And although bleach is toxic, it is still the chemical of choice for whiter whites.
Luckily there are alternatives that are much safer to use:
- Use 3% hydrogen peroxide for cleaning and laundry stains.
- To whiten clothes, add one cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle to boost the whitening action.
- To remove stains from clothing, pour lemon juice over the stain, rub the area with salt, place the clothing in the sun for a few hours, then wash.
- To remove stains from countertops and other hard surfaces, create a paste of lemon juice and baking soda, apply mixture to the stain and allow to sit for a few hours. Wipe clean. Some stains may require a second treatment.
Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about our environment and the health of you and your family. For more information on healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com and maidbrigade.com. Watch our video on achieving work/life balance at greencleancertified.com/greentv. To learn more about the hidden allergy and asthma triggers in your home, log on to greencleancertified.com/greentv.
For more information on cleaning products and breast cancer, please watch our video at maidbrigade.com. To find out ways to protect your family’s health against breast cancer, please log on to greencleancertified.com.