There is so much information all over the internet on how bad the chemicals are in our home products.  Most of us are realizing we need to make a transition to safe more natural products.  This article is supposed to be the first step in making that transition by giving you a push in the right direction.  Having an Green Cleaning Company, many of my clients began asking me is it really important to use natural products.  I explain to them understanding why it’s important to transition to safe natural products is the first step to detoxifying your home or workspace.  This will give you the knowledge to motivate yourself into and through this process.  These reasons range from heath concerns, to saving the environment, to de-cluttering and giving you a more serein space to live and/or work.  Yet, I am focusing on the health perspective here.

I live in Los Angeles which has worst outdoor air quality in the United States while the EPA states that indoor air quality is 2 to 5 times worse than the outdoor air quality.  For too long, we have ignored this and many recent studies are showing the detriment an unhealthy indoor space has on our personal health.  So, I suggest a transition to natural products is the first step to improving your health and the overall health of your home and/or work area.

The traditional common cleaning items such as hand soaps, all-purpose cleaners, detergents, and degreasing agents contain dangerous chemicals that are contaminating your home and/or workspace.  There is a growing amount of evidence of environmental toxins being a causation for many diseases and disorders in US.  In my opinion our products are not well regulated and that allows for these of toxins to be used and effect our health.  There are also several ways toxic chemicals are put in our products via government loopholes.  One is through the term” Fragrance” which will allow up to 1% of a chemicals to be used and no further information or labeling is required.  We don’t even know what effects these have on us.

We only know a small percentage of chemicals have had testing to determine toxicity but what do toxins do to us.  To begin with toxins damage enzymes and thus undermine countless bodily functions.  Enzymes create chemical reactions that keep the different systems in the body working.  These chemical reactions are catalysts to the body’s mechanisms of operation like breathing, fighting and destroying toxins, building muscle, the production of hemoglobin in the blood, breaking down food particles for digestion, keeping organs healthy and functioning just to name a few important ones.  The poisoning of enzymes effects the function of organs, but toxins can also cause damage to the organs themselves.  This can affect the organ’s ability to work properly. 

Toxins also displace structural minerals resulting in weaker bones this is believed to be a major reason the disease of Osteoporosis is skyrocketing among seniors in the United States.  Another major concern for older individuals is damage to DNA increasing rate of aging and degeneration of the body.  Even with all our modern medical advancements if the body ages faster more physical ailments beset the body. 

Along with this, toxins modify gene expression causing a host of physical problems from birth defects to numerous types of cancers.  There is also damage to cell membranes, so they don’t respond properly, and toxins interfere with hormones causing imbalances.  Finally, toxins impair your ability to detoxify leading to sensitivities, allergies, cancer, birth defects, as well as other health issues.

Now with all this effecting our bodies, there is no government agency that really overlooks and documents the causation of people getting sick from household products.  Since chemicals are not well regulated in homes, we can however look at OSHA studies on chemicals in the workplace.  They estimate that chemicals in the US cause more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths suffered annually by workers.  (This number is derived using the methodology from “Green Chemistry in California: A Framework for Leadership in Chemicals Policy and Innovation, to estimate illness and deaths attributable to workplace chemical exposures.)  Yet many of these same chemicals are in the products we use to clean in our homes.

Now as you’re thinking about some of this it’s scary and you want to know what to do and how to transition to natural products.  The good thing is the chemistry and research used to develop nontoxic products is growing and evolving in all areas of personal products.  We now have options, and it makes it so much easier today.  I have one client who is now in her late 70s but in her 30s suffered from cancer and realized she need to transition to natural products.  At that time very few products existed, she had to do the research and develop her own cleaning and personal products.  Today we can go and buy safe natural products but need to be aware of what is in those products.

Ultimately with this article, I am hoping to sway you to making a change.  I am hoping a bit of data presented here might twist your arm and push your motivation toward finally transitioning you to a healthier way of life.  We all want a better healthier life and making a transition with the way you clean is a great way to start.  If you need help and are in the Los Angeles, you can find us at Naturallygreencleaning.com or if you’re in another are check out https://www.ijcsa.org/Green-Cleaning-Services.