Have you ever considered cleaning your home dangerous?
Cleaning your home may seem safe enough until you consider what many toxic cleaning products are doing to your lungs. As reported by news outlets around the world, a new 20-year independent study finds that using national brand cleaners as little as once a week is as damaging to lung capacity as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years!
Facts About the Study
- Completely independent
- 20-year longitudinal study
- 6,235 male and female subjects
- Average age 34 at beginning of study; 54 at conclusion
- Monitored the use of spray and liquid home cleaning products
- Lung capacity tested regularly by breathing into a spirometer
- Results compiled by 28 top researchers from 9 countries
- Peer reviewed and published in the American Thoracic Society’s
- American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
The Chemical Aisle
Most of the companies that manufacture the national brand cleaners knowingly choose to formulate with dangerous chemicals. According to the study, some of the likely culprits are ammonia, chlorine bleach, and quaternary disinfectant compounds. See which national brands use these and other dangerous chemicals:
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Chlorine Bleach
- Clorox Bathroom Cleaner with Bleach
- Kaboom Mold and Mildew Stain Remover
- Clorox Clean-Up All Purpose Cleaner
- Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bleach Bathroom Cleaner
- Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Kaboom Shower, Tub & Tile
- Great Value All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach
- Scrubbing Bubbles Multi Surface Bathroom Cleaner
- Redi Shine Bathroom Cleaner
- Lysol Mold & Mildew Bathroom Cleaner
- Fantastik 5-in-1 All Purpose Cleaner
- The Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Bleach
- Soft Scrub with Bleach
- 2000 Flushes Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Clorox Bleach
- Cascade Complete with Clorox
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Ammonia Bleach
- Windex Original
- Spartan Glass Cleaner
- Misty Glass & Mirror Cleaner
- Great Value Glass Cleaner
Quaternary Disinfecting Compounds
- Lysol Disinfectant Spray
- 409 Multi-Surface Cleaner
- Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner
- Spic and Span Everyday Antibacterial Cleaner
- Lysol Disinfecting Wipes
- Great Value Disinfectant Spray
- Clorox Bathroom Bleach Free Cleaner
- Clorox Wipes
Chlorine Bleach
Highly toxic ingredient that has been used for decades in national brand cleaning products.
- Harmful or fatal if swallowed.
- Attacks the membranes in your respiratory system, which can lead to permanent lung damage.
- Toxic gas is formed when chlorine bleach is mixed with other cleaning products.
- Poison Control Center fields over 40,000 calls a year related to exposure to chlorine bleach.
Ammonia
A cheap, toxic, and dangerous household cleaning ingredient.
- Avoid breathing fumes.
- May lead to coughing and difficulty breathing.
- Prolonged exposure can cause eye irritation and damage to lung tissue.
- Use protective gloves when cleaning with ammonia.
The Proof is on the Label
Most national brand cleaners containing these toxic chemicals are required to put the dangers they contain right on the label. Take a look for yourself.
IF BREATHING
IS AFFECTED: Move person to fresh air. If person is not
breathing, call 911 or an ambulance, then give
artificial respiration, preferably mouth-to-mouth if possible.
IF SWALLOWED: Call a poison control center of
doctor
immediately for treatment advice. Have person sip a glassful of water if able to swallow. Do not induce vomiting
unless
told to do so by a poison control center or doctor. Do not give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Call
a
poison control center or doctor for further treatment advice. Have the product container of label with you when
calling
a poison control center or doctor or going for treatment.
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL HAZARDS: This product contains bleach. Do not use of mix this product with other household chemicals, such as ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners, rust removers or acid, as this releases hazardous gases.
What can you do?
For those who try to keep a clean, safe home, the results of the study are an imperative call to action. If you, or someone you know, haven’t done so already, now is the time to rid your home of the dangerous national brand cleaners that contain so many harmful ingredients!
Join with Melaleuca and people all across the globe as we get the toxic, dangerous chemicals out of homes for good.
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Simple Steps for a Safer Home:
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Look
Identify harmful chemicals in products under the kitchen sink, in the pantry, bathroom cabinets, garage, or laundry room – anywhere dangerous cleaners may be lurking!
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Remove
Gather up all the national brand cleaners and dangerous chemicals you find, box them up, and get them out!
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Discard
Make sure you check with your local waste disposal facility or county public health for any special instructions as some of these cleaners are treated as hazardous waste.
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Share
Once you’ve rid your home of all of the dangerous chemicals, celebrate by sharing your experience.
Post your stories and pictures with #saferforyourhome.
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Switch
Melaleuca is proud to offer safer, non-toxic EcoSense cleaning products that never put you or your family at risk.
Laura Larson: Wellness Warrior
Laura is on a mission to introduce others to EcoSense and change lives!
Talk About a breath of fresh air!
Millions trust EcoSense for a safer, healthier, more effective cleaning solution. Melaleuca has taken a firm stance on dangerous chemicals like ammonia, quaternary disinfectants, and chlorine bleach. We don’t use them! We never have, and we never will! This is why EcoSense cleaning products are so safe, no childproof caps are required. And it’s why you can clean your home with confidence–instead of holding your breath.
