Household cleaning – natural and chemical free?
What is it?
‘Natural cleaning’ can refer to the use of home-made cleaners based on common household substances, such as lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and borax.
Sometimes, natural cleaning can be taken to an (impossible) extreme - ‘chemical free’ cleaning!
What’s the myth?
Some people believe that cleaning your house with specially formulated products, i.e. products from the supermarket shelf, exposes you and your household to unsafe, toxic chemicals – and that ‘natural cleaning’ using home recipes is both healthier and effective.
FACT: Effective cleaning products reduce health risks and improve quality of life
Not much was known about the transmission of disease before the 1800’s, when scientists began to prove that microorganisms caused phenomena such as spoiling of food.
It has been since this time that the enormous benefit of hygiene in preventing the spread of disease-causing organisms (“pathogens”) has come to be understood. Improved hygiene has helped contribute to reduction in infectious disease and increased life expectancy.
Good hygiene in the home helps to prevent the spread of organisms that can cause disease, such as domestic food poisoning. Living in clean surroundings can also help you feel good about yourself and about life in general.
Effective cleaning products designed specifically for the home are carefully formulated for specific jobs. These products play a vital role in keeping living areas, food preparation areas, bathrooms and bedrooms clean and comfortable, as well as efficiently cleaning your laundry items. A clean home can be a more relaxing place to unwind, or to welcome and entertain guests.
FACT: Natural does not necessarily equal safe!
There is no such rule as natural is good, man-made is bad. What is safe and what is not depends not only what is used, but how much is used and how it is used. And many traditionally formulated products do use natural ingredients.
See “Is natural…is good?” for more information.
FACT: Natural/homemade cleaning agents may not do the job properly
Cleaning dirty surfaces requires safe and effective cleaning products.
It is generally the case that natural or home-made recipes will not be as effective as specifically formulated products. Additionally, more time and more mechanical cleaning effort, or ‘elbow grease’, may be required. In contrast, formulated cleaning products help make household chores as quick and painless as possible, giving you more time to spend enjoying other activities.
It is important to note that commercial cleaners must not be mixed together. Whilst each product is carefully formulated and is safe to use according to the manufacturer’s directions, it is potentially unsafe to combine one cleaner with another. For example, mixing acidic cleaner with chlorine bleach cleaner produces toxic chlorine gas.
FACT: A lot of design goes into a household cleaning product
Cleaning products on the supermarket shelf are not simply a collection of various chemical ingredients. A lot of design, experimentation and testing go into every product. Here are just some of the things the makers of these products cover off when manufacturing a cleaning product:
FACT: A product may contain a hazardous ingredient, but that does not mean the product itself is hazardous
Cleaning products are carefully formulated and are safe to use according to the manufacturer’s directions. The Australian industry is tightly regulated to ensure that unsafe products are not allowed in the marketplace.
Some cleaning products may contain an ingredient that requires a warning to be printed on the product label. ‘Caution’ indicates that the product contains a substance with a low potential for causing harm; appropriate packaging, simple warnings and safety directions reduce the risk. ‘Poison’ indicates that the product contains a substance with a moderate potential for causing harm; distinctive packaging, strong warnings and safety directions reduce the risk. Appropriate packaging may include the use of child-resistant closures.
However, if it is deemed that use of an ingredient poses too great a risk of harm to human health or the environment, that ingredient will be limited or prohibited in household products.
The bottom line? Formulated cleaning products have been carefully designed to help you save time and effort, maximising efficiency and results when you clean your home.
‘Natural cleaning’ can refer to the use of home-made cleaners based on common household substances, such as lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and borax.
Sometimes, natural cleaning can be taken to an (impossible) extreme - ‘chemical free’ cleaning!
What’s the myth?
Some people believe that cleaning your house with specially formulated products, i.e. products from the supermarket shelf, exposes you and your household to unsafe, toxic chemicals – and that ‘natural cleaning’ using home recipes is both healthier and effective.
FACT: Effective cleaning products reduce health risks and improve quality of life
Not much was known about the transmission of disease before the 1800’s, when scientists began to prove that microorganisms caused phenomena such as spoiling of food.
It has been since this time that the enormous benefit of hygiene in preventing the spread of disease-causing organisms (“pathogens”) has come to be understood. Improved hygiene has helped contribute to reduction in infectious disease and increased life expectancy.
Good hygiene in the home helps to prevent the spread of organisms that can cause disease, such as domestic food poisoning. Living in clean surroundings can also help you feel good about yourself and about life in general.
Effective cleaning products designed specifically for the home are carefully formulated for specific jobs. These products play a vital role in keeping living areas, food preparation areas, bathrooms and bedrooms clean and comfortable, as well as efficiently cleaning your laundry items. A clean home can be a more relaxing place to unwind, or to welcome and entertain guests.
FACT: Natural does not necessarily equal safe!
There is no such rule as natural is good, man-made is bad. What is safe and what is not depends not only what is used, but how much is used and how it is used. And many traditionally formulated products do use natural ingredients.
See “Is natural…is good?” for more information.
FACT: Natural/homemade cleaning agents may not do the job properly
Cleaning dirty surfaces requires safe and effective cleaning products.
It is generally the case that natural or home-made recipes will not be as effective as specifically formulated products. Additionally, more time and more mechanical cleaning effort, or ‘elbow grease’, may be required. In contrast, formulated cleaning products help make household chores as quick and painless as possible, giving you more time to spend enjoying other activities.
It is important to note that commercial cleaners must not be mixed together. Whilst each product is carefully formulated and is safe to use according to the manufacturer’s directions, it is potentially unsafe to combine one cleaner with another. For example, mixing acidic cleaner with chlorine bleach cleaner produces toxic chlorine gas.
FACT: A lot of design goes into a household cleaning product
Cleaning products on the supermarket shelf are not simply a collection of various chemical ingredients. A lot of design, experimentation and testing go into every product. Here are just some of the things the makers of these products cover off when manufacturing a cleaning product:
- That the ingredients are compatible and result in an effective and safe product
- That the product is not harmful to your household surfaces or items
- That the product remains stable, well mixed and free from bacteria - both on the supermarket shelf, and during the lifespan of its use
- That the product has a suitable consistency for application, e.g. a paste, liquid, spray or gel throughout its lifespan
- That suitable protective packaging allows safe and effective delivery of the product, for the duration of its shelf-life
- That complete labelling is provided, including instructions for use, emergency and first aid information, and manufacturer contact information
- That effective quality control procedures are in place, ensuring consistency and safety during production
- That all aspects of the product’s lifecycle comply with the relevant regulations
FACT: A product may contain a hazardous ingredient, but that does not mean the product itself is hazardous
Cleaning products are carefully formulated and are safe to use according to the manufacturer’s directions. The Australian industry is tightly regulated to ensure that unsafe products are not allowed in the marketplace.
Some cleaning products may contain an ingredient that requires a warning to be printed on the product label. ‘Caution’ indicates that the product contains a substance with a low potential for causing harm; appropriate packaging, simple warnings and safety directions reduce the risk. ‘Poison’ indicates that the product contains a substance with a moderate potential for causing harm; distinctive packaging, strong warnings and safety directions reduce the risk. Appropriate packaging may include the use of child-resistant closures.
However, if it is deemed that use of an ingredient poses too great a risk of harm to human health or the environment, that ingredient will be limited or prohibited in household products.
The bottom line? Formulated cleaning products have been carefully designed to help you save time and effort, maximising efficiency and results when you clean your home.
