When you’re shopping for cleaning products, you may be tempted to choose “natural”, “eco-friendly” or “green” cleaning products over their chemical-based counterparts. The thought of being able to clean your home without the use of acids, aerosols, and other abrasive materials seems great, but how efficient are natural cleaning products really?
What does it mean when a cleaning product claims to be “natural”?
When it comes to cleaning products, there are no concrete regulations put in place to determine what makes a product “natural”, and many popular brands use this to their advantage.
For instance, a cleaning product may be marked as natural simply because it’s packaged in recycled material. Even if the cleaning solution inside is composed of synthetic or chemical-based ingredients, it still gets marked as “green”, “eco-friendly”, or “natural”.
The safest way to determine whether or not a natural cleaning product contains chemicals that are potentially hazardous to your health is by doing some research with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and always paying close attention to the directions on the label. Cleaning products that are safe for some areas of your home (i.e., bathroom tile, ceramic tub) may not be suitable for use in other areas (i.e., kitchen counters, stainless steel).
Do natural cleaners help to sanitize and disinfect?
It’s important to note that cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting are all different methods with different results. Cleaning removes dust, dirt, and some stains from surfaces. Sanitizing will remove most bacteria and disinfecting will remove at least 99.99% of germs, bacteria, and viruses.
While natural cleaning products can be effective at cleaning, they generally are not effective at sanitizing or disinfecting. For example, using vinegar to clean can kill germs, but it takes much longer than specialized chemically-formulated disinfectants, and if used incorrectly, doesn’t have any sanitizing or disinfecting properties at all.
Bleach will always be more effective at disinfecting and sanitizing than natural alternatives, but that doesn’t mean it’s the safest choice for everyone. Other disinfecting options like hydrogen peroxide and citric acid offer similar disinfecting properties with much less potential hazard to your health. This can be crucial for people struggling with respiratory ailments or compromised immune systems, children, seniors, pregnant women, and more.
Any and all disinfectants should be used with caution, regardless of their components. Always carefully read the instructions on the label, and never mix cleaning products. The combination of certain cleaners can lead to dangerous chemical reactions and the possible production of toxic gases and fumes.
How do you choose the best natural house cleaning products?
When you’re shopping for natural or eco-friendly cleaning products for your home, always do your research and make sure you read all of the instructions and information on the label. The right cleaning products will help to keep your home clean and germ-free without containing ingredients that are potentially harmful to the health of you and your loved ones.
Clean Stride is proud to use cleaning products and techniques that are approved for use around everyone in your family – children, pets, and seniors. Our comprehensive house cleaning services will guarantee a safe and spotless home. Give us a call today for a free quote.
