If you’re one of millions of consumers that figures everything sold in stores is safe, even if it’s labeled “danger” or “poison,” think again. There are hundreds of products on store shelves that may do their job and clean your home, but can be extremely harmful, even fatal, if they come in close contact with your body.
Toilet bowl cleaners are one of the most dangerous cleaning chemicals on the market. Many people believe in order to keep their toilet bowl sanitary they have to use harsh, powerful chemicals that cause their eyes to water and toes to curl when they breathe in the fumes. Fact: These harsh chemicals are not necessary in order to guarantee your toilet is clean and free of bacteria and germs.
Common Toilet Cleaning Ingredients
Hydrochloric acid is a common ingredient in toilet bowl cleaners. It can be extremely irritating when in contact with the skin, and frequent contact can damage your liver and kidneys. Hypochlorite bleach is another popular ingredient that also irritates your skin, burns your eyes and can damage your respiratory tract when inhaled. Many toilet bowl cleaners will cause coma, pulmonary edema, extreme vomiting or even death if ingested. These chemicals are nothing you would want near your children. Not even the fumes.
Of course these products come with warning labels, but since the 1940’s, over 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been created (many for the use of chemical warfare) and many of them have not been tested for safety in regards to human contact. They are proven effective in killing bacteria, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to use in your home. Many chemicals that have been created, as well as new chemicals being created every single day, do not have danger information or research done with them to make consumers aware of their capabilities.
Aside from the dangers of skin contact or accidental ingestion, when you clean a toilet bowl with these chemicals it’s getting flushed into your water and sewage system, increasing the risk of dangerous chemicals in your drinking water.
Natural and Organic Toilet Cleaning
When looking for a safe, organic and natural toilet bowl cleaner, look for products that say “solvent free,” “chemical free” or “plant based.” Even a product that just says “eco friendly” can still contain harsh ingredients.
Organic and natural toilet cleaners are frequently made with white vinegar rather than bleach. Adding some white vinegar to your toilet, letting it sit for 30 minutes, scrub and flush. The power vinegar smell even goes away after a few minutes. However, if you’re using vinegar DO NOT add bleach. Bleach is already bad to add to toilets, but adding it to vinegar is a deadly combination.
If a product says “danger” or “poison” on the container, it’s not safe and unless you spilled mustard gas, there’s really no reason to resort to that when cleaning a dirty toilet. Keep you and your family safe by using gentler, more organic cleaners.
Related posts:
- Toilet Bowl Cleaners: Sickening Your Family One Ingredient at a Time
- How to Determine True Organic Cleaners from Greenwashed Organic Impersonators
- Organic Cleaning For Your Health & Your Environment
- Natural Cleaning Products: Celebrate Earth Day Every Day
- Coming Clean: Why Organic Cleaners are Better for You
