The really frightening thing is that there are around 80,000 chemicals in use in this country and federal regulators have assessed the safety of only 200. The current system allows many of these to fall between the EPA and the FDA and the burden of proof is on the government to prove a chemical is unsafe. Here’s a great article from the Washington Post about rising concerns over chemicals in our air, land and water and rising cancer rates among all age groups, especially children.

I was totally surprised to see the list of name brand products unwilling to disclose all chemical in their products. . .many of which I have in my home. This made me realize that it is time to take the leap and completely switch to all natural products. Although I already use vinegar & water to clean my hardwood floors, I do add a splash of Windex in there to add shine. But I do have a cabinet full of other cleaners like Murphy’s OIl and Cascade (the Cascade is almost gone, so I will probably finish that out before replacing it). but It’s really time that I made the total switch to Seventh Generation on all products. Pesticides and chemicals permeate our lives, not to mention our skin, and we would be foolish to believe they have no lasing affects on our health. I am curious as to what other products are out there that people have used or any other natural recipes that have been successful on common household problems.

And another question: If we decide to go all natural. . .how should we dispose of the cleaners already in our homes?

This morning, a group of women in the office couldn’t stop talking about two big stories. One, about pesticides
on produce being tied to ADHD cases and the other, a lawsuit filed in New York against the makers of popular
cleaning products for not disclosing all of their ingredients – some of which could be toxic. We can prevent
dangerous chemicals in our home by watching are foods and drastically changing the way we clean.
Here is the link for information on the cleaning product news stories: http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/05/cleaning-products-toxic-ingredients
I’ve made some changes in my home like switching to certain Seventh Generation and using things like vinegar and
baking soda. But this article makes me want to toss out my swiffer habit for good! What green cleaning
practices do you do in your home?