We would all agree that having clean living and working surroundings promotes good health. However, what should be taken into account is that most household cleaners are made up of a harsh cocktail of toxins. Even though leaving the cleaning activity to professional hands is a convenience, returning to a home cleaned with toxic chemicals may leave you exposed to the invisible dangers involved when cleaning with such chemicals. One of the best ways to avoid the many risks associated with using harmful cleaning products and combat the harm being done to the environment is switching to using as many green products as possible. The cleaning supplies don’t need to be toxic to be effective and generate the desired results. There is a myriad of benefits for you when you switch to using natural and eco-friendly cleaning products that go way beyond having spotless surfaces. Here are 5 of our favourites:
1. Better Indoor Air Quality
Most of us assume that the air we breathe indoors is less polluted than the outdoor air. The US EPA has estimated that, on average, the indoor quality of the air is 2-5 times worse than the outdoor. Unlike the USA, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment
currently has no specific controls on indoor air quality, apart from workplace situations under the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. However, it is more than obvious that the risk of health effects from inhaling polluted indoor air depends on how many toxic chemicals are in the air, how long, and how often a person breathes it in. While it’s almost impossible to completely avoid chemical emission and achieve perfect air quality, it is possible to limit exposure, enhance the indoor air quality by keeping the area well-ventilated and reduce the sources of pollution that include smoking, cooking practices, heating, renovation materials, household products, etc.
One of the most common causes of poor indoor air quality which also happens to be the easiest to cut off are the products we use in our home. Many of the chemicals within household cleaning products contain inorganic compounds like ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, perchloroethylene, benzene, naphthalene, nitrogen dioxide. All of the above are listed by SCHER as indoor pollutants of concern because of their adverse health effects. Furthermore, these compounds are classified as known or suspected to be carcinogenic. Numerous studies have shown particular indoor air pollutants cause respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses and allergies depending on the level and time of exposure. Each chemical has its own toxicity and potential of causing different health issues. The major exposure route for these substances is inhalation. A lot of conventional cleaning products, especially glass cleaners dry up very quickly as they’re using VOCs such as acetone or non-organic compounds like ammonia. These substances evaporate at room temperature. The moment the chemical is sprayed it starts to circulate in the air and might cause acute eye, nose, throat irritation, fatigue, headache, dizziness, or worsening of asthma symptoms. If your goal is to create a safer and healthier household, we highly suggest replacing the toxic glass cleaner with eco-friendly.
Our natural Euclove® Glass & Mirror Cleaner is free from any synthetic chemicals and promotes easier breathing as it contains menthol. It is very easy to use and delivers a streak-free shine, leaving the surfaces impressively clear especially when used with a microfiber cloth. The pure essential oil blend of eucalyptus, lemongrass, camphor, and tea tree will not only give your surfaces a unique and fresh smell but also has antibacterial properties and naturally fights insects.
Another place we got very close to inhaling these hazardous toxins is the bathroom. Most of the bathroom cleaners come in spray packaging as well. A large number of studies have demonstrated that cleaning work, especially when associated with the use of household cleaning sprays, bleach, or other chlorine-based compounds, ammonia, and disinfectants found in the bathroom cleaners, has relevant implications on health and is often associated with adult asthma.
Almost everyone would agree that bathroom cleaning with conventional products is one of the worst cleaning jobs around the house and the smell of the chemicals lingers. Bring a little aromatherapy into your bathroom cleaning routine with Euclove® Bathroom Cleaner. The fragrance from our pure essential oil blend is long-lasting and excellent at deodorizing.
Instead of toxins, we use powerful 100% natural ingredients to zap germs and remove dirt that won’t affect your health. Our plant- and the oil-powered formula is tough on soap scum, grime and grease. We use tea tree and clove bud oil to remove and keep away mold and mildew in bathrooms and showers. The product is suitable on most bathroom surfaces like ceramic, tiles, tapware, shower screens.
2. Safe for Children & Pets
The toxic chemicals are not only absorbed via inhalation but ingestion and dermal absorption. Every parent keeps the hazardous cleaning products out of reach and sight of their children, yet the most common poisoning in children age 5 years or less were personal care products and household cleaning substances – report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers says. Even though we cannot emphasize enough the importance of using natural products around children, most often they do contain pure essential oils that might cause lighter side effects than the conventional products if swallowed in big quantities. Therefore, should be kept out of reach of children at all times.
Even if we examine the option of our children to swallow these chemicals, the truth is as long as we use harsh products, our young ones will still ingest and absorb through their skin a portion of the toxins. On the other hand, their health won’t be affected if they ingest the same small portion of a natural oil-based cleaning product remains as essential oils are even linked to health.
In addition to babies and small children, pets as well are susceptible to household cleaners that contain harmful chemicals. If we have a pet or children at home, it’s normal to question how the flooring is affecting them as they spend a lot of time playing and crawling on the floor. Not only do they touch surfaces but they want to taste everything, especially their hands. Frequent use of household cleaning products, besides respiratory effects, is associated with rhinitis and other allergic symptoms in children.
The good news is natural cleaning products, in general, don’t have this risk. We highly recommend trying out our pure essential oil-based Euclove® Floor Cleaner that leaves no toxic residue. We promise it will be a big relief to know that kids and pets can be safely playing on the floor. Our 100% natural formula will clean and sanitize your floors even better than conventional products. It eats up oil and grease stains thanks to the natural coconut soap.
The plant-based solution is excellent for most types of hard flooring including tiles, ceramic, timber, bamboo, porcelain, engineered floors, slate, hardwood, laminate. Your floors will smell like the beautiful Australian blue-gum eucalyptus which has natural anti-bacterial properties and provides a streak-free finish.
We all are aware that cleaning the kitchen surfaces and equipment ensures clean food preparation is carried out. If the work area has not been sanitized properly, it can contaminate food with germs and bacteria such as Salmonella and cause food poisoning. Proper maintenance of the kitchen reduces the possibility of pests as well. Therefore, besides the floor, the kitchen is another critical place from where you and your loved ones could ingest harsh chemicals from the cleaning substances. Health and safety is the single most important factor as to why it is important to clean your kitchen with natural cleaning products, especially when you prepare food for babies and children as they are far more sensitive than adults. Furthermore, switching to green cleaning products is an excellent learning experience on health and the environment for young children.
For you to harness the power of plants and with a promise to make green cleaning a reality, we have created Euclove® Kitchen Cleaner. Our kitchen cleaner is anti-bacterial, anti-septic and fights insects at the same time. The product is biodegradable, fragrance-free, and non-GMO, with naturally derived oils like eucalyptus, camphor, tea tree and clove bud oil.
If you are looking for a pure cleaner that provides a streak-free finish for your stainless steel appliances – we got you covered. Our Certified Vegan Euclove® Stainless Steel Cleaner is tough on grease and dirt but gentle on your, and your loved one’s health. Free from synthetic chemicals, your stainless steel surfaces will be spotless, disinfected and smell beautiful.
3. Help Your Belongings Last Longer
One of the best benefits of making the switch to natural cleaning products is their long-lasting effects. Traditional cleaning products more often fail to be sustainable, or in other words, the harsh chemicals tend to negatively affect the life and texture of your belongings. Let’s have a look at few examples in the section below.
Abrasive cleaners may remove stains and build-up in sinks. Over time, the surfaces may appear stained or discoloured as the abrasiveness could permanently scratch the surface. The same applies to highly acidic cleaning products. On top of it, if we accidentally drop a bit of, let’s say acidic toilet bowl cleaner on our clothes or carpet, it will bleach the colour right away.
Mixing and combining different toxins to improve the cleaning performance, even in case you use one chemical on top of another, due to the potential chemical reaction not only affects our health but is another reason why our surfaces are more prone to damage.
A lot of people when they decide to go chemical-free, instead of buying natural cleaners they use products found around the house like vinegar. At first glance, it may seem that vinegar cleans so well as its acidity is high, but over time, the acid can damage the surfaces you are cleaning. For example, if you use it on hardwood, at first it may seem clean, but eventually, you will start to notice it damages the finish. Other examples are natural stones like marble, granite, and travertine. If the surface of the stone is shiny, it will be obvious right away, if not, the acid in the vinegar will etch the surface and the damage will become apparent over time.
With our natural Euclove® Cleaning Products, you can ensure that you add to the longevity of your belongings. Even though we put so much effort to make our products gentle with your surfaces and health, you should make sure to pay attention to the manufacturer directions given on the label on all our cleaning products. If in doubt, please contact us – we are more than happy to help you. One extra tip we have for you is to always use the correct dilution ratios to prevent damage.
4. Cruelty-free & Vegan-friendly
Many – but not all-natural cleaning companies strive to create sustainable products that have taken a stand against animal testing. Although there have been no proven scientific studies that cruelty-free products are better for us, many companies still do support animal testing and/or use ingredients derived from animals. The biggest misconception around cruelty-free products is that one should be vegan/vegetarian to support such products. The truth is, it’s far beyond a matter of diet.
Luckily, some governments around the world have already banned animal testing. Yet, there are many other countries left with laws that state-specific groups of laboratory animals aren’t protected with the other existing animal abuse laws. In our opinion, this view is nonsensical and unethical. The poor animals used in experiments are confined to small cages and bad conditions, but they're also being tortured, maimed, and ultimately killed.
We were being told that tests are being performed on animals to ensure the products are safe enough for humans. Nowadays technology is increasingly being developed and we have many cruelty-free alternatives to animal testing such as in vitro testing, cultured cell tissues testing as well as computer models. The reason why some companies still choose animal testing over alternatives is because animal testing has the advantage of being low-cost. Therefore, animals are only being used because they're a more affordable option for these companies.
When we were setting up the foundations of Euclove®, it was of big importance to us to create products that are vegan-friendly as we don’t use any animal ingredients and products are cruelty-free as we don’t want to harm animals in the development of our products. We believe that each time we choose to purchase products that are vegan and cruelty-free, we make a conscious decision to support our own and the health of our planet as well as the wellbeing of all beings that live on it. By voting with our money, we can truly influence more companies to go cruelty-free.
Choosing cruelty-free products opens a door towards a healthier life. Many mainstream brands are full of harsh or toxic chemicals that do nothing in your favour and on top of it, they affect your health. Our body absorbs everything we feed it, so why not choose to feed it with ingredients from nature, why not choose 100% natural, plant-based and cruelty-free products.
5. Better for the Environment
Last but not least, choosing natural products is better for the environment. Toxic, nongreen cleaning products are potentially hazardous for the environment as well. These products are released to the environment during normal use when rinsing down the drain or through evaporation of volatile organic compounds. In that way, customers using products packed with harsh chemicals contribute directly to air and water pollution.
Furthermore, the process of creating the cleaning products affects the environment. Different government sets different laws and has different regulations when it comes to production, therefore, it’s difficult to be sure if a particular company is taking proper care of the toxic waste they create.
Even though standard sewage treatment effectively reduces or removes most cleaning product constituents in wastewaters, certain ingredients in cleaning products are inadequately treated. A study found that alkylphenol ethoxylates, which is a common surfactant ingredient in cleaners, have shown health effects in the wildlife exposed to polluted waters through disruption of the endocrine system. This example is one of many surfactants used in conventional products that are threatening aquatic life, and biodegrade slowly or biodegrade into more toxic chemicals.