Using
environmentally friendly cleaning products—and getting rid of toxic
ones—goes a long way toward ensuring a spotless home with clean
fresh air. Clean air
rejuvenates and revitalizes. If you live in a home free of toxic
chemicals, you'll sleep soundly, concentrate better, and have a
higher overall sense of well-being. You can reduce your household's
toxic burden by following the steps below:
Look under your
kitchen sink.
Almost
every home in the world has a cabinet full of poisons: waxes,
polishes, oven cleaners, insect spray—these are the items one often
stores under the kitchen sink. If misused, they are extremely
hazardous to one's health. Remove any toxic products you may have and
replace them with safer versions in the future.
Dispose
of toxic products properly.
Hazardous
materials shouldn't be thrown away in the trash or poured down the
drain as they can cause serious environmental pollution. To dispose
of your toxic products properly, simply call your local recycling
centre or town/city hall. These days, most communities have services
that pickup hazardous waste materials from residents at least once
every year.
Replace toxic cleaning
products with better versions.
Be wary of signal words
on labels such as “caution”, “danger”, “warning”, or
“poison”. Choose instead the products with labels that signify
that the ingredients are effective and safe for the environment. The
Design for the Environment label and the Green Seal are examples of
these labels.
