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In this day and age, everyone is afraid of germs. No one wants to get sick, so dozens of cleansers are purchased to make the home cleaner and germ free. But is this a good thing?
According to Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic Home, the cleaners that people are purchasing off the shelves can actually be more harmful than helpful.
"Our homes really are ground zero for a lot of green crimes," Vasil says. "It's just a place where we have power to make changes."
Ecoholic Home is Vasil's sequel to her first book Ecoholic. It emphasizes how a person can be environmentally friendly in their home. The book is filled with recommendations for alternative methods to cleaning and for those who feel that being "organic" comes at a high cost, Vasil includes valuable money-saving tips, as well.
"I think a lot of people have this misconception that going green has to cost you a lot of money and it has to involve buying $400 organic sheets and a $5,000 organic couch. But that's not true at all."
While writing Ecoholic Home Vasil spent time making a mess around her house so that she could test and rate different cleaners that claimed to be green. What she found though is that not every cleaner is what it says it is.
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"Right now there are so many products on shelves that claim to be green, and people are confused about whether they are really green," she says. "And that's part of where Ecoholic Home can help [people] make more informed decisions."
Apart from recommending good "green"cleaners for the home, Vasil also cautions against products like air fresheners and lead-wick candles - products that may be detrimental to a person's health.
"A lot of these chemicals that we use in our homes can be worse than outdoor air," Vasil warns. "If you're bringing air fresheners into your home, you think that they're there to make your home smell pretty, but they're actually giving off formaldehyde, benzene and things that really shouldn't be coming out of a pretty-smelling product."
Vasil also explained that some products on store shelves may contain chemicals that the government hasn't even recognized as unsafe - a situation she explained that was similar to finding Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles many years after it had been put on the market.
"It's completely invisible to us," she says, "because we just assume that everything on the shelves is safe. And we're starting to learn from the last couple of years that's not true. The government is always playing catch-up with stuff that's been out for a while."
So for those who are seeking to make their home a more healthy place to be and more environmentally friendly, Vasil suggested the following must-haves and must-not-haves in every household.
Must-not-haves in the home:
- Old pesticides
- Chemical cleaning products (bleaches)
- Air fresheners, lead-wick candles
- Crumbling couch cushions (older than 2006 and after 1980 as many flame retardants that are banned now were used during that time)
- Anything treated with Scotch Guard or Stain Master before 2002
- Teflon pan (set off harmful fumes when they’re burned. Switch to cast iron or ceramic)
Must-haves in the home:
- Caulking gun and weather stripping (to fill cracks)
- Power bars (to turn off electronics when not in use)
- Clothes line (indoor/outdoor)
- Low-flow shower head
- Programmable thermostat
- Baking soda and vinegar (an alternative cleaning agent)
Vasil also recommends dusting and vacuuming regularly, as a study found more than 72 chemicals in household dust.
With so much information about health issues and environmental damage that can be done with things like cleaning products, Vasil knows that some people may become concerned, but she advises people not to act on fear.
“You can’t expect to live in a bubble.” she said. “This is the world we live in... I didn’t want everyone running around with a mask over their face yelling, ‘We’re all going to die.’ I just want people to be more aware of it.”
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