The most healthy way to clean your home

R.The new vigilance epidemic has inspired germs, including cleaning the most frequent and comprehensive homes – change Hanging with many of us After years. But while hygiene is a virtue, the stabilization of the germs is not. Cleaning your home can be good, or with wrong products, harmful to health.

It is especially anxious about the excessive use of strong antiseptics that kill 99 % of common bacteria. “The epidemic had a long -term effect, and people use stronger antiseptics now,” says Urian Dumas, the respiratory epidemic at the French Institute for Health and Medical Research.

“We clean more than we enjoy, for both good and bad, depending on how people do this,” says Gil Henz Nevold, chief internal air quality manager at the American Lung Association.

Here are what the dangers seek and how to clean the house effectively while protecting yourself and those around you.

With regard to components

studies Reveal The air inside our homes is more polluted than the open air, and part of these toxins comes from home cleaners. It contains dozens of chemicals associated with health problems, including those that affect breathing. However, these risks depend on the dose.

In 2023, the non -profit environmental work group I looked 30 common cleaning products and they were all together, containing 193 dangerous chemicals on health. Many volatile organic compounds, or volatile organic compounds, such as acetone, methanol and glycol such as 2- Petoxi Ethanol. These evaporate easily in the air, where they can be inhaled, cause allergies, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. Many irritation can cause the airway to be destroyed, which may lead to breathing problems. A asthma rates have been observed in the people who Professional cleaning Even in ordinary people who are exposed to these irritants as not repeated Once a week.

There is also an association with weak lung. One study found that their professional cleaners 43 % higher risk The development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from the general population. Dumas says more research is needed to create a chronic pulmonary blockage link in people who only clean their homes, and those who have less exposure.

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Possible effects go beyond the respiratory system. Once inhaled, volatile organic vehicles can imitate hormone activity, Disruption Endocrine system. These disorders may He increases The risk of cancer. As with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, some studies Suggest High cancer rates Among the cleaning professionals, but research has not shown the same link between unusual family users, Dumas notes.

Excessive exposure can mean different things. Large doses of harsh antiseptics can disrupt health quickly, while the low quantities used frequently over the years can also be harmful. “You can use a cleaning product once a week for 10 years, or twice a day for one year, and get the same exposure,” says Heins Nesvold. “With a lot of use, you will have the effects more quickly.”

Use only a few high -quality products

To protect yourself while cleaning your home, start using fewer products to reduce a lot of chemicals. You can choose a multi -purpose cleaner instead of the specialized approach: one for the glass, the other for the bathtub, a specific ground product, etc. “Evaluate your product arsenal to find places to lower them,” advises Samara Jeiller, Director of Cleaning Sciences at EWG.

Another easy swap: instead of a private kitchen cleaner, use dishes and water rocks on the meters. “You don’t necessarily need a unique kitchen product,” says Giller.

Purification only when necessary

Do not exaggerate with bleaching and other powerful antiseptics. “Cleaning should not be synonymous with disinfection,” says Doug Collins, a chemist at the University of Bakkinel who studies cleaning products.

You want the ability to clean from antiseptic when you oppose dangerous filth like bacteria, viruses, mold and fungi. For this reason, hospitals use antiseptics daily. For your home, though, simple soap and water often work well. “The soap is really good to seize fatty things,” says Collins. Alcohol-based products-without additional chemicals to kill germs-as one else to the basic cleaners who do this task.

The improper use of whitening is especially harmful. Whitening is a great antiseptic because it is a strong oxidant, but this quality makes it dangerous. Collins explains that the body has antioxidants “flourishes and deals with whitening potential,” but if you are routinely exposed, “there is a leakage through the defense mechanism that can cause damage.”

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My young Kolins has a talent to turn his bathroom into a retail destroyed area. When they do it, it reaches bleaching, but this is the rare exception.

“We need to be cleared, but not every day, and perhaps not every week,” says Dumas. Just several times a month, Asa Pradman, an environmental health scientist at the University of California, Mercyid.

If a person who suffers from an immune in the family, “this is a different circumstance,” says Giller, which calls for more purification. Another example of Heins Nesvold: If a patient’s guest is sneezed again and again, it is possible that the comprehensive cleaning of wisdom.

When purified, do it in a targeted way. Focus on high touch surfaces such as faucets and supply, Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunology at Yale University.

“While the excessive use of cleaning products and antiseptics containing artificial chemicals may harm the human body, when used properly, they can reduce the transmission of infection,” says Isasaki.

Consider the meat alternatives

You can choose other bleaching alternatives along with soap and alcohol, such as hydrogen peroxide. “We recommend hydrogen peroxide because it is effective, and pure shapes collapse in water and oxygen,” says Bradman. He adds that it is easy to remove from the surfaces, while bleaching often leaves annoying remains that last for several days after cleaning.

vinegar Break dirt With lower risk of bleaching as well, although it is not strong. Collins recommends with distilled white vinegar and other acid -based detergents such as lactic acid or citric. You still have to be careful. Pradman says that inhalation of vinegar directly can cause “respiratory operators”.

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Avoid mixing products. Do not combine bleaching with vinegar, AmmoniaOr products that contain hydrogen peroxide, such as toilet bowl detergents. The resulting chemical reactions release toxic and destructive gases. One exposure to chlorine gas – caused by mixing bleaching and acidic detergent – can cause Interactive bronchial syndrome syndrome (Rads), a form of asthma caused by the irritating, says Giller.

Follow the instructions on the bottle that shows safety precautions, including dangerous mixtures. Nicholas George, Vice President of Scientific and International Affairs, told Nicholas George, Vice President of Scientific and International Affairs. Home and Commercial Products AssociationAnd, which represents the companies that make these products.

Go free from perfumes

The named products may be the best. This is difficult, because we often satisfy the cleaners with a fresh scent, such as pine or lemon – a reward for fighting dirt.

However, some chemicals responsible for these smells, such as lemon, are flying organic compounds that groups have identified including EWG as a potential problem. Research shows that 35 % of Americans who use perfume products symptoms Such as breathing issues and migraines.

Fragrance -free detergents launch fewer flying organic compounds. “They are more healthier,” says Bradman, who goes out of strong smells.

George notes that companies make risks to cleaners Safety guarantee And reduce responsibility. Products must meet the local smell standards for health protection The International Association is the smell.

Try the accredited “green” cleaners

Many organizations are witnessing better health cleaning products. The American Lung Association and EWG recommends the search for accredited cleaners Safety choiceA designation created by the US Environmental Protection Agency. “We are supporters with a safer option,” says George.

In 2019, her EWG developed her own EWG has been checked Certificate to clean products. Specific ingredients can also be examined for toxicity for the menus Collected by EWG and Environmental Protection Agency.

Another consideration is whether the product is announced as “green”, which indicates that it uses natural ingredients. Separate studies by EWG and Pradman I found that green products tend to get fewer dangerous organic compounds.

the The quality of these products variesNevertheless. “There is a lot of diversity in these green products,” says Dumas. Some government regulations aim to control the demands of wrong products about being green, but there is a Lack of enforcement. Dumas has found that some green detergents contribute to the risk of asthma, in part that natural ingredients are not necessarily good for you. For example, some green detergents include essential oils, which “may be normal, but can be volatile” and therefore a paradman shows.

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Make sure to check the chemical components of the product on a sticker and online. “Transparency is very important,” says George. When the products have at least one chemical, which is an allergy – which can affect people with allergies, such as asthma – the mark must reveal this, George explained. The specific ingredients must be included, both allergens and other types of components, on the company’s website or the product sites, in addition to the poster.

In her study of 2023, EWG found some chemicals in the air not listed on product stickers. “Often, the poster scratches only a surface contained in the formula,” says Giller. This contradiction does not necessarily mean that companies are deceptive. Instead, it is difficult to predict the secondary products of chemicals as soon as they are “in the bottle and participate in overcoming.”

Another unknown factor is the substances that chemicals will face after their release in people’s homes, such as particles. Giller explains that these secondary reactions can form new materials such as formaldehyde, a well -known carcinogen.

Direct things

People can increase their exposure by circulating air during cleaning and then directly. Open the windows, run fans, and keep the HVAC system. “Get this truly circulating air to transport chemicals from space,” says Giller. Collins runs the bathroom fan for at least 15 minutes after cleaning the chaos of his children.

You can also reduce your chemical exposure by protecting your skin and airways while cleaning. For hard cleaning, consider wearing gloves and N95 mask. Collins says that reducing sprays containing chemicals called the quad -ammonium compounds. This “Quats” differs from the volatile organic compounds in that they do not evaporate quickly in the air, but when they are easily sprayed, they are easily inhaled, risk irritation and disruption of endocrine glands. Even spraying that cannot be harmful to health if they breathe too much, so try spraying in a cloth first and then wipe the surfaces with the fabric. This must reduce the amount of spraying the person inhaling, especially if he is wearing a mask, says Collins.

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Those who are especially sensitive to chemicals, including children And people with asthma, they should come out during cleaning if possible. In 2025 TicketDumas found that excessive use of cleaning products in daytime workshops is associated with the symptoms of yellow in children under the age of three. Help Bradman to develop a Set of tools On the safe cleaning protocols for day care providers. Pregnant womenAlso, the precautions should be taken, because some research shows a link between exposure during pregnancy and childhood asthma.

If you are eager to smell fresh grease after they are arranged, you can create them without cleaners. Giller recommends a cover of water with her herbs and your favorite spices.

Just do not be ashamed of the antiseptics when you look to remove unhealthy fungi and other difficult causes from Malodor. “The Lung Association is not an anti -cleaning product,” says Heins Nesvold. “We just want people to be really aware of what they put in the air they breathe.”