My carpet is How dirty?

My Carpet is How dirty?

The formulas in commercial wet and dry carpet cleaners are loaded with irritants and chemical perfumes to mask the scent of chemical ingredients, leaving behind dangerous fumes and residue that can seriously affect our health. 

Some of the solvents used for dry carpet cleaning contain butyloxyethanol, potentially causing damage to the liver, central nervous system and kidneys.

These chemicals are dangerous to our health and the environment when the water used to rinse carpets goes straight down the drain, into our water system.

And think about the health of our children and pets. They are small and much closer to the ground. They have smaller lungs and faster metabolisms. Being in direct contact with carpeting, kids and animals are more vulnerable to serious toxic poisoning.

Many of the toxic ingredients used in common industrial and household cleansers have a tendency to concentrate in the body, creating a “body burden”. Pets develop and age seven or more times faster than people. As a result, pets can develop health problems in response to these chemicals more rapidly.

Chlorine can irritate your pet’s eyes and skin and tends to settle on the carpet, as it is denser than air, which means your pet gets the brunt of the irritation. Ammonia can cause sneezing and watery eyes, and many cats are sensitive to the ingredients in commercial carpet deodorizers or sprays. Even when using a pet-safe product, try to keep your cat out of the room until the product dries.

Products I like, approved by the EWG, Environmental Working Group, my bible for so many things, include: Simple Green, Sal Suds by Dr Bronners, Nature Clean, Bi-O-Kleen, or Natural Citrus, made by Seventh Generation.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste

The mouth is one of the most absorbent places in the body and the reason why some medications are administered sublingually, or under the tongue. So think about what’s in our toothpaste, how much of it we and our kids swallow! 

Triclosan, found in toothpaste, is an antibacterial chemical linked to antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies triclosan as a pesticide. 

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are linked to breast, ovarian, prostate, and testicular cancer, preterm and low birth weight babies, precocious puberty in girls, and undescended testicles in boys. Banned in Minnesota, it's still in toothpaste, soaps and cosmetics.

Surfactants like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate make the foam in toothpaste. They can cause skin irritation and canker sores, particularly an issue for patients in chemotherapy.

A component in antifreeze, propylene glycol acts as a wetting agent and surfactant in toothpaste. The Material Safety Data Sheets for propylene glycol warn the chemical can be rapidly absorbed through the skin, leading to brain, liver and kidney abnormalities. The EPA won’t allow its workers to handle propylene glycol without wearing rubber gloves, yet its still used in common health care products including toothpaste.

Artificial sweeteners cause sensitivity from a methyl component and bring about many symptoms including headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastro upset, weakness, chills, memory lapse, numbness, and behavioral disturbances. It, too, is in toothpaste.

Then there are Microbeads, the tiny plastic pellets found in toothpaste body washes and facial scrubs. They go down the drain straight into the environment, absorbing toxins from the water. They’re eaten by a wide variety of marine life and people too, where they get stuck under the gums, inviting food and bacteria to cause gum disease. Procter & Gamble stopped using microbeads in 2016, but the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is lobbying to use microbeads made from biodegradable plastic in personal care products.