When indoor air quality experts test for volatile organic compounds (VOC's) inside the average American home, the meter jumps everywhere where cleaning products are kept. This should not be surprising as you can smell many of these chemical cleaners even when they are tightly sealed.
Dr Virginia Salares an indoor air quality expert looked at an anti bacterial spray commonly sold to young families; the product label listed the main ingredients as denatured ethanol 79%. She explained that denatured ethanol can cause irritation to eyes and mucous membranes. It may also cause central nervous system depression if inhaled or ingested. When we looked at the ad for the product it suggested that the product can be used every day where kids are playing to keep it free from bacteria.
Dr. Salares suggests that if a household cleaner contains a name that you are not able to pronounce and have no idea what it is, you should think twice about using it. It is impossible to draw a line in the sand and say how much of any product can be harmful. The main reason for this is that much of the damage done by these chemicals to an individual's health is long term. The slow consistent exposure to these poisons over time makes it very difficult to track down the culprit and most people are exposed to a range of chemicals which makes it even harder to directly link a chemical to a specific health problem.
The best thing to do is not to wait for regulators but towards homemade cleaning solutions for the answers. The following can be used safely for disinfecting your home to replace toxic anti bacterial sprays containing chemicals;
Regularly clean with soap and hot water will kill some bacteria; or
Mix ½ cup Borax with 1 gallon hot water or undiluted vinegar; or
2 Tablespoons Borax, ¼ cup lemon juice, 2 cups hot water, combine the ingredients in a spray bottle.
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