5 Chemicals You Can Remove from Your Home Right Now

We all have them. The shelf full of bottles, each containing a different cleaner, polish, disinfectant, or soap; a chemical filled wonderland for the war on household dirt. But how many of us also have to keep child safety locks on the cabinet doors or keep these cleaners on high shelves because we know that if children or animals were to find these chemicals it could be a deadly situation? If you want to reduce your risk and get some of these dangerous chemicals out of your house here are five things you can toss out right now, and effective yet safe replacements for each.

Bleach - This harsh chemical can be deadly if ingested and has been linked to respiratory problems from exposure to the fumes. It can also mix with ammonia and cause a deadly gas. Most people use bleach to disinfect, whiten, and clean stubborn stains; and with its relatively low cost it is a common cleaner in most households.

There are several ways you can clean without using bleach. Lemon juice is very effective at cleaning almost anything. Mixing lemon juice with vinegar is a powerful cleaner that can work on everything. You can also use lemon juice to whiten clothing and remove stains. Using a little lemon juice on the stain before hanging it out in the sunshine will work wonders; it can even remove some of the red stain from plastic food containers.

Scrubbing powder - There are several kinds of scouring cleaners on the market today, and many of them contain silica which is very dangerous if inhaled or they contain chlorine which can create a dangerous gas when mixed with other cleaners. These scrubbing cleaning powders can be a dangerous thing to have in the house.

You can easily replace any household scrubber with baking soda. Baking soda is just as effective and without the hazardous chemicals. You can clean surfaces, shine metal, deodorize, and soften hard water with just plain baking soda. Sprinkle some on a sliced lemon to wash dishes and scrub stains.