Household Cleaning Products and the Environment

The first thing to remember when using chemicals to clean the home is that less is more. Contrary to what the manufacturers of cleaning products would like you to believe, you do not need a separate cleaner for each job. Many products have names that entice us to buy. In reality, the shower foam, the toilet bowl cleaner, and the kitchen counter spray are essentially the same thing.

Instead of wasting your money and taking up precious storage space, consider buying a good "all-in-one" product for most of your cleaning needs. SimpleGreen (r) is a wonderful example of just such a product. If you prefer, you can also make your own supplies out of things you already have in the house. Baking soda, alcohol, and vinegar are just a few of the tried and true home remedies for keeping a clean house.

Most household cleaning products are quite safe. There is little cause for concern that by mopping the floor you'll be contributing to the demise of a remote ecosystem on the other side of the planet. The true danger of household chemicals becomes important when the empty containers of such products are heaved into the garbage bin.

Empty bottles, spray cans, or other packaging are things that should not have the opportunity to reach a landfill. When they do, the chemical residues from household cleaning products can potentially seep (also known as leach) into local groundwater supplies.

Household hazardous waste is defined as anything that is discarded from the home and has at least one of the following characteristics:

1. corrosive
2. reactive
3. ignitable
4. poisonous