Everyone who buys cleaning products needs to know this

Are you someone who goes through conflict when choosing cleaning products? Do you buy the chemical-based products or do you pay premium prices for the “green” and “organic” cleaning products that promise not to have toxins and harsh chemicals that can lead to health problems and environmental damage? Well, a giant review of these cleaning products has found that they aren’t all that they promise to be – and they still have the cancer-causing ingredients.

Australian researchers from the Melbourne School of Engineering have analysed 37 household products claiming to be organic and green. They found 156 volatile organic compounds, which are the ingredients that can cause cancer. But how do these seemingly harmless products get away with doing something like this?

They don’t have to list the ingredients in the fragrance in Australia, the US and in many other countries. This is under consumer law. So all of the nice “natural” smells we think we’re enjoying from our more expensive, environmentally friendly and health conscious cleaning products could actually be just as dangerous as the chemical-based products.

The lead author on the study, Professor Steinman, has said, “The paradox is that most of our exposure to air pollutants occurs indoors and a primary source is consumer products. But the public lacks full and accurate information on the ingredients in these products. Our indoor air environments are essentially unregulated and unmonitored. Given the lack of information, consumers may choose products with claims such as green, natural, or organic, but those claims are largely untested”.

So next time when you go to buy green products, think twice before doing so and perhaps do some deeper research because chances are that they’re just as bad as the honest, chemical-based brands.

Tell us, do you buy organic and green cleaning products? Did you realise their titles were misleading?