With the countless health trends and influencer inspirations we come across daily, it’s easy to get on board the clean eating and exercising train. However, even if you make drastic changes in these areas, there’s more to a healthy lifestyle than diet and workouts alone.
As modern-day people, we’re surrounded by products that are supposed to make our busy lives easier. Such is the case with most conventional household cleaning products, providing quick results with their specialised formulations; yet it’s exactly these formulations that are the real problem, containing some of the most toxic ingredients.
Two of these ingredients are phthalates and formaldehyde. Although commonly used in dish soaps, all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners and air fresheners, this doesn’t mean they’re harmless. They can have a bad impact on one’s health and well-being, especially with repeated exposure.
To adopt a healthy lifestyle that’s also low-tox, the solution lies in switching to eco-friendly cleaning products with gentle natural formulas made with plant and mineral-based alternatives that are just as efficient, minus the complicated label words.
This makes cleaning a breeze without it being at the expense of your health or the environment.
What Are Phthalates?
You may or may not have heard of them, but these ingredients are all around us - yes, including cosmetics. Phthalates (pronounced thal-ates) are a group of man-made chemicals utilised for retaining fragrance scents longer, softening and strengthening plastics, and as solvents and stabilisers in products meant to blend ingredients properly.
What Is the Problem With Phthalates?
As the endocrine disruptors they are, phthalates in household cleaners are easy to get absorbed through the skin. As such, they increase or mimic natural hormones, such as oestrogen, impacting not only the endocrine system and glands, like the thyroid, by producing anti-androgenic effects, but also the metabolism as a whole. In babies and young kids, they can be detrimental to their development.
Aside from the hormonal imbalances and reproductive health issues, they’re easy to inhale as well, increasing the risk of respiratory irritation, allergies and asthma. A healthy lifestyle calls for phthalate-free cleaning products made from natural ingredients you can pronounce and swear by. These are also easy to use, without the risk of dangerous reactions when mixed with other household cleaners.
What Is Formaldehyde?
Another man-made chemical, it’s primarily used as a preservative and disinfectant, with bacteria-killing properties. As such, it’s common in cleaning solutions, laundry products, mould removers and disinfectants. Apart from the direct use, it can also be released over time from certain preservatives known as formaldehyde-releasing agents.
What’s So Bad about Formaldehyde?
It’s known as an irritant as even low exposure can lead to irritation and dryness of the nose, throat, eyes and skin. This results in coughing, wheezing, burning eyes, nausea, headaches and skin redness, as well as the risk of an increase in sensitivity to chemicals. It can be especially bad for people suffering from asthma or allergies, as it can worsen their symptoms.
High or long-term exposure shows its carcinogenic danger effects, as it’s been linked to nasopharyngeal cancer, nasal sinus cancer and myeloid leukaemia, as well as an increased risk of other types of cancer. A choice in favour of your health, and that of everyone in your household, children and pets included, is opting for formaldehyde-free cleaners as the safe alternative.
Why the Cleaning Product Switch Matters More at Home
Regular cleaning at home with conventional products containing phthalates and formaldehyde increases the risk of these concerns, more so if there’s poor ventilation, resulting in poor indoor air quality from chemical accumulation. While you don’t have to give up cleaning products or cleaning entirely, take this knowledge as your wake-up call to make some small changes in your supplies, switching to eco-friendly cleaning products.
Тhis is important because cleaning is a chore we get to do often, and little by little, toxins can add up. More so if you have children and/or pets who spend a lot of time on the floor, and are already more sensitive to the chemicals, which makes them more susceptible to the impact altogether. And, even if you look at the labels, it’s not always possible to avoid them entirely.
With some products, phthalates are hidden under “fragrance”. Formaldehyde can be out of the ingredients’ list entirely, but not from the product itself, as it can come from the formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. So, despite the lack on the label, you may not actually be buying a safe product. Knowing how to identify them is one way of keeping your lifestyle and home low-tox.
Look for phthalate compounds like the commonly used Diethyl phthalate (DEP), Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), while also paying attention to the number in the recycling arrows. If there are phthalates, there are 3 in there. With formaldehyde, check for names like formalin, formol, methanal, methyl aldehyde, or preservatives that release it, such as Diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, Quaternium-15, and Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
With the natural cleaning products for home, there’s no guesswork about the ingredients, and there’s the go-to alternative without toxins for any of the products you need. From cloth and rug wash to dishwashing powders and liquids, mould cleaners, and multi-purpose cleaners, it’s possible to find gentle formulations that are Australian-made and are both efficient and safe for your household.
The Takeaway
The good news is it’s never been easier to make the switch. Creating a low-tox environment by changing your cleaning supplies to affordable, chemical-free cleaning products shouldn’t be driven by fear, but rather awareness. One simple switch equals reducing the exposure to harmful ingredients and cutting down on the risks of sensitivities and irritation in the long run.
Each of the products in our range at Tri Nature is made with your well-being in mind, as well as respect towards the environment and animals. And we’re proud to say we have the solution you need if you’re after eco-friendly, vegan-friendly, family-friendly, sustainable, grey water and septic safe, and animal cruelty-free cleaners.
Here’s to a safe, low-tox household with guilt-free cleaning with natural products that work!
