Natural Environmentally-Friendly Household Cleaners
by Debi Harris

Many people use a vast array of chemical-laden household cleaners and products around the home on a daily basis.

What they may not be aware of is the fact that many of these chemicals can be damaging to their health when inhaled. Apart from the inhalation aspect, skin irritations often occur when coming into contact with many chemical cleaners.

Many disinfectants contain phenol ( aka carbolic acid ) or cresol. These can attack the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas.

How can adding a load of chemicals to your home environment be good for your health and cleanliness. They may kill off the germs, sure, but human beings are gradually going to kill themselves off too, if they continue in this way. Many people aim to keep their homes a germ-free environment, but if our homes are kept so germ-free that our immune systems no longer have to work as hard, we run the risk of weakening our immune systems.

Another chemical-laden ( and one of the most dangerously toxic of all ) household product is oven cleaner. I have never personally used the stuff, as I remember the fumes when my mother used it when I was a child, and that alone was enough to put me off for life! How right I was. Many oven cleaners release fumes which may affect the respiratory system, and contain ammonia and lye, which eat the skin. I prefer to use baking soda and water, sprinkled inside the oven and left overnight. In the morning a good scrub finishes it off a treat. It does a wonderful job. Also you don't get any chemical residue odour the next time you use the oven.

Many artificial air fresheners release nerve-deadening agents, which can interfere with your sense of smell. Natural aromatherapy oils would be a much safer bet.

In a time when respiratory illnesses such as asthma are at an all-time high, we should be looking to a more natural and gentle way of keeping our homes clean.

Using all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products around the home is the best defence against dirt and grime, while keeping our bodies healthy, being kind to the environment, and not tested on animals. Everyone's a winner.

Many companies claim their products are 'natural' but it's best to check the labels, as they may only contain a few natural ingredients while still being laden with chemicals.

Buying from a well-known ethical, cruelty-free company is the best way to go. Then, not only should their products be natural, safe and non-toxic, they should also be environmentally-friendly and not tested on animals.

Debi Harris owns www.staynatural.co.uk which aims to promote a natural, cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly way of living. Check out www.staynatural.co.uk for articles, products and resources for natural health, natural lifestyle, all natural skin care, natural pet products, and information for vegetarians and vegans. Submitted with Article Distributor.

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

Air Pollution – A Distressing Reality by Jack Smith

Today, air pollution has become a distressing reality in most parts of the world. Ecologists never tire to remind us about the need to maintain the delicate environmental balance between humans and plants to ensure the healthy survival of the human species. Plants and trees, nature’s natural mechanism to purify the air that we breathe, have been successfully doing the job of air-purification for us for the last thousands of years. Our symbiotic relationship with them ensures that they cleanse our air of carbon dioxide, which they use for their survival, in exchange for oxygen, which is a necessity for our survival.

However, mankind’s progress in the last hundred years has hindered this long standing arrangement with our natural environment. Mankind’s progress towards an industrialized society has led to more machines which in turn have led to more pollution. The invention of automobiles and the smoke they collectively emit has contributed to the overall degradation of the air quality. Governments over the world are trying to control the air pollution by introducing regulations on permissible emission levels of industries.

Today we’ve reached a threshold where it has become necessary to invent and design appliances that will lend a hand in maintaining a healthy environment for humans to live in. These gadgets are commonly known as are air-purifiers.

Development of home air-purifiers:

You will be surprised to learn that there are many sources of indoor air pollution. These include combustive sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood; cigarettes and other products made from tobacco; building supplies such as paint and asbestos; furnishings such as wet and damp carpets and certain pressed wood furniture; household cleaning agents, like air freshners, personal care and cosmetic products; central heating and cooling systems such as air conditioners; outdoor sources such as pesticides all contribute to air-pollution. Some release pollutants in the air continuously while others like cleaning solvents and paint strippers do so intermittently.

Many homes are designed to let in and out as little outside air as possible. Unless they are built with special mechanical means of ventilation, in such homes pollution levels can build up to injurious levels giving rise to allergies, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis colds or other viral diseases

Thus, manmade air-purifiers have today become essential to enhancing indoor air quality.

Jack Smith writes about various Air Purifier topics. This article is free to re-print as long as nothing is changed, all links remained intacked, the bio remains in full and the rel="nofollow" tag is not added to any of the links. Thank-you

Article Source: ArticleRich.com