Household Skin Irritants – What To Avoid When Cleaning
Eager to clean the house and remove those eye nagging nasty stains, we often ignore important aspect that concern our very health. A shortcut to a clean house may also mean a shortcut to some affections because many of the products that keep our homes clean and germ-free can be rough on skin — and not just the super-powerful cleaners. Even a gentle cleaner can dry out and irritate your skin if you’re sensitive to it or if you use it often enough. Sensitive skin that’s been exposed to cleaning products can develop a red, swollen, itchy rash that dermatologists call contact dermatitis. So here are some details about the household skin irritants so you know how to avoid them.
Be careful when using sodium hydroxide based cleaning products. This is a corrosive ingredient which burns the skin, irritates the eyes and the throat, found in a variety of home cleaners, such as oven and drain cleaners or toilet bowl cleaners.
An equally hazardous irritant is the sodium hypochlorite, another chemical substance which can harm the skin and the respiratory system, while assimilated in large quantities it can be toxic to the liver. Use gloves and air the home thoroughly while and after using these products or else you risk inhaling toxic vapors. Without wearing gloves, the skin can suffer severe burns, while the chemical ingredients will be absorbed into your body, leading to various conditions, ranging from allergies to asthma and even cancer.
Even though millions of people suffer from weakened immune systems, including pregnant women and people with immunodeficiency diseases, doctors say that, in general, however, good, long-term hygiene means using regular soaps rather than new, antibacterial ones. Not only does it promote the development of drug-resistant bacteria, but antibacterial compounds such as triclosan have also been linked to a number or harmful health effects, especially in young children. For example, research has shown that triclosan can alter hormone regulation and may interfere with fetal development in pregnant women.
Ammonia is another noxious substance found in the cleaning products that irritates the skin, throat, eyes and even lungs, with potentially severe effects for asthma suffering people. Ammonia is found in disinfectants, floor cleaners, window and glass cleaners ad all-purpose cleaners. Steer away from lye, an alkaline solution used in oven and drain cleaners, and phenol, found in antibacterial cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and furniture polishes. Avoid petroleum distillates and solvents, found in furniture waxes and polishes and floor cleaners/waxes.
You have a whole range of organic products you can rely on instead, all of them described in detail in this article.
Sources: Unica.ro, Webmd.com
