Common chemicals found in cleaning products, cosmetics and toiletries

Many everyday cleaning products, cosmetics and toiletries that we have around the house and come in contact with our skin have some very surprising ingredients. Infact some products you buy for your house have some really nasty ingredients in them, that if you new exactly what they were you would probably never buy them again.

Whilst it is impossible to avoid many of these chemicals as they are used everywhere you go, it does make good sense to check the ingredients list on fcleaning products and where possible try to buy products that don’t contain them.

In many cases there is no difference between expensive vs cheap except the price as they use the same base ingredients, if you want to be safe the best advice I can give is stop buying toxic cleaning products as they are more harmfull than the germs and bacteria you are using them on.

Below is a list of some common chemicals that are found in many everyday products and a description of what they are.

diethyl phthalate - can be found in cleaning products, and has been shown to interfere with the endocrine system.

tolulene (also called methylbenzene or phenylmethane) - it can be found in paint thinner and stain remover inhallation of tolulene over long periods of time can cause irreversable brain damage.

xylene - found in some aerosol products can cause birth defects in pregrant women.

alkylphenol ethoylates - is found in laundry detergent, disinfectant, spot remover, hair dyes and haircare products, it is also an edocrine disruptor in the body as it can block or mimic hormones in humans

chlorine - many oven cleaners contain very high levels of chlorine, which can be enhaled, which is serious for anyone with asthma or a heart condition.

phthalates - are synthetic fragrances found in air freshners they have been linked to cancer and reproductive-system harm in rodents, so it is possible that the same could happen in humans.

So how can you avoid them? Either start buying non toxic cleaning products, there are many on the market now that do just as good a job as their chemical counterparts. Or make your own cleaning products out, which are surprisingly good and cost a fraction of the price.

For more info on making your own cleaning products visit, the budget cleaning article

Why not check out the old fashioned money saving section of the forum which is full of tips on cleaning on a budget.