EydiePineda20
"Non-Toxic All-Purpose Cleaner" is a reasonably mouthful. What it really means isn't way too hard to guess - or maybe it's.
Soap and detergent happen to be the universal "all purpose cleaners" since they were invented. They are utilised to wash our bodies, scrub our utensils, rinse our clothes and even mop the floors - where applicable. What's so special about that?
As for "non-toxic", we somehow assume that the products we use within everyday life are "safe". We don't be prepared to be slow poisoned by our food, our cosmetics or our household cleaners.
Sadly, the reality is very different.
Most cleaners are surfactant-based, plus they contain either soap or detergent. While soap is organic in origin and mostly safe, it foams less and will not lather at all in difficult water, which makes it an inconvenient universal standard. Detergent, on the other hand, is laboratory manufactured, and designed to sacrifice quality and versatile. In the process, certain compounds are introduced which are under friendly to the body. Any store-bought cleaner will probably contain at least one of those ingredients:
Ammonia - Gives off fumes that irritate your eyes and lung membranes, resulting in asthma, blindness, eye inflammation, bronchitis, and respiratory failure.
Ethoxylated nonyl phenols (NPEs) - These are called "gender benders", as they possibly can cause male fish to demonstrate female characteristics. Though banned in Europe, these NPEs are still used in the US.
SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)/SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) - SLS, present in most shampoos and the body washes, is known to cause irritation within the scalp and skin. When absorbed through skin into the bloodstream, it may act like the feminine hormone estrogen and cause secondary sexual characteristics. SLES' effects are milder than SLS, however it can't be broken down as SLS can, so stays in your body longer.
PEG, or polyethylene glycol - while PEG isn't dangerous by itself, it may get contaminated by a few highly toxic and potentially carcinogenic compounds - 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide, for example - within the manufacturing process.
This is only the tip from the iceberg. Only recently have people grown conscious about the harmful toxins they get exposed to daily, and far scientific studies are needed before declaring any product a "safe" one. These studies is only undertaken by companies taking a stand on ethics as well as profit, and make products that do their job without unfortunate side effects.
Non-toxic all-purpose cleaners eliminate the damaging compounds in many commercial cleaners, and use simple and biodegradable ingredients instead. Many of them will also be pH balanced to prevent skin corrosion, but are as efficient just like any from the toxin-laden cleaners popular these days.
Some non-toxic all purpose cleaners are laboratory-synthesized, they draw their recycleables from plants - a sustainable source, as opposed to petroleum products. The emphasis is on ensuring that these products do not harm anyone - with the idea to the user for the short term, or our world in the long run.
