Household cleaning is always important. Unfortunately, a lot of the products and solutions that get used for cleaning the home also have some pretty dangerous chemicals in them. We’ll talk about the worst offenders.

Bleach is Public Enemy Number One

It undoubtedly comes as no surprised that bleach sits at the very top of the list of dangerous cleaning product chemicals. On its own, it’s completely poisonous if ingested, and it’s incredibly irritating to the eyes and skin if it gets on you. Most of the time, straight bleach is only used for laundry purposes, but it can be included in some regular household cleaning products as well. If you’re getting ready to clean the home with particularly sensitive skin, it’s probably a smart idea to take care and avoid using any products that have bleach in them.

Scent Chemicals aren’t Worth it

Many of the cleaning products on the market have chemicals in them that help to keep things smelling nice and fresh, especially after a good, thorough cleaning. The problem, though, is that these chemicals are often really harsh on human skin, which makes them not really worth the price of admission. It’s smart to skip special, scented cleaning projects, as they’re as good at destroying skin as they are at making the room smell as though it’s full of freshly-picked posies.

Detergent Enzymes Break Things Down

Detergents—of both the laundry and dishwasher variety—often have relatively powerful enzymes in them that are designed to break down the dirt and grime that are often dealt with in the kitchen and/or laundry room. Unfortunately, this puts these items on our list of cleaning product chemicals that are particularly harsh on the skin. As it turns out, those enzymes aren’t smart enough to tell the difference between dirt and skin, which makes them particularly irritating if they’re contacted directly.

Chlorine should Stay in the Pool

Believe it or not, chlorine was one of the first compounds used in chemical warfare, back in the day. For this reason, it might come as a surprise that chlorine is in such a high number of cleaning products. It’s definitely one of the most dangerous cleaning product chemicals there is, which makes it smart to avoid cleaners that make heavy use of it. Chlorine will irritate the skin, eyes, and just about anything else that it touches.

Avoid Ammonium Hydroxide at All Costs

Found in most upholstery shampoos and carpet cleaners, ammonium hydroxide is very, very bad for the skin and respiratory system alike. If it comes in contact with bare skin, it’ll leave a particularly unpleasant rash, in addition to just generally drying out the skin of those who work with products containing it. Most green cleaners will avoid this kind of chemical in addition to being a lot more affordable, which is one of the reasons so many have been going green with their household chores. Many mainstream cleaning products are full of harsh chemicals which help to make a strong case for going green. Avoiding these chemicals will help anyone’s skin stay looking young and healthy. Above Image Source: Flickr/espensorvik