Find natural, non-toxic replacements for the most toxic cleaning products in your home – including drain cleaner, oven cleaner and toilet cleaner.
I bet you’ve already heard the dirt on conventional cleaning products. You know that most of them are either bad for your health in some way or they wreak havoc on the environment after they go down the drain.
Perhaps you like the idea of giving the cupboard under your kitchen or bathroom sink a green makeover….but you don’t want to do it all at once.
Baby steps are the way to go, but keep in mind that some cleaning chemicals are worse than others. My recommendation is to get rid of the 3 most toxic cleaning products in your home first, then slowly replace others as they run out. (Note: don’t just toss these products in the trash. Bring them to a hazardous waste disposal location because that’s what they are….hazardous waste!)
(Learn more about why green cleaning matters and my favorite green cleaning brands here.)
The Most Toxic Cleaning Products
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Here are the 3 most toxic cleaning products that you should do away with pronto:
Drain Cleaner
The problem: Chemical drain cleaners are probably the scariest cleaning product lurking in your home. These caustic mixtures commonly contain lye, bleach or sulfuric acid and can cause damage to skin, lungs and eyes.
The solution:
- Try the popular home remedy of vinegar and baking soda followed by hot water (works for minor clogs).
- Use a flexible drain snake for bigger clogs and to remove buildup.
- For ongoing drain maintenance, use an enzyme-based drain cleaner like Earth Enzymes from Earth Friendly Products.
Oven Cleaner
The problem: Conventional oven cleaning products contain lye, which is extremely corrosive and can burn skin on contact.
The solution:
- DIY oven cleaning: Mix 1 cup of baking soda along with about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and just enough water to make a paste. Coat the oven door, sides and ceiling with the mixture. Spray all surfaces with vinegar and water mixture (1/4 cup vinegar + 3/4 cup water in a spray bottle). Leave to sit for at least an hour, then scrub all surfaces. Rinse well and then clean oven door with an eco-friendly glass cleaner.
- Restore Grill & Oven Cleaner
- Bon Ami, a mineral-based scrub powder
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
The problem: Most toilet bowl cleaners contain hydrochloric acid and chlorine bleach, both of which can burn skin and irritate lungs and eyes.
The solution:
- Ecover Pine Fresh Toilet Cleaner
- Thrive Market Tea Tree & Eucalyptus Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaners
- Use DIY Fizzy Toilet Bombs to freshen toilet bowl in between cleanings
Have you tried any replacements for the most toxic cleaning products in your home? Leave a comment with your ideas!
Tara says
October 16, 2009 at 9:49 amThanks for this good reminder! It’s always good to start somewhere. . . and always good to have fewer products around!
June says
October 16, 2009 at 6:52 pmHave you heard of Shaklee’s Basic H2? It is organic, non toxic, and cleans almost everything under the sun! Totally green, this product was green when green was just a color. I’m all about non toxic cleaners!
http://www.momsraisinghealthykids.com
Condo Blues says
October 16, 2009 at 10:15 pmI tried to clean some burnt on gunk under the burners of my stove with baking soda. It didn’t work very well. I grabbed a bottle of straight vinegar and poured a little on the gunk. After it finished fizzing, it worked through the gunk and it was easy to clean. A very happy experiment!
KiwiLog says
October 19, 2009 at 8:23 amHi! We loved your post over at KiwiLog and decided to feature it as part of our weekly mom blog round-up. Thanks!
Micaela says
October 20, 2009 at 6:24 amYeah – that vinegar and baking soda works wonders! Thanks for the tip!
Micaela says
October 20, 2009 at 6:25 amI’ve never used Shaklee – but it seems like everyone who uses their products loves them!
James From myhealthhq.com says
October 21, 2009 at 11:43 amI’ll have to check out these 3 types of products.
Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama says
October 22, 2009 at 10:46 amGreat ideas!
To clean the oven with baking soda, you have to wet it a couple of times to have it work well. You also don’t want to get it in the light . . .
Karen Bannan says
October 27, 2009 at 12:03 pmI just blogged about this very topic today.
Switching is the best way to go, but if you do want to stick with your existing cleaning products you might want to take a look at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services database first. The database provides health risk-related information as well as links to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which are provided by the manufacturers. They tell you which chemicals each product contains as well as specific dangers. You can search by brand or product type. Scary, scary stuff…
Micaela says
October 29, 2009 at 11:59 amGood point about looking up the Material Safety Data Sheets – every manufacturer must provide them.
Laura says
November 6, 2009 at 12:16 pmHave you heard of Wowgreen? It’s a green company with 12 non-toxic cleaning products. All the products contain only 4 ingredients and enzymes are its cleaning agent. Another plus, all made in the USA. Great company and product. Safe, effective, and affordable. They really are passionate and committed to their mission of freeing the world of toxic chemicals, one household at a time.
http://www.wowgreen.net/13130
Pavlina says
March 11, 2010 at 12:11 pmAre you aware that Lye (KOH) is a natural product? If you soak hardwood ash in water and wait x units of time, you get lye.
Green Cleaning Products says
August 16, 2010 at 9:27 pmNatural Green Cleaning products are works amazingly. It is environmental friendly and does not harmful to our health. You should try it also aside from baking soda and vinegar.
Carol says
June 25, 2011 at 9:40 pmWe used to have these for cleaning around the house. But a year ago, I switched to DIY cleansers. Most of it can be found at the local hardware store like white vinegar, baking soda, borax, etc. These are easier on the nose and on the environment.
Sally Johnson says
July 3, 2012 at 7:30 amThanks for this info. It’s good to know about these products. I have been researching different cleaners and janitorial supplies in phoenix az for my daughters business. Thanks 🙂
Mike Cornelia says
October 1, 2012 at 10:34 amWith kids in the house, I have always been worried about toxic cleaners getting into their hands. I have been researching for safer products and have found that some janitorial cleaning supplies are the safest. They come in child-proof and break-resistant containers and are also very easy to organize. I would recommend these products to anyone who is trying to avoid toxicity with their cleaning products.
Marjoire says
January 31, 2013 at 10:30 amAnother good option for oven cleaning is the self-clean function that many ovens have now. It literally burns everything off! After the oven cools, just wipe out the remaining ash!
Micaela says
February 1, 2013 at 11:43 amGood point Marjoire! I use the self cleaning option on my oven. It stinks while it's happening but boy does it make the oven easy to wipe clean!
Kathryn says
August 6, 2018 at 7:56 pmI’m experiencing some drain issues now so I’m going to check out those enzymes. Thanks!
Micaela says
August 7, 2018 at 10:18 amOh good! Hope it helps!