Mindful Momma

Simple Inspired Natural Living


Get Rid of the 3 Most Toxic Cleaning Products in Your Home

Find natural, non-toxic replacements for the most toxic cleaning products in your home – including drain cleaner, oven cleaner and toilet cleaner.

Most Toxic Cleaning Products in Your Home

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

I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure

Here are the 3 most toxic cleaning products that you should do away with pronto:

Bathroom drain - non toxic drain opener ideas

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.

Baking soda, vinegar and other supplies used for DIY non-toxic oven cleaning

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

non-toxic toilet bowl cleaners

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:

Have you tried any replacements for the most toxic cleaning products in your home? Leave a comment with your ideas!

Want even more info about non-toxic cleaning so you can be CONFIDENT that your cleaning routine is safe? Check out my Green Cleaning Kickstart mini-course! 

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Sustainable Swaps Guide

About Mindful Momma

Micaela Preston is natural living educator and safe and sustainable product activist. She has spoken at conferences and events, has lobbied for safer chemical laws, and has consulted with many brands and businesses. Her book, Practically Green: Your Guide to Eco Friendly Decision Making was published in 2009.

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  3. Condo Blues says

    I 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!

    Reply

  8. Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama says

    Great 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 . . .

    Reply

  9. Karen Bannan says

    I 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…

    Reply

  11. Laura says

    Have 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

    Reply

  12. Pavlina says

    Are 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.

    Reply

  13. Green Cleaning Products says

    Natural 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.

    Reply

  14. Carol says

    We 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.

    Reply

  16. Mike Cornelia says

    With 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.

    Reply

  17. Marjoire says

    Another 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!

    Reply

  20. Neutrino Burst says

    Thanks so much for suggesting the ECOS earth enzyme cleaner. I’ve been using that for a couple of months now and it really is an wonderful eco friendly product for home.

    Reply