THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

Unlike manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products, companies that make cleaning products are not required to list the ingredients they put in their formulations on the package, bottle or box. This lack of disclosure can make it almost impossible for consumers to find the healthiest products.

Since 1993, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has shined a spotlight on outdated legislation, harmful agricultural practices and industry loopholes that pose a risk to our health and the health of our environment.

EWG’s research team took multiple steps to get the most up-to-date and accurate ingredient information, which typically required scouring more than one source. And for the majority of the products in EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning, there was no way to get a complete list of every ingredient.

It’s important to avoid exposing yourself or your family to harmful substances, especially children, who are particularly vulnerable to potentially hazardous chemicals that might be in everyday cleaning products.

Cleaning chemicals to avoid

  • Ethylene glycol ethers – including harsh solvents like 2-butyoxyethanol and butyoxydiglycol in soil and stain removers. They’re hazardous air pollutants linked to reproductive and developmental effects. 

  • Sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid – corrosive chemicals that can cause severe skin and eye damage. They’re typically found in products like oven cleaners, drain openers, hard water stain removers and toilet cleaners. 

  • Quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats, found in fabric softeners and disinfectants and sanitizers. They’ve been linked to asthma as well as reproductive harm and birth defects in animals. Avoid distearyldimonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride and other ingredients ending in “-onium chloride,” as well as non-specific terms like “cationic surfactant.”

  • Sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in chlorine bleach, which is associated with respiratory damage

STEER clear FROM

  • air- fresheners (plug-ins, wick and sprays)

  • anything that contains the ingredient “FRAGRANCE” (phthalates, etremely dangerous for hormone health and reproductive system)

  • anything that has “danger, warning, poison or fatal” on the label

  • anti-bacterial products

LOOK FOR FRAGRANCE-FREE AND PHTHALATES-FREE

(essential oils are not “fragrance”)

GET A COPY OF EWG’S GUIDE TO HEALTHY CLEANING HERE

SEARCH BY PRODUCT AND LEARN ALL ABOUT THEM HERE - useful to search products you’re already using or plan on buying

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MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO - PHTHALATES