Bleach
There are many reasons to keep bleach out of your house — from accidental poisoning of kids and pets to highly reactive toxicity when combined with other chemicals — but for the purpose of this episode, I want to talk about what it does to our overall health and wellness.
Product Recommendations
Hydrogen Peroxide
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Lemon
Castile Soap
Oxygen Whitener from Clean Mama (use code ‘CLP’ for 15% off)
Episodes Mentioned
Listen to the CLEANING SUPPLIES episode here.
Sources
https://healthcare-communications.imedpub.com
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Transcript
In one of the very first episodes of this podcast about Cleaning Supplies, I mentioned some concern about the household cleaners that were being used in my son’s daycare and specifically named bleach.
I wasn’t necessarily worried about him being one of the 250,000 children a year who are rushed to the ER after drinking bleach — I was thinking more about the effect on his developing gut microbiome and the long term effects it could have.
So, that’s what we’re talking about in today’s episode — why you and your family should steer clear of bleach.
There are many reasons to keep bleach out of your house — from accidental poisoning of kids and pets to highly reactive toxicity when combined with other chemicals — but for the purpose of this episode, I want to talk about what it does to our overall health and wellness.
The human microbiome is made up of all of the good bacteria, microorganisms, fungi and even viruses that live in and on our bodies in perfect symbiosis. These microorganisms help us stay healthy in a variety of ways and a diverse microbiome supports our immune system in ways even researchers are still working to understand.
There are several reasons that your microbiome may be unhealthy, leading to leaky gut, allergies, asthma and other inflammatory diseases — but one of them is the overuse of disinfectants.
I will say this first, I am not saying that we should stop cleaning our homes, our bodies, our children or our pets. And yes, we are in the middle of a pandemic so it is still important to stop the spread of germs, to wash your hands, clean your countertops, etc.
This episode is not an attack on sanitation and cleanliness. It is more of a suggestion to be mindful of what you’re using to accomplish that cleanliness.
Because as you’ve probably picked up from this podcast by now, there is almost always a healthier, safer, less toxic alternative to what giant marketing engines have been telling us is the better and only way.
So, here are some natural ingredients that accomplish the same whitening and disinfecting goals that bleach does:
- Hydrogen Peroxide: Is a great bleach alternative thanks to its properties as a disinfectant. We think of hydrogen peroxide when we have to clean a cut or a wound but it can actually be mixed with water to clean surfaces. It will even go so far as to fight salmonella. You can also use it to whiten your laundry whites — just add a cup to your laundry machine.
- White Vinegar: It’s around 80% effective against viruses and mold bacteria, which makes it a great choice for a natural disinfectant. It can also brighten your clothing and even help remove soap residue. Just pour into your washing machine as you would with bleach or simply soak your clothes in a mix of vinegar and hot water to help remove stains.
- Castile soap: You can use castile soap to keep almost everything clean in your home. It’s vegetable based, natural, and a very gentle soap that is safe to use around children and pets.
So, in this episode’s “This for That” segment, I’m suggesting the natural alternatives that I just mentioned and I’ll recap them again in the show notes. I’ve also linked to an Oxygen Whitenered from Clean Mama as well as a discount code. Go to cleanlivingpodcast.com/bleach
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today make sure to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice, so you don’t miss an episode. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.
