The average home contains over 60  toxic chemicals; some of which are in common household cleaners. Prolonged exposure can lead to serious illnesses and sometimes  death.   These irritants can be particular dangerous to the elderly, children and pregnant women.  

Here are 6 of the most deadly ones.

1. Ammonia

Not only can ammonia trigger asthma, it can kill  if mixed with common bleach.  Prolonged exposure to ammonia can cause chemical burns to the lungs and skin as well as scarring of the cornea.

2. Carpet Shampoo

Some shampoos used for carpets contain perchloroethylene, a known carcinogen, which can cause kidney, and nervous system damage. Some also have ammonium hydroxide, which is an eye, skin and lung irritant.

3. Dishwasher detergents

Many of the common dishwasher products have dry chlorine and are the #1 cause of accidental child poisonings.  You can possibly absorb the particles of dry chlorine that may still remain on your dishes as you heat your food.  Damage to mucous membranes and the throat are also some of the  problems associated with dishwasher detergents.

4. Furniture polish

Petroleum distillates are often found in many  furniture polishes.  Now only are they very flammable, but they can also cause lung and skin cancer.  Other chemicals in furniture polishes  to watch out for are  phenol and nitrobenzene which can be absorbed through the skin.

5. Toilet Bowl Cleaners

Often containing hydrochloride acid which is a corrosive, they can irritate  the eyes and skin and can cause possible damage to the  kidney sand liver. Toilet bowl cleaners are very dangerous if swallowed, causing vomiting, coma and under some circumstances, pulmonary edema.

6. Air fresheners

A common chemical in many air fresheners is formaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen, as well as phenol which can cause hives, and the burning and peeling of the skin.

How can you protect yourself and your loved ones from these dangers?

1. Always wear gloves as you do housework

This will keep you from absorbing many chemicals through the skin of your hands.

2. Open your windows and circulate the air

You can also protect you family with such indoor plants as areca, lady palms, bamboo and ferns, which can help absorb toxic substance in the air.

3. Use baking soda, salt and water paste to clean your oven instead of commercial oven cleaners.

Don’t let your ovens go so long until grease and grime build up to the point you have to use strong chemicals.  Clean your oven more often with softer and safer cleaners. Next time purchase a self cleaning oven.

4. Only use"green" dishwasher detergents

Look on the label and only buy those detergents that are phosphate and chlorine free.

5. Clean your carpets with simple but effective cleaning mixtures you make up yourself

Baking soda and water work well for your carpets.  Also use salt for wine or fruit stains. Club soda can be used effectively for lighter stains while you can deodorize your carpets with baking soda and cornstarch.

The real secret to effective cleaning is to get the stains up quickly before they dry. 

Becoming aware of  the hazards of common household cleaners will help keep your family safe.  This is especially important for your elderly loved ones and could help you avoid many cancer dangers as well as other serious health problems lurking in your own home.   

Popularity: 28% [?]

• Could Lead Exposure Be the Cause of Dementia in Aging Adults? New studies about lead exposure are raising more questions than answers about dementia and brain decline in aging adults....
• Nursing Home Visit Complete With Lindbergh Story, Visiting Baby Burros and a Tornado Warning Is Anything But Dull How could I have ever thought a nursing home visit could be dull? Yesterday My 82-year old Dad and I visited a nursing home in Brentwood, Tennessee. I had no idea it would become an adventure. We were visiting a 97-year old lady who told us a childhood story of......
• Baby Boomers Get Specially Designed Technology Such new products as the Looj, a robotic gutter cleaner, Honda's Element, and Samsung's Jitterbug, are proving older seniors are still an excellent market. Baby boomers are still special- as in there's plenty of money for spending......
• "Our Parents Are Dying"  This is a very personal post dealing with one of the most painful aspects of aging. Watching those we love growing weaker. Yesterday, all this hit home as one of my best friends could not come to church.  She was dealing with an emergency room visit with her aging parent who had suddenly......
• Are Anti-Aging Treatments All Hype? More about how the skin ages is being discovered all the time. For example, many wrinkles are really caused by collagen collapse....

• Cheap toys may hurt your child's hearing My daughter likes to reach for the phone when my wife is talking. Especially when she hears my voice over the speakerphone. (Hey -- she doesn't know any better yet!) So we got her her own phone so that she could talk just like Mommy and Daddy. My wife was......
• What Is 1,4-Dioxane And Why You Should Avoid It. 1,4-dioxane, often just called dioxane, is primarily used as a solvent in manufacturing situations but is also commonly found in personal care products because it is an accidental byproduct of the ethoxylation process that goes on when cosmetic products are made. (ethylene oxide is added to fatty acids in......
• From The Good Human Archives - August 2007. For new readers of The Good Human and for those of you who may have missed them the first time around, here are a few of my favorite articles from a year ago this month. Even I forget about what was written that long ago! Is It Any Wonder Why......
• Green Home Makeovers that are Easy and Affordable Are you looking to save the environment, but you cannot afford costly options like solar panels? Are you looking for a way to cut down on your energy costs, but are not all together sure about installing wind turbines in your back yard? Don't worry! There are plenty of things......
• Clorox Doing Their Best To Greenwash Themselves. I have written before about how companies are doing their best to become more "green", and the last example that I wrote about was when Clorox bought Burt's Bees for $925 million dollars. Why would Clorox be interested in Burt's Bees? Because Clorox is best known for making a toxic......