2 min read
Let’s be honest, with the coronavirus pandemic persisting, everyone is suddenly super particular about our home’s cleanliness, and may be tempted to clean and disinfect more often than usual. We take out our trusty cleaners which are often bleach-based. Those who prefer a natural way of cleaning may be resorting to using lemon juice, baking soda or whatever the trend is. But our best intentions to get our home safe could be at the expense of our health and that of the planet. Like a Mentos and Coke experiment, certain chemicals are just not meant to be mixed.
BE CAUTIOUS WITH BLEACH
Many of us grew up with house proud mothers who routinely cleaned loos, baths and sinks with bleach. Bleach is labelled as chlorine bleach or sodium hypochlorite, can be found in nearly every household cleaning products. It whitens, brightens, and is also a trusted disinfectant for surfaces and clothes because it removes bacteria right upon contact (the good and the bad).
Unfortunately, bleach is "highly corrosive, reactive, and oxidising", said Phoon Chee Wee, a senior specialist in medicinal chemistry and senior lecturer with Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Applied Science.
"It can generate many toxic chemicals when mixed," he said.
Well, mixed with what kind of chemicals?
Take, for instance, when “bleach fumes mix with limonene, a chemical that gives many household cleaners a citrusy smell, they may create tiny particles that may be damaging to both people’s and animals’ health", he added.
That sounds absolutely scary because we are all suckers for cleaners that smells absolutely amazing.
Not only that, bleach and ammonia, another commonly found chemical in household cleaner, is a toxic match. When combined, bleach will react with ammonia to generate a variety of chloramines such as monochloramine, dichloramine and trichloramine as well as flammable hydrazine which may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and could even damage the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.
Scary enough? These products should always be avoided but it is not always easy to spot the nasties. It is important to research cleaning and disinfecting products properly before we buy, esp of products which do not list individual ingredients on the label – it is a sure sign of a cover up. Companies that are proud of their ingredients palette will want to be transparent with their customers.
C2+ was born for this exact reason, because there were so few safe disinfecting products on the market. We were very keen to reduce the toxic load on our family, especially having young kids, we needed a more natural approach.
So join us in ditching the bleach and creating a sustainable planet for you and me.
For more on what not to combine, read this ariticle: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/trending/household-cleaning-products-bleach-ammonia-vinegar-baking-soda-14761336