Is your cleaner clean?

Let me begin by saying I've been removing any toxic cleaners, detergents, facial and cosmetic products (which is why I sell Ava Anderson Non-Toxic) from my home. Working part-time at a health food store, I found a new product we started carrying that caught my attention. It stated it was "non-toxic", "all-natural" and safe for everyone in the family.

But something bothered me.

It didn't list ingredients...it simply said "Coconut derived ingredients and natural oils". You know what that means to me? NOTHING!!! Coconut is how they derive some of the most toxic and cancerous ingredients. Just because it comes from a natural source DOES NOT mean it's still natural after they distill, heat and overprocess in order to make it what they want. They usually, then, mix it with overly toxic ingredients and say it's "natural" after they've altered the molecules of the "natural" source. Yes, it upsets me.

Even though it bothered me, I still purchased it because I figured it's can't be that bad.

Well, after the first time I used it, I had to open all the windows. It was a stronger smell than ammonia! In fact it smelled stronger than Windex but similar. I thought I would give it another try (it didn't even clean well and cost me $12.99). The next time I used it, my husband came into the bathroom where I had just finished using it and he couldn't believe the smell.

Then, he did a little research to see what the "REAL" ingredients were (I was embarrassed I didn't do this myself). What he found was more than a little disturbing. This is an excerpt:

Their active ingredient that they called butylcelosolv is Czech for 2-Butoxyethanol acetate, also known as Butyl Cellosolve. According to the Skin Deep Database, which rates it a 6 (moderate hazard), butoxyethanol has ties to cancer, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and more. (source) It’s used in hundreds of cleaning products, even as an oil spill dispersant, and “provides cleaning power and the characteristic odor of Windex and other glass cleaners. It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial and industrial cleaning solutions.” (source) It may not be a major environmental contaminant, but it certainly doesn’t sound safe!

Here’s a must-read from the Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Project:

2-Butoxy Ethanol is one of the most toxic of the glycol ethers.

You should use products containing butoxyethanol with extreme care. It is a poison that can easily absorb through your skin to harm you. When working with it, always wear gloves and goggles and be sure the you have enough ventilation.

The product I'm talking about is Charlie's Soap. They claim so much on their bottle and fail in every respect. I was beyond disappointed, I was upset!

I didn't use gloves because it said it was safe for the hands...etc.

Lies! Don't believe everything you read...read ingredients! In detergents or cleaners, they don't always have them. While Seventh Generation isn't always the cleanest, they ALWAYS label the ingredients. Clearly they feel they have nothing to hide.

For more info on Charlie's Soap, check out this blog: click here.