So, what could be so interesting about house cleaning that you would need a blog? Well, believe it or not, house cleaning has changed in a rather BIG way over just the past years. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane before we get to the good stuff.
Before cleaning products were sold in stores (such as in the 1800’s) folks used such things as vinegar and water or various combinations of soap and water. People experimented and found what they had laying around and gave it a try. Chemistry was just barely getting off the ground.
Slowly manufacturers began experimenting with combinations of chemicals in order to make the cleaning process easier. So by the 1950’s, manufacturing and product promotion was in full-swing. It was all about convenience and ease of use. No thought was to how safe was it for humans or the planet.
It wasn’t until the 1960’s and 70’s that suspicion began.. was having harsh toxic cleaning products and toxic insecticides on our food might not be a good idea. It was just sort of a common sense thing. But locating safe products was somewhat difficult. The term organic became more prominent and desirable, so folks started to look for organic, natural products. They shopped in small boutique mom & pop health-food stores and bought products outside the normal distribution channels, such as multi-level marketing and by word of mouth.
However, by the 1980’s scientific data began to emerge which tracked the increase in allergies, asthma and other illnesses. Still, organic and natural safe cleaners were not even remotely main-stream. There were few choices and most of us just didn’t give it a second thought. We went to the grocery store and purchased dozens of cleaning products- oven cleaners, window cleaners, shower cleaners, floor cleaners, etc., etc. We did what our mom and dad taught us. Who knew.
By the 1990’s real-time data and toxicology science began accelerating. You could statistically observe a dramatic increase in the number of cases of allergies, asthma, virulent viruses and other such diseases.
asthma.pngIt was thought, and still is for the most part, this increase is primarily due to our overall exposure of toxins that permeate society today. No one knows for certainty whether we become ill from any one particular type of exposure such as toxic household cleaning products, or just the vast array of emissions and toxic substances we surround ourselves. It’s anyone’s guess at this point.
Today, with the turn of the new millennium, the term organic and “green” cleaning has finally reached critical mass. Although most of us are still cleaning with toxic products, if you mention the idea of cleaning your home with a safer product, the concept is immediately understood. In fact, many of us today have personal experience with various diseases such as allergies and chemical sensitivities. Would you believe that allergies and asthma now represent over 24% of the entire US population? That’s 84 million people suffering from an aliment from which we may be able to something about.
Of course, the challenge today is knowing what products to buy and whether they are effective cleaners… but at least the options and choices are increasing very rapidly. Even the common gocery store is carrying a variety of alternatives.
