A Clean Building Or Home Should Smell Like Nothing At All!

A Clean Building Or Home Should Smell Like Nothing At All!

Did you know that the fragrances in the traditional cleaning products could actually be harmful to your health and the environment? Because manufacturers are not required by law to list fragrance ingredients on the labels of cleaners, it is difficult to determine which chemicals may be used in any given product for scent. In most cases, you will see no more than the word "fragrance". Today, most fragrances are synthesized, primarily from petroleum products. About 3,000 chemicals are used in the fragrance industry, but very few of these have been tested for their cancer causing potential or other health effects. Most scented products contain multiple chemicals, including dangerous solvents to known or suspected carcinogens, reproductive toxins, neurotoxins, phosphates, borates, and nitrates to achieve a fragrance. A single fragrance usually contains multiple chemicals--as few as 10 chemicals to as many as several hundred. These chemicals pollute every thing from our indoor air to our drinking water. Commercial and household cleaners are often scented so that cleaning seems more effective and enjoyable. Most people say they don’t like green cleaning products because it doesn’t smell clean after their use. It’s true! Green cleaners typically do not have the strong chemical smell or added fragrances of conventional products, but do you know what else you’re missing when you miss the smell?

· You’re missing an increased risk of many types of cancer. In fact, a study recently conducted in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine links certain occupations to bladder cancer. Maid and janitorial workers, according to the study, were among the occupational groups found to experience above average incidences of bladder & rectal cancer. If chemicals affect us, then they affect you as well.

· You’re missing respiratory irritation. Many chemicals used in the fragrance industry are known irritants. For example, the commonly used citrus scent, d-limonene, can cause skin and eye irritation, difficulty breathing and bronchial irritation. It can also react with ozone to form tiny particles that aggravate lung and heart disease. Ethanol and Camphor used in many consumer-cleaning products is capable of causing headaches, shortness of breath, weakness and central nervous system depression and complete biological shutdown.

· You’re missing contaminated water. Synthetic chemicals in fragrance products don't just disappear into thin air. Both consumers and manufacturers are guilty of rinsing them down the drain. Wastewater treatment facilities do not screen out these chemicals, and they subsequently end up in our environment and drinking water. A U.S. Geological Survey Report on wastewater contaminants in America’s streams found fragrances in 27 percent of 139 streams studied.

You’re missing an association with asthma, allergies, birth defects, and psychological disorders for your office staff, family, friends, yourself, and even your children.

There is mounting evidence every day that many traditional cleaning products contain chemicals that are dangerous to the skin, eyes, lungs, kidneys or other organs. If dirt, dust, and germs are removed with “good smelling harsh chemicals”, then how are you removing the harsh chemicals that you have introduced into your home or office environment? Ironically, conventional cleaning chemicals actually increase indoor pollution and promote many of our health problems we are experiencing today.

Just to make things more confusing, it turns out that scent formulas are often protected as “proprietary information” by law. That means you’ll often see the generic term "fragrance" or "perfume" on a label without information about the actual chemicals used and the amounts. It also makes it impossible for research scientist to study the potential health effects of fragrances. Even products labeled "fragrance-free" may, in fact, contain fragrances. According to the self-regulated industry, the term "fragrance-free" implies that a product has no detectable odor, but it may contain fragrance used to mask a bad-smelling raw material.

I feel that it is my duty to educate consumers so that their office or home can be healthier through green practices. Remember: Just because you may not be able to smell cleaning products in your office or home after a green cleaning doesn’t mean it isn’t clean.

Thank you.

Roger D. Simpson “Certified Green Consultant”
Vice President

KISS Janitorial
13498 Pond Springs Road Bldg. "A"
Austin, Texas 78729
Office (512)-258-7003 Fax (512)-250-1225
Cell (512)-751-2402

What a wonderful life I've have.

I only wish I'd realized it sooner.

………….Colette

http://www.kisscleaning.com/