Household Products

One of the household products I use is the Amway Legacy of Clean Multi-Purpose Cleaner. The reason why I began to use this product is that according to the labeling it is multi-purpose, dermatologist tested, biodegradable, and has the EPA Safer Choice label on it. All these things led me to believe that I was purchasing a safer product. The biggest health concerns related to this product are an irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract and ingestion. As with the majority of cleaning products, consuming, direct inhalation or eye contact is always a major concern, so this did not surprise me. Other than this no other major health concerns were found with this product. 

The second product I reviewed was the Ultra Palmolive Oxy Power Degreaser. I have always used this brand for dish detergent because the formula is not watery and it does an excellent job of removing any grease or leftover food bits from my dishes. After reading over the health concerns I was not surprised to find that major concerns included skin and eye irritation, ingestion, and inhalation. This product was also determined to have an "acceptable environmental profile" according to the Environmental Occupational Health and Safety group of Colgate-Palmolive. This product is also biodegradable.

After reviewing two of the household products I frequently use I realized that in terms of health risks and environmental toxicity they are not as bad as I expected, for which I will continue to use these products.

Similar to the personal care products I reviewed in my previous post, people are not always aware of the risks associated with the products they use. Many consumers subscribe to the idea that the stronger the product the better it will work. Products labeled "Extra Strong" or "Power Degreaser" for example may lead people to believe they will work even better to get the job done, but do they really make a significant difference, or are they simply adding more chemicals to the products we already use and aiding to the contamination of our environment? Everyone should know about the risks associated with the products they use, but I think the reason why many don't is that they don't know where to find this information or they simply do not know what to do with that information once they have it.