The dirty truth about your household cleaners

Real talk: Most commercial cleaning products are full of super nasty, get-that-away-from-me ingredients. We know—it’s a total bummer! No stress though; I'll walk you through why and how you can stop settling and start choosing home-cleaning superstars.
Read on for the whole truth and nothing but the truth about your household cleaning products.

How toxic are my household cleaners?

At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, your run-of-the-mill cleaners are incredibly toxic.

According to the American Lung Association, the ingredients in most commercial solutions, sprays, and scrubs can:

Be air pollutants
Be harmful chemicals
Be flammable or corrosive
Irritate eyes and/or throat
Cause headaches
Contribute to health problems like chronic respiratory problems and allergies

Not only are these ingredients problematic, but they’re pretty far from your “let’s go green!” goals. Choosing cleaners with naturally derived ingredients is a win for you and a win for Mother Earth.

Yikes! Anything else I need to know?

Unfortunately, yes.

Brace yourself—manufacturers aren’t even legally required to list all ingredients. It sounds CRAZY, but toxic ingredients could be lingering in your laundry detergents and floor cleaners without you even knowing about it.
For example, some products such as carpet cleaners and dishwasher liquid release VOCs—volatile organic compounds. Experts say that some VOCs can irritate eyes, nose, and throat; create difficulty breathing and nausea; and cause harm to the central nervous system and other organs.

Thankfully, Young Living is incredibly meticulous about which ingredients are brought into the YL family. Want a list of stuff they will never, ever, ever mix with pure and precious essential oils? Enjoy!

That’s awesome! How do I clean without harsh chemicals?

For starters, trust me and don’t use any of the ingredients linked above.

The simplest way to get the job done—check the labels. Products can be greenwashed, meaning they have packaging that advertises as “green” or “natural” but sneak unwelcome ingredients into their formulas. Yuck! Learn more about greenwashing here: What is Greenwashing?

It’s also important to remember that these issues don’t solely apply to the cleaning aisle. When shopping for candles and air fresheners, avoid these factory-crafted temptations. Instead, mix and match essential oils and diffuse them for personal, unique household aromas.
Ultimately, if you can find companies and products with the mission to use from-the-earth, not-harmful, naturally derived ingredients, you’re golden. May I recommend Young Living? *wink, wink*

Yay! How can I find naturally derived cleaning products?

MY number one pick always and forever: THIEVES Household Cleaner!

With a blend of spicy, brisk scents that has all the cleaning power and none of the gross additives, it should get a special spot on your shelf.
Test out how effective these products can be with Thieves Household Cleaner. With an ultra-concentrated formula that has dozens of uses, just one bottle can clean your house from top to bottom. What’s more, Thieves Household Cleaner is only the start. Try out these superstars as well:

Pro tip: Swap out your toxic hand soaps with the delicious smelling and effective Lushious Lemon Foaming Hand Soap and these 30 simple swaps!

Ready to dive deep into all things clean (ingredients and household included)? Find more tips here. Want to know why YL relies on essential oils? See how they do things differently!

What’s your favorite tried and true cleaning product?

The dirty truth about your household cleaners