How To Clean Your Home Without Compromising Your Air Quality

Everyone strives to have a clean home. Sure, sometimes life gets hectic, and we get behind on our chore list. But overall, we all want a tidy, not-smelly, fresh-feeling space. Have you ever paused to consider what's in the products you're using to achieve that clean feel, though? 

It's easy to grab that bottle of bleach or air freshener without considering if they're having long-term effects on your health. Spoiler alert, the effects are not very good. Sure, they leave your home smelling "clean" and looking spotless, but at what cost? 

When you think of why it's important to clean your home, chances are that the first few thoughts involve making the space look nice and eliminating things like germs and bacteria. Those are all important factors! However, there's a neglected element here that we need to consider: Cleaning improves our indoor air quality. Or, at least, it should! 

When we clean, we eliminate small particles like dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, dust mite feces, and anything else lying around on surfaces throughout the home. This is incredibly important because when those surfaces are disturbed by a gust of air or walking over them, all those particles will become airborne and enter your body through inhalation. 

The less clean a surface is, the more particles will be present, and the more exposure you will face with every breath you take. Cleaning should keep these levels low so that your indoor air quality and home support your well-being. It also helps reduce exposure to nasties like viruses and bacteria—a double bonus. 

That being said, if the cleaning products you're using add contaminants to your air while cleaning, that's not exactly the air quality improvement you're looking for. In fact, it negates the benefits.

These scent-filled products don't just add a nice smell to your home–they also add a cocktail of chemicals. Many contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs)1, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, and toluene. 

Many variations of this common cleaning product contain sodium hypochlorite and other chlorine-based compounds, which release harmful fumes2 when used in a home. These fumes negatively impact indoor air quality and can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory system, leading to symptoms like coughing, headaches, and watery eyes. 

Long-term exposure has also been linked to asthma2, pneumonia, and COPD. In short, it's not incredibly healthy for our bodies. Also, mixing bleach with products like vinegar or ammonia creates toxic gases that are incredibly hazardous to our health.

These products can be unhealthy for a variety of reasons. Many oven cleaners contain corrosive materials like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Inhaling these chemicals can lead to swelling of the larynx, an accumulation of fluid in the lungs, eye irritation, inflammation of the lungs, and coughing. 

These cleaning products often contain fragrance chemicals such as phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors. They can also contain a range of VOCs, which, as we know, trigger a long list of potential exposure-related symptoms. 

Many laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets contain harmful chemicals that can compromise your indoor air quality. Synthetic fragrances4, for example, release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when these products are used. 

One study found that many laundry and household cleaning products may significantly increase the risk of serious health issues—including fertility problems, asthma, heart and lung disease, ADHD, autism, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. 

A clean home should have no smell… 

I know, it goes against everything we've been taught over the years. Typically, we associate bleach or synthetic lemon fragrance with cleanliness, but that couldn't be further from the truth. 

Not only are these products not always best for cleaning surfaces, but that smell is an indoor air-quality no-no. Synthetic odors mean there are particles and gases within the air you're breathing that are then making their way into your lungs. To reduce exposure to these harmful substances, avoid cleaning products with "fragrance" in the ingredient list. 

The best cleaning products for our homes are those that harness the power of botanical ingredients to deal with contaminants. 

Instead of harmful components, botanical products use ingredients like essential oils to effectively clean and remove toxic particles that can cause adverse health reactions. These nontoxic ingredients also do not decrease indoor air quality with harmful chemicals and reduce the risk of exposure-related reactions. 

I like to look for products containing natural ingredients like Thymol, derived from thyme oil, to target microscopic contaminants. These options are often effective, eco-friendly, and perfect for a variety of surfaces throughout the home.

Botanical products can be particularly beneficial for those with compromised or lowered immune systems who are particularly sensitive to the chemicals emitted by common cleaning products. With indoor air quality becoming increasingly toxic, though, every step taken to reduce the contaminants in our environments benefits everyone in the space. 

A note of warning here is that not all products that market themselves as "green," "natural," or "eco-friendly" are truly healthy options. Coined as "greenwashing5," companies can use the lack of regulations regarding these words to market their products as healthy alternatives while they still may contain harmful elements such as VOCs. 

Swapping out chemical-laden products with botanicals will greatly improve the safety and effectiveness of your cleaning routine. But don't stop there! Other replacements can further enhance the effectiveness of cleaning. 

When it comes to cleaning your home, the products you choose matter just as much as the cleaning itself. Opting for botanical-based cleaners ensures that your home is free of dust, contaminants, and harmful chemicals that can negatively impact indoor air quality. 

It’s time to rethink what we use to clean to keep our homes safe and healthy for everyone living there.