Three Toxic Cleaning Ingredients – Check Your Cleaning Products for These…

Three Toxic Cleaning Ingredients to Watch Out For to Be Your Healthiest You

I thought it might be helpful to discuss three toxic cleaning ingredients to watch out for to be your healthiest you.  These are ingredients you will often find in your regular cleaning products and personal care items.

The first is sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS.  This ingredient is what makes cleaning products and personal products foam.  If you love your shampoo or liquid dish detergent and all the bubbles they make, be sure to check out the ingredients.  As lovely as all those bubbles are, sodium lauryl sulfate has been linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, organ toxicity, skin irritation and endocrine disruption.  Although SLS is derived from coconuts, during the manufacturing process, it is contaminated with a toxic byproduct.

Just as sugar has many different names, so does SLS.  You may see it listed as sodium dodecyl sulfate, sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, sodium salt, sodium salt sulfuric acid, sodium dodecyl sulfate, aquarex me or aquarex methyl, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), EWG is a great reference website if you are looking to live healthier.  You can visit their website at:  http://EWG.org

Ammonium lauryl sulfate, or ALS, is similar to SLS and poses similar risks.

Another ingredient to avoid is sodium laureth sulfate, or SLES.  SLES has even greater ability to make products foam and is slightly less irritating than sodium lauryl sulfate.

Next on our hit parade of nasty ingredients are triclosan and triclocarban..  Although the Food and Drug Administration banned triclosan from hand soaps and body wash in the country back in 2016, it can still be found in many products including toothpaste which, unbelievably, was not included in the ban! Lauded for its antibacterial properties back in the day, current wisdom maintains triclosan is no more effective than simple soap and water.

Triclosan weakens the immune system, and exposure of children to antibacterial products at an early age has been linked to an increase in asthma, allergies and eczema.

You may think there is not enough of any of these ingredients to harm you, but consider for a moment the accumulated damage that using them over a period of many years can do.  It’s not the one time usage, but the constant exposure to these ingredients than can cause us great harm.

You may want to read my last post on this subject to further understand the health benefits of changing to organic cleaning products. 

Changing to a healthier lifestyle is a process, and I’ve found that when I coach my clients, it’s a more manageable process if they begin with small steps.  I strongly suggest you go through your cleaning products and personal products to check them for these three toxic cleaning ingredients discussed above.  This is a great start to your new goal of a healthier life style!

Helping You Achieve Major Wellness in Your Life!

Cheryl A Major, CNWC

 I am Cheryl A Major, and I am dedicated to teaching others the way to better mental and physical health by learning a few simple principles of clean eating. Get started right away here at http://ThinStrongHealthy.com and you’ll be on your way to your own health revolution!