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10 Questions to Find out How Your Home Is Poisoning You
When we first started looking into home cleaners, our ignorance about what they contained shocked us. We would like to change that shock into understanding. So here's a quiz to jumpstart you on your journey as well. To play: Swipe/click the option you select.
How much bacteria does your cleaner promise to kill?
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99.9%
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This kills almost all of the good, healthy bacteria along with the odour causing harmful bacteria. Over sterilisation is a lousy idea for houses.
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Some bacteria
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A targeted action against harmful bacteria while catalysing the growth of healthy bacteria keeps surfaces clean for a long time. Get The Better Home products for sustainable cleaning of your home.
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0 bacteria
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Ineffective cleaners may give you a strong fragrance but are not doing their job of killing the bacteria that may cause infections.
Which of these is the dominant ingredient in your floor cleaners?
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Perchloroethylene
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Commonly used to dry-clean clothes, degrease metals or in strong floor cleaners, Perchloroethylene (or perc) can cause lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting if inhaled or swallowed.
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Triclosan
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An antibacterial and antifungal agent, Triclosan is as tough on you as it is on the stubborn stains. Absorbing the chemical through the skin or inhaling it can result in the weakening of your immune system, asthma and abnormal endocrine system.
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Plant based bacteria
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As opposed to synthetic chemicals, enzyme-secreting bacteria can do their job efficiently without being a threat to the environment. They are healthy for the planet and safe for you. The sustainable cleaners from The Better Home promise this.
Surfactants are compounds that reduce surface tension between liquids and solids, thus making toilet cleaning easy. Which of these surfactants does your toilet use?
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Sodium Laureth Sulfate, SLES
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SLES is a known irritant that, similar to HCl, can cause damage to the eyes and skin. Do wear protective gear if you are handling the synthetic acid in a concentrated form.
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Anionic Surfactants
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Procured safely and equally safe for your home, these natural chemicals ensure deep cleaning of your toilet bowl. They continue their work even after you flush, keeping your pipelines clean and stink-free.
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Cetrimonium chloride
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Another example of a chemical widely used in our toilet cleaners, Cetrimonium chloride can be hazardous if swallowed or inhaled. Use gloves if using the chemical in a concentrated form.
With kids playing and pets lounging on the floor, you need it to be spotless. But how much do you trust the chemicals in your floor cleaners?
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100%
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Cleaners with bacteria are derived from nature and do not threaten the health of babies. While they are tough on stains, they are quite skin-safe. You can trust the sustainable cleaners from The Better Home.
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50-50
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My floor is now spotless, but I am not too sure how safe the chemicals in my floor cleaner are.
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0%
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I know the synthetic chemicals in the floor cleaners are hazardous and even toxic.
What among the following does your laundry detergent promise?
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Fragrant laundry
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Synthetic fragrances added in our laundry detergent do not decompose quickly. They can prove to be a threat to the ecosystem outside your home.
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Spotless clothes
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Enzymes, bleach and surfactants work together to clean that dirt, the spilt coffee and the chocolate stains from your clothes. Today, most of these chemicals are synthetic and hard to break down.
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Both of these and biodegradability
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A good laundry detergent need not damage the planet. It can be efficient and earth-friendly at the same time. The sustainable cleaners from The Better Home promise this.
Which of these cleans your toilet most efficiently?
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Acid
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Although we have come to associate acid with toilet cleaners, it merely burns the solids in its way, Once you flush, the acid drains into the pipelines, where it keeps burning what comes in contact.
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Bacteria
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When sourced from the right places and blended in the right combination, bacteria can ensure the deep cleaning of your toilets. With regular use, they keep your bathroom odour-free days after the cleaning.
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Bleach
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This cleaner is quite harmful on its own, but when it comes in contact with ammonia, bleach reacts to form chlorine gas. Inhaling the fumes can damage the lungs and other internal organs.
How does your dishwashing liquid clean burnt food and grease from cookware?
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With plant-based surfactants
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Surfactants have a tough job to do. But plant-based ones can do it as efficiently as the synthetic ones- even better in fact, for they don't harm the environment.
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Disodium EDTA
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In diluted forms (as in your dishwashing liquid), this chemical is not very harmful. However, it is a "penetration enhancer" meaning it penetrates through surfaces to allow cleaning agents in. This surface can be the pores of your skin pores as well.
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Phosphates
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These cleaning agents can be quite disruptive when released into ecosystems and is known to make algae grow unnaturally faster and thicker.
What do you do with your laundry water?
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Into the drains
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What else can I do with the washing machine water? Its job is done, and the pipes go directly in the drainage system.
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Water plants with it
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My detergent is planet-friendly, and I can use my laundry water to water my garden.
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Clean my bathroom with it
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I hand wash my clothes and use the remaining water for the weekly bathroom cleaning.
What kind of dish cleaner is the best?
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Liquid
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Dishwashing gels contain synthetic chemicals, surfactants and foaming agents that stay on your plates long after you rinse them.
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Bar
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The harsh bar does as much harm to steel and iron cookware as they do to your hands. They leave your hands rough and cannot be easily rinsed off with water.
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Plant-based cleaners
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Dish cleaning doesn't require synthetics. Plant-based enzymes are enough to leave them clean, with no traces of germs or stains.
What do you think is the best way to clean your home?
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Synthetic cleaners
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Yes, these cleaners are designed to break through the most stubborn stains. But they also come with the fair warning of physical harm, damage to your system and threat of harming ecosystems.
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Acids and bleaches
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Phenyl, bleaches and strong acids are used in hospital rooms and places that demand absolute sterilisation. Such disinfection is not required in our homes. We are killing good bacteria along with the harmful ones.
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Nature-derived cleaners
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Procured from nature, such cleaners ensure you don't have to choose between what's effective, what's good for you and what's good for the planet.
