From ‘99.9% of Bacteria’ to Acid: 5 Myths About Toilet & Floor Cleaners Busted

Like most 90s kids, I grew up watching advertisements about how THIS floor cleaner disinfects the house with just one swipe and how THAT toilet cleaner leaves (almost) no bacteria alive in the commode. Of course, I never gave a second thought to these advertisements but they invariably guided my shopping choices.

Fast forward to 2020, when I attended a session about a revolutionary toilet cleaner that boasted of not killing 99.9 per cent bacteria and also burst my bubble about how toilet cleaners can work in synergy with nature!

The experience was an eye-opener indeed! If you, like me, have been brainwashed into choosing between strong-smelling harsh acids for cleaning toilets or floors, here are six myths that will change the way you think about home cleaners.

1. That Acid is the Only real Toilet Cleaner

Hydrochloric acid, Sodium lauryl ether sulfate and Sodium hydroxide can cause serious burns to the human body. That is common knowledge. And they do exactly the same thing to the dirt and stains in your toilets. They simply burn everything in their way and when you flush or mop, the acid and the burnt particles are let into your pipelines.

But is burning the only cleaning solution we have? Surprisingly, no. If you leave a banana peel in the open for a few days, you see how it decomposes gradually. The bacteria in the air and in the soil act on organic waste. What if we bring these good bacteria and make them powerful enough to do the same job in our toilets, but quicker?

These bacteria-based toilet cleaners by The Better India do exactly that. Bacteria release bio enzymes that help in the cleaning of stains. So, to make your home safer and cleaner, we made these planet-friendly cleaners. Click here to get your subscription for them now!

2. A Promise to kill 99.9 per cent Bacteria is a Good Promise

Kedar Kulkarni, a biotechnologist from Pune who has done extensive research on this subject shares, “What is your first impression of bacteria? Is it that they are unhygienic and best eliminated from our surroundings? Well, we are forgetting that bacteria are one of the most crucial beings on this planet and are also present in our bodies. By killing 99 per cent of bacteria from the floor, you are over sterilising it — a necessity only in hospital wards.”

For a home, the infectious and obviously bad bacteria need to go but that does not mean you need to use the strong-smelling, skin irritant phenyl to do the job. Phenyl, much like acid, kills everything in the way. A bacteria-based cleaner can work just as efficiently and without harming the ecosystem that it is finally flushed into.

3. It’s just a Few drops of Acid…

… said a million people every week, as they poured acid in their toilet bowls. The frothing in Bengaluru lakes is one example of how the tiniest of our actions accumulate to harm nature around us. True, industrial effluents also played a part in ruining the lakes but that does not atone us of our sins of pouring acid in them.

While acids directly corrode the solid material in their way, bioaccumulation also plays a huge part in damaging ecosystems. Bioaccumulation is when an organism consumes a substance faster than its ability to break it down for digestion or excrete it. The highly toxic acid particles that we send into our water bodies accumulate in the marine species bit by bit, creating a long-lasting, even fatal effect on them. One family accounts for about 50 ml of acid every weekend. Multiply this by the population of your city. That is the damage we create while cleaning our toilets and floors.

4. The Toilet Stinks because the Cleaner isn’t Fragrant Enough

Dehydration, diet and health conditions may lead to our urine smelling like ammonia. If left untreated, this smell can spread in your toilet making it stink terribly. So what is the solution? Just like a spray of perfume only masks your sweat but leaves you stinking within minutes, so does a toilet cleaner trying to mask the smell of ammonia. The answer is not to keep spraying aerosol every few minutes. Rather, use a cleaner that promises deep cleaning of uric acid in a sustainable way – both environmentally and in terms of how long the effects last.

5. The Options for a Good Floor Cleaner are Scarce

A myth that I personally believed until very recently. Sad as I was that my toilet cleaner damages ecosystems, I found no way out. The Better Home cleaners cleared these clouds effortlessly. The toilet and floor cleaners contain dormant bacteria extracted from nature and these beings secrete enzymes that help in breaking down complex substances – like the stubborn stains in toilets and grease on floors. When flushed, these bacteria continue the same job in your pipelines. They have been tested negative for toxicity and are proven to have a lifespan of fewer than 28 days when they enter ecosystems. Even in those 28 days, they have nearly zero effect on plant and animal species they interact with.

These cleaners are not just eco-friendly but a part of nature, in a way! Which means, they clean our homes efficiently and do not harm nature.

Wonderful, right? We certainly think so. Click here to get your subscription box now!

Also Read: Most Regular Floor Cleaners Have These Harmful Chemicals. Here’s Our Safer Option

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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