Ok. So I went to the
Kitchen Stewardship blog site today, actually from a link in the email feed for another post, and was thrilled to find out that the
Spring Cleaning Carnival (SCC) post was up! I read through the entire thing a couple of times, taking time to get the background from various links shown throughout the entry.
I went through our apartment at, oh, let's just say 'close' to midnight and found the following potential 'nasties':
- Dawn antibacterial hand/dish soap
- Mr. Clean w/Febreze multi-surface cleaning
- DC Home Lemon Bleach
- Febreze extra strength
- Glade Powder Fresh room spray
- GV Sheer Spring Laundry Detergent
- GV Fresh Scent Color-Safe Bleach
(Please note I am not passing judgment on the above products. I mean, we've been using them to clean and disinfect, so they are apparently meeting a perceived need.)
The dish soap contained 'triclosan', one of the evil elements in question. Two of them contained the other - bleach. The remaining products (#2, 4, 5, and 6) did not list either triclosan nor bleach, but had the usual "touch or inhale this product and you can kiss your *ahem* life goodbye" warnings. To me that would mean, if there is a safer alternative, wouldn't that be a good idea? My dear husband (DH) and my dear son #2 (DS2) both suffer from sometimes horrendous allergies, so eliminating potential irritants is of great interest here.
And, I must confess, I have searched out "antibacterial" products in the past. *cringe-have mercy on me*
My level of action is a combination of "baby steps" and "making strides". Wholesale replacement is not a possibility for us right now, especially since I'm in the middle of an indefinite medical leave from my work due to on-the-job injury to my right arm. (Thank goodness computer use is not painful! *haha*)
Subscribing to the theory that it's not 'really' the new day until the sun comes up, I will say that on Monday, 3/22, I went through my family's pantry/cleaning products, identifying sources of triclosan and bleach.
For the rest of the week:
Tuesday 3/23 - go through our personal hygiene products etc (see the "sneaky sources" info at the Spring Cleaning Carnival post linked above)
Wednesday 3/24 - search a list of 5 articles on triclosan and/or bleach's effects on people, to be read one a day starting on Thursday 3/25 until Monday 3/29.
Thursday 3/25 - make a list of supplies needed to
make homemade cleaning products (click on the link to see Kitchen Stewardship's (KS's) post on the subject).
Friday 3/26 - make a lesson plan for our DS1 (age 13) relative to his capabilities of understanding on the subject.
Saturday 3/27 - make a lesson plan for our DS2 (age 11) ...
Sunday 3/28 - make a lesson plan for our dear daughter DD-age 7 ...
Monday 3/29 - amass at least some of the supplies identified on 3/25 by repurposing or purchasing.
*breathe* . . . "Baby steps, baby steps"
