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ESSENTIAL
OILS- TRUE GREEN CLEANERS
By
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tawne_Bachus
The term “Green Cleaner” describes
non-toxic, environmentally safe
cleaning agents that contain
natural, bio-degradable ingredients.
These types of
cleaning products are growing in
popularity by leaps
and bounds and should be considered
for use by all
people, especially those people with
kids, pets,
allergies or a compromised immune
system.
Common commercial cleaners often
contain harsh
chemicals, air pollutants and
unnatural fragrances.
According to the Environmental
Protection Agency
(EPA), in some areas of the country,
the air quality
inside the home is twice as
dangerous as the air
quality outside the home. To fully
understand the
potential health risk of using
common commercial
household cleaners, simply pick one
up and read the
fine print on the label. You will
easily see bold
statements written entirely with
capital letters, such
as:
• “PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS: HAZARDS
TO HUMAN AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS.”
• “CAUTION: MAY CAUSE EYE
IRRITATION, AVOID CONTACT WITH
EYES.”
• “FIRST AID: IF SPRAYED OR SPLASHED
IN EYES,IMMEDIATELY REMOVE CONTACT
LENSES, AND RINSE EYES WITH
PLENTY OF WATER, FOR AT LEAST 15
MINUTES.”
• “STORAGE: STORE IN AREAS
INACCESSIBLE TO SMALL
CHILDREN.”
• “DISPOSAL: IF NOT REFILLING, RINSE
THOROUGHLY AND
DISCARD IN TRASH OR RECYCLE.”
Still don’t believe me? Pick any one
of the chemicals
listed as an “Active Ingredient” or
an “Inert
Ingredient” and locate the material
safety data sheet
for that chemical. According to
Wikipedia, “MSDS
(Material Safety Data Sheets) are a
widely used system
for cataloging information on
chemicals. MSDS
information may include instructions
for the safe use
and potential hazards associated
with a certain
chemical”. They are easy to find by
typing into your
favorite search engine the words
“Material Safety Data
Sheet” followed by the chemical’s
name, “Alkyl
Dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides,”
for example.
This will also provide a little bit
of free
entertainment. Like opening a
birthday present or
finding a chest of buried treasure,
when opening a
MSDS be prepare for many surprises
just around the
corner. You will learn things like,
whether or not
that particular ingredient is
flammable or better yet
it may even be explosive. You can
also learn about
first aid procedures, spill or leak
procedures,
additional health hazards and about
certain chemicals
that may be “incompatible” with the
chemical in your
household cleaner. In case you
missed that last part,
you can also learn about the
potential hazard that
exists when you combine all of the
chemicals from two or more different
commercial
cleaners. Unfortunately, to get two
complete cleaner chemical lists, you
would first have to take time to
read both labels and who has time
for that?
In our world, where most people look
for the
magic bullet solution and the
quickest, easiest way
out, the simple thing to do is to
stop using commercial cleaners and
begin using essential
oils. They are true “Green
Cleaners.” They can make
your house sparkling fresh, crispy
clean and extremely
pleasant smelling, while also
working hard to promote
a healthy environment. Essential
oils can be
extremely inexpensive, like the
original safe
cleaners: baking soda and vinegar.
But, they can also
provide dramatically better
fragrances, accompanied by
a list of additional benefits. Here
are a few
essential oils that truly work well
as household
cleaners. Try them! You may just
fall in love.
• Tea tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
is a common
disinfectant. It possesses a crisp,
medicinal scent
that screams clean. It is also
anti-viral,
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and
anti-parasitic.
• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus &
Eucalyptus
Radiata) is such a common
disinfectant that it has
found a home in such mainstream
products as Vicks
VapoRub. Like Tea Tree it also has a
crisp, medicinal
scent. It may be used as an all
purpose cleaning
agent and by adding a few drops to
your washing
machine, you may even kill dust
mites. It is
anti-viral, anti-bacterial,
anti-parasitic.
• Lavender (Lavendula Vera
Officinalis) contains an
extremely pleasant floral scent and
has been known to
keep moths away from clothes and
closets. It is also
a nice addition to any load of
laundry. Use a couple
of drops on a wet washcloth in the
dryer. It can be
used in wood floor-washing water and
it can be used to
scent linen water. Add several drops
to any spray
bottle filled with water and shake
well before use.
It is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and
anti-fungal.
• Orange: Quite possibly no scent is
more universally
clean than the citrus sensation of
orange. This
cleaner has taken the Green Cleaning
world by storm.
It might even be the single most
promoted Green
Cleaning agent. Add a few drops to
your laundry or
your spray bottle of water and shake
well before use.
It should help get tough stains out
and may reduce the
elbow work necessary to cut through
grease. It is anti-bacterial and
known to kill E.Coli on contact.
• Lemon (Citrus Limonum): Quite
possibly no scent is more
universally
clean than the citrus sensation of
orange, except of
course, lemon. Like orange oil,
lemon oil is a great
addition to a spray bottle of water.
It is also
excellent for furniture when mixed
with a little olive
oil. After applying lightly to
furniture, give your
furniture a nice shine by buffing it
with a clean
cloth. It is anti-bacterial and
anti-viral and is known to fight the
flu.
• Pine: Think about the number of
commercial cleaners
containing a pine scent. It smells
fantastic and
works even better. This floor
cleaner can go into any
bucket of washing water for the
bathroom or kitchen.
It can also be added to baking soda
and then sprinkled
directly on carpet for a vacuum
deodorizer that is
second to none. It is anti-viral and
anti-bacterial and is also known to
fight the flu.
These natural cleaners destroy
unwanted household
odors and contaminants. They are
inexpensive,
effective and most importantly safe.
Begin taking your
health and safety seriously. Stop
relying on
dangerous and sometimes harmful
chemical cleaners.
Begin to experiment with essential
oils. Find the
scents and combinations that please
you the most.
Protect yourself, your family and
your pets with
essential oils. They are true green
cleaners and you
may even sleep better at night.
Copyright © 2007 Tawne Bachus
Disclaimer: This article has not
been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration. The information in
this article is not intended for use
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent
any disease.
Tawne Bachus is the current Vice
President of [http://essential-dynamics.com
]Essential Dynamics, Inc., a leading
provider of undenatured whey
protein, essential oils and other
products for essential living. For
more information on these three
subjects, please visit the [http://blog.essential-dynamics.com
]Essential Dynamics Blog Home Page
or to purchase these products
online, please visit [http://shop.essential-dynamics.com
]Essential Dynamics Online Shopping
Cart.
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