On a day-to-day basis I’m perfectly satisfied with cleaning with vinegar and baking soda; it’s effective and reduces my family’s chemical exposure.  When the flu virus rears its ugly head, however, my gut instinct is to pull out the the big guns: the Clorox bleach.  I can’t help it.  I’m looking for total annhilation.  I want to keep my kids healthy; I hate to see them sick.  I want those germs stopped in their tracks.

Don’t worry.  Knowing bleach has no place in the home, I stopped buying it long ago.

What can you do when you want to avoid exposing your children to toxic chemicals like bleach, but still kill the germs that will make them sick?

It’s simple. Keep white vinegar in a spray bottle, and 3% hydrogen peroxide in another.  (The bottle containing the hydrogen peroxide should be opaque, as it will degrade in a clear bottle.)  Spray your contaminated surfaces with the vinegar and follow with the hyrogen peroxide.

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Non-toxic cleaners are the far better, safer choice in household cleaning. That said, there is still some danger in any cleaning product. Your child could have an allergy to an ingredient, it might contain an eye irritant or could cause stomach upsets. This is much less of a concern than carcinogens and mutagens in cleaning supplies, but that doesn’t mean we can store our solutions under the sink in an unlocked cupboard and assume that our child is safe.

This topic came up last night with a girlfriend of mine, she is one of the most environmental people I know. She shot me an email saying, “As a Mom who has changed to eco-friendly products, be it Seventh Generation, or Vermont Soap Organic All Purpose Cleaner, or even a vinegar, baking soda and water mix- what if my child were to get into it, swallow it/drink it? How non-toxic is it really, as far as having to call 911, etc…? I mean, you still have to call a doctor, right? Even though it is “non-toxic” you should still follow some sort of instruction in case of eye contact/swallowing?”

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