Is Your Cleaning Company Poisoning You?

You might want to request the MSDS for all products used in you home...

Date Created: 2024, March 13

Keywords: toxin, toxic, cleaning, headache, cancer, congestion, inflammation, covid

This page accessed 504 times.
 

I live in an area where many people pay a cleaning company to clean their homes every week. If you are one of those people, you might be wondering why you suffer from a headache, tiredness, eye irritation and/or sinus and lung inflammation the day, or the day after, your house is 'cleaned'. There is definitely a reason for your suffering after your 'cleaning' company leaves your home filled with toxins.

After reading this you may want to consider discussing less toxic solutions for cleaning your home, especially if you really like your current cleaning service provider. There are a LOT of plant-based products on the market that provide the same level of cleaning and disinfecting as petroleum-based products - without the risks. Vinegar, peroxide, baking soda, a light oil such as sunflower, a couple of essential oils and plant-based soaps are all that is required for effective house cleaning. In addition to improving your health and safety, encouraging your current cleaning service to make the switch will improve the health and safety of your cleaning professionals. The benefits they receive include lower costs for cleaning solutions, fewer sick days for their employees and far fewer OSHA compliance headaches with regard to training employees and maintaining current Material Safety Data Sheets, less risks with spills and less risks of long-term health effects from cleaning multiple homes in a day. Switching is a win-win solution for everyone.

Currently, most 'cleaning' companies use many products that contain known harmful petroleum-derived chemicals. These include propane propellants for spray products, butane for quick drying, acetone for stripping oils and grease from things like stainless steel appliances. The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provide information on the harmful effects to health from the use of these products in unventilated areas such as sealed homes. MSDS information is based only on the use of a single product, not the use of multiple products used during house 'cleaning' that contain the same ingredients.

I've noted some of the most common products used by conventional cleaning companies along with quotes from and links to the MSDS for the products covered. ALL of these may be used at a single 'cleaning' leaving your home more of a toxic custom gas chamber than 'clean'...

Sprayway Glass Cleaner is one of the most common spray can glass cleaners used by conventional cleaning companies.
Use this link to access the Sprayway Inc. PDF MSDS for Sprayway Glass Cleaner
Section 3: Mixtures lists four ingredients: Ethanol, 2-butoxyethanol, Propane and Butane. Each of the ingredients is stated in a range of percentage of the product because, as explained in the notes below the listed ingredients, the exact percentage of each is a trade secret. Even if the highest level of each of the stated ingredients is used, the stated ingredients account for less than 25% of the product. The reason given for the rest of the ingredients being withheld, "Other components Composition Comments: are not hazardous or are below required disclosure limits." Please notice the 'or'. When using multiple products at one cleaning that may contain the same undisclosed ingredients, it is not only possible, but quite likely, that using multiple products that contain the undisclosed ingredients is hazardous.
Section 4 contains first aid measures. Skin is supposed to be washed thoroughly after exposure, eyes rinsed and flushed and seek medical attention if irritation persists, move to fresh air for inhalation. It is a spray product, some will certainly be inhaled. It does not list any symptoms of exposure requiring medical attention, except 'feeling unwell'. Pretty vague...
Section 7 states that users should wear personal protective equipment, but not provide any details on exactly what personal protective equipment should be used.
Section 8 does state exposure levels requiring personal protective equipment. However, when the levels of ingredients, and undisclosed ingredients, are not fully disclosed it is rather impossible without a chemical monitor to determine the levels in indoor air when the product is used and circulated through a home. At levels requiring personal protective equipment are reached, a face shield or goggles and respirator are required. Basically, the levels required for use of face shield/goggles and respirator are reached when you can smell the product, especially for the worker using the product and those in close proximity to the user of the product.
Most of the remaining health information is "No data available".
Section 11 covers toxicological information. It clearly states the product has not been tested. It simply lists levels for individual ingredients, not exposure to all of those ingredients at ONE TIME. It also does not take into consideration that multiple products that contain those ingredients may be used at ONE TIME, such as when used in your home by a 'cleaning' company. It does state that high or prolonged contact causes skin irritation, eye irritation with tearing and irritation of the nose, throat and upper respiratory tract.

Sprayway Stainless Steel Cleaner is one of the most common spray can stainless steel cleaners used by conventional cleaning companies. Use this link to access the Sprayway Inc. PDF MSDS for Sprayway Stainless Steel Cleaner
Section 3 Ingredients again covers only a few ingredients, but more than the glass cleaner. Petroleum distillates, white mineral oil which is another petroleum petroleum derived ingredient, acetone, propane, terpanoids supposedly derived from orange oil and citrol. As with the glass cleaner, the rest of the ingredients undisclosed and may, or may not, be known carcinogens.
Section 4 covers first aid. Don't get it on your skin, in your eyes or inhale the mist. Wash clothes before re-wearing.
Section 8 covers exposure controls and personal protection equipment. Wear goggles/face shield, impervious clothing (hazmat suit) and when used in an unventilated area use an appropriate respirator.

Only two products, used in one area such as a kitchen, in a home that is sealed and unventilated. Both require goggles/face shield and respirator. One requires a hazmat suit. Are these really 'cleaning' products or more suitable to creating a toxic gas chamber? Homes are sealed. Air circulating through an HVAC system is NOT a ventilated area. Ventilation requires fresh air to be introduced, such as air brought in from outside or through a proper filtration system, not a simple filter on a household HVAC system.

Let's move on to other products used by conventional 'cleaning' companies...

The most commonly used aerosol shower cleaner is Scrubbing Bubbles. Use this link to access the PDF MSDS for Scrubbing Bubbles
This one does list a whole bunch of ingredients. "Gasses under pressure" but does not specify which gasses are used for the propellant. "Causes eye irritation" Okie dokie. "Excessive exposure to spray mist, fog or vapour may cause respiratory irritation." Gee, eye irritation, respiratory irritation. Okay... The information sheet states that it contains: Isobutane, Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, Tetrasodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate, Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, Decyldimethyloctylammonium chloride, Dimethyldioctylammonium chloride, Didecyldimethylammonium chloride and some of the trade secret ingredients are, of course, undisclosed. Most of the other information is that it is exempt or data not available, whatever. Again, not really helpful when ALL ingredients are not listed.

The most commonly used aerosol wood cleaner is Pledge. Use this link to access the PDF MSDS for Pledge Aerosol Wood Cleaner
Same as the others. Most ingredients not even disclosed. Users are supposed to wear gloves. Can cause damage to skin such as cracking and can cause drowsiness/sleepiness. As with the others, not much information, most of the health/environment testing results are "No data available".

The most commonly used pump spray glass cleaner is Windex. Use this link to access the PDF MSDS for Windex
Wow... No ingredients listed. Well that sure is helpful. Closer to the end of the information sheet, it does mention water and ammonium hydroxite. No notes regarding proper protective equipment except gloves and to use in a well-ventilated area. This one is absolutely useless for determining safety of the product or potential allergen risks. It doesn't mention what is used for the colors or fragrance and many of the chemicals used for colors/fragrance are known carcinogens.

The most commonly used toilet bowl cleaner is Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Use this link to access the PDF MSDS for Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Causes chemical burns. May cause blindness. May cause respiratory tract irritation and/or chemical burns. Ingredients in this one include: Hydrogen chloride, alcohols, Ethoxylated aliphatic amines and, of course, undisclosed ingredients. Personal protective equipment includes chemical goggles, gloves and a respirator if using in an unventilated area.

A commonly used all-purpose and floor wash detergent is Fabuloso. Use this link to access the PDF MSDS for Fabuloso
This is yet another product used during a single house cleaning that causes eye irritation, respiratory tract irritation, skin irritation and allergic dermatitis on prolonged or repeated contact. Again, gloves and goggles are recommended during use. As with other cleaning products, no ingredients are listed. However, in Section 15, Regulatory Information, some ingredients that must be disclosed include: formaldehyde, methanol, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, gluteraldehyde, sodium sulfate.

Lastly, let's take a look at bleach...
Use this link to access the PDF MSDS for Clorox Bleach
Causes severe skin burns and serious eye damage. Safe handling includes: "Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, face protection, and eye protection such as safety glasses." Maybe that should be clearly stated on the front of the bottle? Nah. Wear safety glasses with side shields or face mask, rubber or neoprene gloves and protective clothing, respiratory protection must be provided. This shit shouldn't be in anyone's home, especially homes with small children.

If you read the MSDS for the products listed above, you'll notice these products are exempt from listing on harmful product registries and many do not have any toxicology studies done at all. However, examining individual ingredients discloses that many ingredients are harmful on their own, let alone in combination with other known toxic ingredients used when using multiple products at one time.

In addition, when these products go down the drain they either go to an onsite septic system or to a municipal waste facility. If the toxins go to an onsite septic system, they simply add poisons to your own property, risking the contamination of groundwater and wells in your area. If they go to a waste treatment facility, they are filtered out of the consumer waste water, along with toxins from all other homes in your area, and the dried toxic waste is relabeled 'biosolids' and spread on agricultural fields. This practice adds toxins to plants grown in the toxin-saturated crop land and runoff from rains and/or melting snow carry the toxins to streams and rivers which carry the toxins to lakes and even contaminate the oceans. While one house may sound minuscule, remember that the same toxins are pouring out of BILLIONS of homes all over the planet every single day.

You might want to consider requesting the MSDS for every product used to 'clean' your home. If you are concerned about the harms to your health and environment, maybe consider asking your 'cleaning' company if they can start using less toxic alternatives in your home. I've been cleaning with plant-based NON-toxic products most of my life. I am not dead and I never get 'sick'. If you and your family are often 'sick', maybe it's not 'sick' or some strange 'virus' or 'bacteria' causing your sickness, but reactions to the poisons most people use in their custom gas chambers, I mean homes, every day.


Updated Content:
RESOURCE LIST:

1. Sprayway (2023, May 26). Sprayway Glass Cleaner MSDS Sprayway Inc.. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
2. Sprayway (2023, March 9). Sprayway Stainless Steel Cleaner MSDS Sprayway Inc.. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
3. SCJohnson (2018, January 9). Scrubbing Bubbles MSDS SCJohnson. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
4. SCJohnson (2008, July 29). Pledge Aerosol MSDS WhatsInProducts. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
5. SCJohnson (2018, January 23). Windex MSDS SCJohnson. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
6. Reckitt Benckiser (2009, October 30). Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner MSDS MEHMerttiling. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
7. Colgate/Palmolive (2007, April 18). Fabuloso MSDS Colgate/Palmolive. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
8. Clorox (2012, March 23). Clorox Bleach MSDS The Clorox Company. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...
 
9. Emily Patterson (2012, March 23). title JohnsonAndToxin. Retrieved from LINK TO SOURCE...