Celebrate Earth Day with a greener home

One of the simplest ways to make your home healthier and greener is to switch from toxic cleaners to simple solutions made with basics like water, vinegar and baking soda, according to an Earth Day story in USA Today.

More and more doctors are raising concerns that common household cleaners are dangerous for our health and are particularly damaging for young children.

Ingesting these cleaners is a common reason for poison control calls and emergency room visits. Using these solutions at home causes indoor air pollution that is believed to be behind the epidemic of childhood asthma.

Many conventional cleaners are made with petroleum and are among the "most common and worrisome pollutants" in America, says Stanford University School of Medicine pediatrician Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green.

The story describes the transformation made by one mom who worried about how all the industrial-strength cleaners she used at home were affecting her young daughter.

Cyndi Raskin Schmitt had never thought much about the chemicals in her cleaning supplies until three years ago.

Raskin Schmitt was bathing baby Emilie, who playfully snatched the washcloth and began cleaning both her tub and herself. That led her to worry about the residue left behind by her cleaning supplies: Was her daughter rubbing scouring powder into her skin? Was she bathing in a chemical soup?

Raskin Schmitt, 35, got rid of her commercial cleaners and found that she could clean virtually the entire house with pantry staples that were safe enough to eat: vinegar, baking soda and warm water. Undiluted vinegar, she says, cleans mirrors without streaking — or strong odors, once it dries — but costs as little as a penny an ounce.

In addition to the risk of poisoning and asthma, many household cleaners also pose a threat to young children’s developing reproductive systems, according to the story.

Fragrances in cleaning supplies and air fresheners commonly contain chemicals called phthalates, which interfere with the male hormone system and have been linked to genital abnormalities in baby boys. Some cleaning supplies contain chemicals that may lower sperm counts, Greene says.

For more information on how to make your own cleaning solutions with ingredients from your pantry, visit Consumer Reports’ GreenerChoices.org.