Baby Safe Floor Cleaners

3 Mar

Category: Flooring Maintenance

Do your children spend time playing on the floor? Do your children put toys in their mouths that have been on the floor? Have you ever thought about the toxins in your floor cleaners?

Some cleaners may contain toxic ingredients that are not listed because they are proprietary or trade secrets. Often it’s not only the contents of the cleaner, but the odors and fumes that the cleaner gives off.

Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.

Out of 2,435 pesticide poisonings in a one-year period, over 40% were due to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the home. [Source: State of CA Study]

Carpet cleaners are the most harmful. According to CHEC’s Healthehouse – (Children’s Health Environmental Coalition) The resource for environmental health risks affecting your children :

Some carpet cleaners–especially spot removers–can be particularly dangerous, because they contain chemical solvents similar to those used by dry cleaners. These chemicals dissolve dirt without soap and water, but give off strong odors. Other potentially problematic ingredients in carpet cleaners include other compounds that produce lots of fumes (like formaldehyde), acids, pesticides, disinfectants, lye (sodium hydroxide), fragrances and many others.

Fabric and carpet stain repellents or “guards” may contain plastics and other potentially dangerous ingredients. The key ingredient in 3M’s popular Scotchgard® line of products, perfluoro-octane sulfonate (PFOS), was once portrayed as chemically inert, but recent research shows that it is a persistent organic pollutant (POP). PFOS, a suspected hormone disruptor, accumulates in the environment and the tissue of animals and humans. Despite ample evidence of PFOS’s persistence, 3M kept it on the market for 40 years. In spring 2000, 3M announced it would phase out PFOS products by the year 2002. The safety of another perfluorinated compound, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the main ingredient in Teflon®, which is used to coat non-stick pans and in fabric protectors, is currently under investigation.

During application and while drying, the chemicals in carpet cleaners and protectors evaporate and may concentrate in the air, causing indoor air pollution. This is more likely if the room is not well ventilated, the weather is hot and humid or the room is damp. Indoor air pollution can cause headaches, irritation to eyes, nose and lungs, asthma attacks, congestion, sneezing, coughing, fatigue, nausea and other symptoms.

There is some speculation that there is a link between carpet cleaners and Kawasaki Disease, though there is limited evidence to support this. Long-term exposures may increase the risks for chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, depending on the chemicals involved.

Carpet shampoos usually leave a sticky residue on carpet fibers. The residue is usually hard to see or feel–though it can make carpets feel rougher and you may be able to smell it. Not only does the residue attract and latch onto dirt, but children, who crawl and play on carpets, can inhale these residues and get them on their hands, which often go into their mouths.

Dry shampoos, powders and foams may also linger on carpet fibers. These products generally contain solvents and detergents that must be applied for a specific period of time, then vacuumed to remove the cleaning product. A residue may be left behind or the product may sink deep enough into carpets to avoid being pulled out by the vacuum cleaner. Powders or dusts are easily inhaled and may irritate airways and cause asthma attacks. In fact, anti-dust-mite carpet treatments sometimes contain tannic acid or benzyl benzoate, both of which are skin, eye and respiratory irritants. Deodorizing powders often contain fragrances that irritate asthmatic lungs as well.

To remove shampoo residue from your carpet, see How to Keep Carpets Clean without Dangerous Chemicals. CHEC recommends that children stay out of the house for at least four hours after carpets have been cleaned by any method. This can help reduce the risk of Kawasaki Disease, which may be linked to carpet cleaning.

Dangerous Chemicals Found in Some Carpet Cleaners

Solvents
Butoxyethanol and other glycol ethers
Tetrachloroethylene
Perchloroethylene

Acids and other corrosive chemicals
Hydroxyacetic acid
Hydrofluoric acid
Nitrilotriacetic acid
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium carbonate

Mildewcides and Disinfectants
Tributyl tin
Formaldehyde
Phenol

Other chemicals
Butane, propane and isobutanes (aerosol propellants)
Dibutyl phthalate
Nonylphenol ethoxylate (surfactant)
Octylphenol ethoxylate (surfactant)

You can find out if a carpet cleaning product you use or are considering contains any of these ingredients on the Household Products Database, produced by the National Institutes of Health. You can also search by ingredient.

Mold and Mildew
Another issue related to carpet cleaning is the potential for mold growth in carpets that do not dry quickly enough. Steam cleaning carpets can thoroughly dampen the carpet AND the pad underneath. In humid or poorly ventilated spaces, a steam-cleaned carpet is an invitation for mold spores to sprout. Once mold begins to grow in a carpet or its pad, it’s impossible to remove adequately. The spores and particles will be embedded and will thwart any removal process unfortunately. Even when mold is not actively growing, mold particles and spores can cause health problems, such as fatigue, headaches, allergy symptoms, asthma attacks and other breathing problems.

CHEC recommends that children stay out of the house for at least four hours after carpets have been cleaned by any method. This can help reduce the risk of Kawasaki Disease, which may be linked to carpet cleaning. For more tips on safe carpet cleaning, see How to Keep Carpets Clean without Dangerous Chemicals.

Other cleaners that are safe for children are: