Chemicals are an integral part of our lives and are found in many everyday products. These can be harmless or harmful depending on their use and combination. To reduce exposure to unnecessary chemicals, there are things we can do at home, including replacing common cleaning products with more natural alternatives such as soap, citric acid, and vinegar.
Last edited on May 8, 2024
What exactly is a chemical? The answer is not very simple, but you can say this: A chemical is, according to the nomenclature committee of the Swedish Chemical Society, a macroscopically homogeneous element or chemical compound when it is applied in an industrial or commercial process. By "macroscopically homogeneous" is meant that even mixtures can be counted as chemicals, if they are not obviously two different substances. Dry and boring text, but we can explain with an example.
Example: Imagine you have vinegar in the kitchen that you use to pickle things. Then the vinegar is not a
chemical, but if the same vinegar is used for cleaning, it is.
But chemicals are needed for us to live the life we
do. They are found in practically everything that surrounds us in everyday life – furniture, clothes, food, hygiene
products, electronics and cars.
The number of chemical substances in society is large, companies report their production
to the EU Chemicals Agency and they show that more than 100,000 chemical substances are used.
Chemical cleaning at home
Not everything is dangerous, you probably remember our example with the vinegar earlier. But because there are so
many chemicals and in so many different places, it becomes very difficult for us as consumers to keep track of everything.
It
is actually completely impossible to live a normal, modern life and at the same time keep track of all the chemicals
that we encounter in everyday life. While not all are dangerous in themselves, mixing lots and lots of different
chemicals together can be an unhealthy mix and simply too much.
Clean house without chemicals. Have you tried Västerbottenssåpa?
So to what we can do
Below we have listed things that you can easily do yourself to reduce the number of unnecessary chemicals in your everyday life. By being more aware, reading packaging and with each new purchase asking yourself if there is a better alternative. Buy products that are organic, locally produced (if possible) and be careful to read content and warning texts. Find out what the symbols mean. Also ask the question if your product really needs to be perfumed? Dishwashing detergent for example, do you really need perfume on your freshly washed plates? Plates and glasses to put our food on!?
Cleaning chemicals, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, skin creams, air fresheners, dishwashing detergents and laundry detergents are things that you can exchange for organic and kind versions. Below you will find a checklist where you can go through your rooms and cross off things that you have replaced. When you've done that, you've come a long way on the road to fewer chemicals in your everyday life.
The kitchen: Check under the sink and in the cleaning cupboard, what is actually there?
Sprays and
bottles with contents that you cannot read or with warning symbols can be exchanged for: Soap, citric acid, vinegar and
bicarbonate.
⎸ Sprayer -> Change to
soap spray
⎸ Descaling agent -> Change to citric acid
⎸ Window cleaner -> Change to
vinegar
and water
⎸ Oven clean -> Change to
soap
,
bicarbonate
and
vinegar
⎸ Unclog -> Switch to
bicarbonate
and
vinegar
⎸ Detergent -> Change to an eco-detergent, read on the back, there are warning symbols, find out why and what they
mean.
The bathroom: How do you clean here?
⎸ Sprayer -> Change to
soap spray
⎸ Descaling agent -> Change to citric acid
⎸ Window cleaner -> Change to
vinegar
and water
⎸ Clog remover -> Switch to bicarbonate and
vinegar
⎸ Bleach -> Stop using it immediately! Switch to
soap
and citric acid. The citric acid removes all green deposits and lime, the soap removes biological dirt.
⎸ WCrent -> Replace with
bathroom soap
Feel free to go through the drawers in the bathroom as well -> Make-up can be exchanged for organic versions
that have refill packaging.
⎸ Shampoo, conditioner and soap – > change to organic solid products without packaging.
Bedroom and other rooms:
⎸ Air freshener -> Replace with fresh green plants.
⎸ Closets -> Go through and see if there are any mothballs/mining agent - if so, replace it with red cedar.
Laundry room:
⎸ Detergent -> Replace with detergent nuts or biodegradable detergents.
⎸ Fabric softener -> Replace with
vinegar
and if you want some essential oil or an environmentally friendly variant of fabric softener.
⎸ Bleach / Stain Remover -> Replace with
solid soap
and a laundry brush to pre-treat stains before detergent.
⎸
Laundry bags
-> Get a laundry bag that catches microfiber to wash synthetic clothes in and stop particles from getting into the
water. It doesn't affect you directly, but polluting the water affects you in the long run, of course.
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Questions and Answers
- What is the definition of a chemical according to the Swedish Chemical Society?
According to
the Swedish Chemical Society, a chemical is a macroscopically homogeneous element or chemical compound used in industrial
or commercial processes.
- Why can the mixture of different chemicals be dangerous even if each of them is harmless in small amounts?
Although
individual chemicals may be harmless in small amounts, the mixture of many different chemicals together can become an
unhealthy combination and pose risks to human health.
- What are some alternatives to common cleaning products that contain chemicals?
Alternatives to
common cleaning products include natural substances such as
soap
, citric acid,
vinegar
and
bicarbonate
.
- Why is it important to be aware of the contents of cleaning products and other everyday products?
It
is important to be aware of the contents of products to avoid unnecessary chemicals and reduce the risk of health
problems, as well as to promote the environment by choosing more natural alternatives.
- How can you reduce the use of chemicals in everyday life by replacing products?
By replacing common
cleaning products with more natural alternatives and being aware of the content of products, you can reduce the use of
chemicals in everyday life and create a healthier and more environmentally friendly home environment.
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