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 put pickles in. 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 Västerbottenssoap?
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.
__________________________________________________________________________
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.
Start cleaning naturally with Västerbottens soap - Click here