Commercial cleaning products are meant to clean and disinfect your house, making it a relatively sterile and safe environment. However, using these products can prove to do the exact opposite. Often when we use these cleaning products we can smell the strong chemical scent that they emit. Although most people don’t pay much attention to it, research suggests that inhaling these vapors can cause a lot of harm to our respiratory system.

Individuals who perform jobs that require heavy use of these cleaning products, such as janitors, office workers, and hospital workers, have reported symptoms of asthma which have since become warning signs of respiratory damage caused by cleaning products.

So, if you want to have a clean house without putting yourself at risk for developing respiratory problems, start using any of these all natural cleaning products!

Natural All Purpose Cleaners

If you’re skeptical about the efficiency of some of these cleaning products, here is some science-backed evidence to ensure that you can replace those harmful chemical cleaners with these natural alternatives and still get a just as good, if not better, clean.

Alcohol

Many different forms of alcohol have been proven to be effective antimicrobials; however isopropyl alcohol, otherwise known as rubbing alcohol, is the most commonly used.

Alcohol has been shown to have incredibly fast-acting and wide-spreading antimicrobial activity against vegetative bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Alcohol has also been shown to inhibit the formation of spores and spore germination. Alcohol is most effective at cleaning/disinfecting hard surfaces and skin.

Lemon

The juice that comes from lemon contains natural biocidal activities and has been found to be able to inhibit harmful bacteria such as Vibrio cholera. The acidity found in lemon has been found to be effective in eliminating bacteria, such as Vibrio cholera, which thrives in alkaline environments, such as “hard” water (water that is high in mineral content).

Baking Soda

Baking soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate, contains a wide variety of uses, one of them being an efficient natural cleaner.

Baking soda’s cleaning properties come from the fact that it is a mild alkali which causes dirt and grease to dissolve easily into water, making it effective at cleaning surfaces used for cooking or as a grout cleaner. When it is not dissolved it is also somewhat abrasive, making it effective at rubbing off dirt without damaging the surface that you are cleaning.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a substance that has been commonly used as a home-disinfectant even before any studies have been conducted on it. And when studies were finally conducted on it, researchers found it to be almost as efficient on its own as many commercial cleaners. It was also found to be very effective at disinfecting the bacteria that cause staph infections and E.coli.

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Although essential oils are commonly used in aromatherapy for their health-beneficial properties, few people know about their amazing cleaning properties.

One study was carried out to test the efficiency that 10 different essential oils had on various strains of bacteria and fungus. Researchers found that aegle, citronella, geranium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa and patchouli oils were effective at inhibiting the growth of 12 types of fungi while eucalyptus and peppermint oils were effective at inhibiting the growth of 11 types of fungi.

This study suggests that essential oils are a great, natural, anti-fungal cleaning product.