Should I go back to traditional or home-made products to clean safely?

You may have heard people recommending all kinds of traditional products, from baking soda to vinegar and washing crystals, as a safer way of doing the cleaning. 

These might be traditional and safe when used appropriately, but that doesn’t mean they’re harmless.

Many “traditional” cleaning products can be used safely, just like modern products, but it’s important that you know what the risks and hazards are. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking they’re any more “natural” than a modern product, and traditional cleaning products can be more hazardous than you might first think.

Vinegar: a type of acid, nice on your chips

The cleaning power of vinegar comes from acetic acid – in its concentrated form acetic acid is both corrosive and potentially fatal if ingested. Yet, in a dilute form, as vinegar, it’s safe enough to put on your chips.

Modern cleaning products still use some of these ingredients, but combined with other things to give the desired performance. By all means, try the old approaches but be sure to follow the golden rules for safe cleaning just the same.

Washing crystals can damage your eyes

Washing crystals are the chemical ‘sodium carbonate decahydrate’ and they must bear warning symbols as they are severely irritant to  eyes, so care must be taken to use them safely.

Contact the UKCPI on ukcpi@ukcpi.org or call 07843 199397.