Did carpet cleaning almost kill me?

Well, not exactly. But it did make me so sick, I suffered for several days with what felt like a terrible flu.

Turns out, it wasn’t the flu. It was an unexpected and very severe reaction to the chemical compounds in the cleaning fluid I was using to clean my carpet. And I swore, “Never again!” In fact, I’ve teamed up with Pro Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners, a company that is committed to non-toxic carpet cleaning, to offer my top tips so you won’t get as sick as I got.

Why Choose Non-Toxic Carpet Cleaning?

Most carpet cleaners use cleaning solution that contains two particularly toxic chemicals: perchloroethylene, and napthalene.

• Perchloroethylene (commonly called Perc in the industry) is a chemical commonly used in dry cleaning that can cause dizziness, fatigue and nausea if inhaled.
• Naphthalene is a solvent that is considered toxic to the human central nervous system.

Many carpet cleansers also contain synthetic fragrances. Synthetic fragrances contain phthalates and other compounds that are notorious for causing headaches, itchy eyes, aches and pains, and even breathing problems.

When you spray cleaning solution that contains these chemical compounds, misty toxic particles waft into the air, where they are easy to inhale.

In my case, I used a commercial carpet cleanser not knowing it could make me sick.

Within about a half an hour of working on my carpet, I started to feel something like the flu coming on. I finished cleaning the carpet because it never occurred to me that the cleaning solution was what was making me sick.

In fact, I didn’t put two and two together until some months later, when I cleaned my carpet again – and the same thing happened.

Since then, I’ve learned a lot more about carpet cleaning compounds, what they contain and how they affect our health.

I realize these compounds can be dangerous for babies crawling around the floor, and for our pets that are constantly licking their paws.

I don’t use commercial cleansers any more.

Instead, I work hard to keep my carpet clean so it doesn’t need to be washed as often. When it does get dirty, I only use certified non-toxic products on it.

Non-Toxic Carpet Cleaning Tips

First, try to keep the carpet from getting too dirty.

1) Remove your shoes at the door. – Not only do your shoes track in mud and dirt they can also bring in invisible pollutants like pesticides. At home, wear socks, slippers or house shoes (shoes that never leave the house) when you are inside the house, not your street shoes.

2) Pick up after your pets. Pets can track in a lot of dirt and grime, especially after it rains. Keep a towel by the door to wipe your pets’ paws when you bring them in.

3) Keep a throw rug at every door you use to go inside and outside. The rug can wipe dirt off your shoes and your pets’ feet, in the event you can’t kick your shoes off right away.

4) Vacuum twice a week – Vacuuming gets rid of surface dirt before it has a chance to set. Another advantage? You’ll reduce the level of dust mites. Dust mites can trigger an asthma or allergy attack. Not only will frequent vacuuming decrease dust mites it will also help get rid of surface dirt on your carpets before it gets a chance to set.

5) Use the right type of vacuum – A vacuum cleaner that has strong suction, rotating brushes and comes complete with a HEPA filter is best.

6) Clean spills up at once – The faster you clean up food, wine or juice, pet messes, and other stains the better.

TO CLEAN A STAIN OR GET RID OF GUM

⇒Blot as much of the spilled liquid up as soon as possible after it spills.

⇒Then pour a little cold water or soda water on the spot and continue blotting.

⇒If stain still remains, make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to one part water and spread the past on the stain.

⇒Let it dry, then vacuum it up.

⇒If gum is stuck in your carpet, use an ice cube to free it, then pull it off.

My own experience is that many liquid dish soaps contain something that also removes the color from the carpet, so I only use liquid dish soap (or any actual soap) as a last resort.

How to Actually Wash the Carpet Without Toxic Chemicals So It Gets Clean

Be safe. When you need to wash your carpet, choose cleansers that are certified non-toxic or work with a company like Pro Carpet, whose cleansers are certified by Green Seal.

Hire a company that uses only certified non-toxic cleansers. Ask to see a list of the ingredients in their cleansers if it’s not on their website.

If you clean your carpet yourself, choose cleansers that are certified non-toxic. Again, check the Green Seal data base for options.

Wear a mask that covers your face and nose. No matter what products you use, it’s easy to inhale misty particles when you use a shampooing machine. Reduce what you inhale by wearing a face mask that covers both your nose and mouth.

Run fans and open windows. Keep the windows open and air circulating while your carpets are being cleaned, then run fans to speed up drying afterwards.

If possible, have bedroom carpets cleaned early in the day so you don’t have to sleep in a room that still might have cleaning chemicals in the air.

NOTE: Sponsors like Pro Carpet help us bring you the expert advice you want to create the greener life you want. Our editorial opinions remain our own. Thanks!

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While there’s no specific link between any one product and breast cancer, scientific evidence is growing that women face some risk of contracting the disease due to their cumulative exposure to the chemicals in cosmetics and personal-care products.

“Is there a direct connection we can make between the use of these products and breast cancer?” asks Dr. Julia Smith, the director of breast cancer screening and prevention at the Lynne Cohen Breast Cancer Preventive Care Program at the NYU Cancer Institute and Bellevue Medical Center, in New York City.  “No. But there are strong scientific suspicions that some of the chemicals found in the environment, including those used in cosmetics and other personal-care items, might increase the risk, especially if there is heavy exposure before the age of twenty-five.”

That’s because these are the years when breast tissue is developing and most susceptible to outside influences. It is possible that multiple exposures to common cosmetics could create a cumulative or “domino effect” that could ultimately result in the disease.

Why aren’t we safe?

Despite these concerns, lipstick, eye liner, nail polish, shampoo, perfume, deodorant and the other concoctions we liberally apply to our faces, lips, eyes, noses, nails, heads, necks, legs, armpits and vaginas are among the least-regulated substances in the marketplace.

It’s true. The makers of cosmetics and personal-care products are not required to meet specific federal standards that guarantee our personal health and safety. The fedral Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires manufacturers to put a warning statement on the front of products that have not been tested that reads, “WARNING — The safety of this product has not been determined.” But not many of them follow the rules.

Cosmetics companies are not held responsible for the environmental consequences their products have once they escape down the drain, either. Only one state, California, requires cosmetics manufacturers to disclose any product ingredient that is on state or federal lists of chemicals that cause cancer or birth defects.

According to the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, which oversees the industry, “a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from the FDA.”

That really makes you want to put your lipstick on, doesn’t it?

The cosmetics industry claims to regulate itself through a board called the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel. But a report titled “Skin Deep” by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit research institute based in Washington, D.C. showed that 89 percent of 10,500 ingredients used in lipstick, nail polish, hair coloring, soap, and other personal-care products have not been evaluated for safety…89 percent. The new video, “The Story of Cosmetics: The Ugly Truth of Toxins In, Toxins Out,” really drives the point home.

What Can You Do? Three things…

1) Shift your spending to safer, healthier products. Fortunately, you’re not completely at the mercy of the cosmetics companies. Every year, consumers (mostly women) spend $50 billion on cosmetics and personal-care products. Individually, that amounts to between five hundred dollars and fifteen hundred dollars that each of us could shift to beauty products and toiletries that are healthier for us and better for the planet.

How do you know what’s healthier? You can compare what you currently use to safer products listed on  the Skin Deep data base.

And as a general rule of thumb, you can avoid products that contain parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, and triclosan, while choosing plant-based compounds whose names you can actually pronounce!

Remember that the way you spend your money is your first line of defense. If you don’t buy it, you will be far less exposed to it.

2) Cut back the number of products you use by at least three. Most people use an average of 10 personal care products every day, and some of us apply many more. We do it without thinking: soap and shower gel, shaving cream and aftershave, eye cream, face cream, hand cream, body lotion, foundation, blush, bronzer, lip liner, lip gloss, eye liner, mascara, eye brow pencil, deodorant, nail polish… Do you really need soap AND shower gel? Would an “au naturel” look be just as attractive as one that is more glamourous – and more make-up intensive? Try reducing your beauty regimen by at least three products daily and see if anyone notices. I bet you could take a complete beauty breather once or twice a month with it never registering on the “OMG meter.” If you still need convincing, read this article Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic, wrote on the Huffington Post.

3) Support passage of a strong Safe Chemicals Act. Versions of legislation to protect consumers from dangerous chemicals have been introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill would require testing for synthetic chemicals to stay on the market. It would shift the burden for proof of safety to the chemical companies, not consumers. The bill would limit companies’ ability to hide information about toxic chemicals. And it would reduce the public’s exposure to the most dangerous chemicals.

Environmental Defense Fund has launched the “I Am Not a Guinea Pig” campaign to mobilize people like you to urge their member of Congress to support a strong Safe Chemicals Act. You can send your representative and senator a quick e-mail with the click of this button.

There’s no excuse for the threats we face in products we use every day. We’re trading minimal beauty for a beastly outcome. Change can happen, but not unless you act. Do so today.

For more ideas on what you can do, read this month’s Green Mom’s Carnival posts, hosted at OrganicMania by Lynn Miller.

The post Beauty…or the Beast? Depends on the Safe Chemicals Act. appeared first on Big Green Purse.