Here's a list of ingredients you should look for when you are shopping for cleaning products. Once you discover that you are pregnant, you will find out pretty quickly that your entire life changes right down to the way you clean. Not only will you discover that your once favorite household cleaners can make you nauseous, but you will also discover that certain cleaning supplies can produce fumes that can irritate your baby.
When shopping for disinfectants that are suitable for you and a brand new baby, do you know what ingredients are safer? Most moms aren't aware and they usually discover a better and safe alternative by talking to other moms and reading articles like this one.
According to Pregnancy Birth Baby, expecting and nursing moms should avoid dry cleaning products, household cleaning products as well as paint, pesticides and a host of other toxic chemicals that are used daily in the home. For instance, mothballs can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea in pregnant women. Not only does it impact the mother but if constantly around harsh chemicals you have an increased risk of your child having congenital disorders and other future health problems.
In an article posted on WebMD, it listed tips on how you can keep your house clean without using chemicals that can hurt you and your baby. Try to buy brands that are either petroleum-free, green, non-toxic, phosphate-free, and VOC-free.
If you wonder how harmful household cleaning products can impact expecting moms and babies, you'd be surprised just at how it can play out in your children's health. Harsh cleaning products trigger such issues such as eczema, allergies, eye and breathing irritations. There are even studies that show a connection to phthalates and disrupted hormone levels that are found in some young babies.
Create your own disinfectant spray
Did you know you can make your own cleaner at home that isn't toxic? On Molly Maid, they listed a great homemade disinfectant spray with just white vinegar, distilled water, tea tree oil and lemon oil. The essential oils with the white vinegar help for cleaning toys, doorknobs, and quick surfaces. Not only is this cost-effective for your family but you will always have enough to clean with. This is also an effective solution to cleaning toys your baby puts in their mouth.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda is a useful ingredient that can clean just about anything in your house, as well as vinegar. In fact, most things that baking soda can't clean, vinegar can. Vinegar is good for the windows and mirrors in your home and baking soda is good for cleaning drains, cleaning dirt off the walls, moping and cleaning tiles. However, baking soda by itself does not disinfect. You will need to add another agent to it such as alcohol and essential oils to kill bacteria.
Non-toxic products
Black + Berry Living offers a citrus and eucalyptus all-purpose cleaner that is safe for pregnant moms and babies. There are a lot of brands available now that are focused on producing non-toxic cleaning solutions for everyday usage. The more natural the cleaning product is, the more likely it will harm a pregnant, nursing or small babies.
Citrus ingredients
A lot of organic and non-toxic disinfectants contain a citrus ingredient as their active agent. You might see orange, mandarin, lemon, lime, or grapefruit cleaning sprays which not only smell good but are just as effective as their bleach and ammonia counterparts. Brands such as Lemishine use citric acids which cut stains and grease as any other commercial product would. However, replacing the toxic ingredients with essential oils and citrus acids eliminates the toxic fumes other leading brands can cause.
Switching to baby-safe cleaning products might take to adjust at first especially if you are used to associating cleanliness with a bleach smell. A lot of baby-safe cleaning products don't have an antiseptic smell which tends to throw off a lot of parents who are cleaning. Just know that your baby will appreciate the extra care and love you give into making sure that your home is clean and safe.
Source: Pregnancy Birth Baby, Molly Maid WebMD