Earth Friendly Goodies If it's Good for the Earth it's Good for Your Health How many times have you been exposed to toxic carcinogenic Benzene and not even known it?
I recently learned that dishwasher detergent is one of the most toxic things in our homes – and that hot cloud of vapor that blasts into us as we open the dishwasher is in fact loaded with toxic chemicals like Benzene, chlorine and phosphates. Yikes!
If you aren’t an expert in chemistry (everyone who knows what Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are raise your hand…. That’s what I thought) and I for sure am not you may be thinking Benzene so what? Well, Benzene (which is a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon by the way) is a known bone-marrow poison and has been known to cause breast cancer and leukemia since the 1960’s and yet it is a main ingredient in dishwasher and laundry detergent. Not to mention that dishwasher detergent also has Chlorine which corrodes the skin – that slippery feeling you get when handling dishwasher detergent, that is your skin breaking down – how appealing is that image?
And yes that hot steamy cloud from the dishwasher while it may feel pretty good on a cold winter day is in fact – a killer. There should be a movie about it…. The killer Benzene cloud!
Have you tried Method Smarty Dish?
Luckily if you aren’t up for making your own cleaning products there are a few alternative eco and health friendly dishwasher detergents on the market. We actually had one at home waiting in reserve for when we used up the bad stuff but as soon as I learned about the toxicity of our usual detergent the old stuff ended up in the trash mighty fast.
We just tried our first load with Method Smarty Dish a non-toxic dishwasher detergent. Smarty Dish uses mineral cleaning salts and enzymes rather than the Benzene, Chlorine, and Phosphates. It uses biodegradable and non-toxic ingredients, which means no harmful residues or Benzene cloud blasted in your face…or down the drain for that matter so it is environmentally safe as well. They even won a Presidential Green Chemistry Award for it.
But the real question with any green product is “does Smarty Dish work” and I have to say after that first load I am hooked. Those dishes were so squeaky clean you could.. well eat off them… and the hot grapefruit scented blast of air was completely free of toxins – The killer Benzene cloud was vanquished at last.
If you’d like to give Method’s Smarty Dish a try you can find it on Amazon
Since writing this post we’ve started making many of our own cleaning products, but sometimes you just don’t have the time to DIY. Here are some natural cleaning products we recommend from companies we trust. No harsh chemicals, toxins or benzene in these green cleaning products! Check for money saving coupon codes as well.
What types of natural non-toxic dishwasher detergents have you tried – and how do they work? Please comment…
“Benzine” is, in fact, not a carcinogenic. Benzine (also known as petroleum ether or ligroin) is a light hydrocarbon solvent made from the distillation of petroleum and has no distinct chemical formula. It’s commonly used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, industrial and home-based textile dying, and automotive repair for engine clean-up due to its wonderful ability to remove grease and leave absolutely no trace or residue after it dries.
“Benzene”, however, -is- a carcinogenic and I believe is the product you actually think you’re trying to discuss. You should double-check on your detergent to see if the chemical ingredient you’re looking at is “benzine” or “benzene” before continuing.
Thank you for the clarification and yes it was benzene that is the carcinogenic substance in dishwashing and laundry detergent. I’d have to do more research on benzine to determine if it is toxic as well. I’ll change the post to reflect my misspelling. 🙂
This is really quite an eye-opener. I never knew that such simple things around the house could be so toxic to our body. And we’re even exposed to them every day! Are there other ways to lessen our exposure to these harmful chemicals besides buying non-toxic products?
I know Grace it is a bit shocking. In fact there is a way to lower the toxin levels in one’s house – plants! I’ve been meaning to write a post about that as well, but there are certain plants that help purify the air of certain toxins. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
I’ve never heard of the product, though I am seeing more natural and non-carcinogenic detergents in our local stores.