Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Fabric Softener
Quaternary ammonium compounds, found in liquid fabric softeners and sheets, also have an antimicrobial effect and breed resistant microbes. They can also irritate the skin and, according to research, may be the cause of certain respiratory problems.
Window Cleaner
Window and glass cleaners leave everything looking so clean and shiny thanks to butoxyethanol. It's what gives them that kind of sweet smell. If inhaled, though, it can irritate your throat. If inhaled in large enough amounts, it can cause kidney problems.
Sink Polish
Ammonia is a great cleaner because it doesn't leave streaks. It's a health problem because it's a really strong irritant and exacerbates breathing issues for people with asthma and other breathing problems (especially in the elderly).
Toilet Cleaners
Chlorine-based cleaning products, including ones for the toilet, are a health risk waiting to happen. We're exposed to it anyway, since it's used to treat the water that comes into our homes, but it is a respiratory irritant. Your exposure is intensified when it comes in jugs for mopping and cleaning the house.
Oven Cleaners
Cleaning an oven is made super easy with all of the oven-cleaning products on the shelves. While they're good at getting at the baked-on grime, they're also pretty toxic. The active ingredient, sodium hydroxide (know as lye), is very corrosive and causes severe burns if it gets on your skin or in your eyes. If you breathe it in, you can have a sore throat that lasts for several days—never a good sign.
Flea and Tick Treatments
We have to take care of our pets, but a lot of the products are toxic for humans. Many flea and tick treatments have pesticides that contain chemicals like imidacloprid, fipronil, pyrethrins, permethrin and methoprene—which cause headaches, dizziness and nausea in humans.
