Topic: household cleaners

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps May Play Beauty Tricks on You

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps May Play Beauty Tricks on You

I’ve been curious about Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, or “hippie juice” as a friend of mine calls it, since I first saw the 3,000-word tome on the bottle. The all-natural castile soap is supposed to be a gentle but effective multipurpose cleaner fit for washing your body, hair, teeth, clothes, and more. Or as the label says, “Clean body-mind-soul-spirit instantly uniting one! All-One!”

I’ve always been a little skeptical, and so was Alison Pels over at the blog Brokelyn. Pels tested Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap in seven capacities. She left out gardening (it was too cold), lice removal (she doesn’t have lice), and contraceptive douching (eww – not healthy and there are much better alternatives). More »

Clorox Goes Green With Ingredient Listings

Clorox Goes Green With Ingredient Listings

Cleaning house has become a scary task (and not just because you haven’t done laundry for six weeks): With more and more research indicating that soaps and cleaners are full of chemicals that are toxic for you and the environment, it’s hard to tell clean from dirty anymore. There are no federal guidelines forcing companies to reveal the contents of the stuff we spray on our tiles, windows, and sinks (just like there aren’t rules enforcing the ingredients list on our beauty products), but one company is fessing up to its chemical crimes without government incentives. Clorox, despite having plenty of toxic products, is the first major cleaning company to reveal the ingredients in all of its products, in what seems like a refreshingly honest service to consumers. More »

Germ Warfare: 10 Places Household Bacteria Can Ambush You

Germ Warfare: 10 Places Household Bacteria Can Ambush You

Think you don’t live in filth and squalor? Think again. Turns out, when it comes to household germs and bacteria, none of our homes or offices cleans up very nicely. Don’t believe us? Here are ten places where harmful bacteria and toxic germs can hide in your home, and ten serious solutions for killing them (and not with kindness):

1. Kitchen Sink, Drain, and Faucet

The Dirt: The average kitchen sink is dirtier than most bathrooms. Up to 500,000 bacteria per square inch can be found in the drain alone. We may wash our hands after touching raw meat, but sometimes we touch the faucet with those dirty hands and bacteria can linger long after we’ve washed and dried. So don’t ignore the faucet when cleaning your sink. More »