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Are you too clean for your own good?

4/3/2015

10 Comments

 
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When I had young children, I cleaned and cleaned. Every new spot drew my attention. I'm talking 60s & 70s. I can't remember what I used in the water, but I'd say hard work made up the lack of a strong cleaning product. One bad accident put me off my overzealous ways.

This dreadful incident took place at Mt. Lofty in South Australia where we lived under a television transmitter in the Adelaide Hills. A bucket of very hot water sat on the floor in the hall outside the bathroom. Must have been 1965 because my youngest baby wasn't crawling yet. She and our puppy played on the floor a few steps away while I carried the mop through the bathroom door intent on my task. A piercing scream rent the air and sent me running back. My little one had managed to crawl to the bucket and pull it over onto herself. As a 23 year-old mother of three, I panicked. I carried her to the changing table and removed her cloth nappy which made her cry louder. One chubby leg was obviously scalded. After considering what to do, I finally rang for assistance to get to the nearest hospital. My daughter kept the scar well into adulthood, but it finally faded. However, my shame about being so lax remains on. If only I hadn't … You know how the recriminations go.

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Okay, here comes another survey which led to the result that bleach isn't the best thing to use.

Many parents rely on germ-killing bleach to blast away illness-causing bacteria and leave the house sparkling. But this might have detrimental benefits.

The Centre for Environment and Health in Belgium looked at the potential impact of exposure to bleach among more than 9,000 schoolchildren between the ages of six and 12 in the Netherlands, Finland and Barcelona. Parents completed a questionnaire on the number and frequency of flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, otitis (inflammation of the ear canal), and pneumonia infections their children had suffered in the preceding 12 months.

Researchers found a link between a weekly use of bleach in the home and the frequency of infections, particularly respiratory ones. One possible explanation was that the irritant properties of compounds generated during the cleaning process may damage the lining of lung cells, sparking inflammation and making it easier for infections to take hold.

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The study only observed results from basic information about bleach, not any other product, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. Source: Daily Mail. 

The only thing I use bleach for is to remove the tea stain from pottery mugs. The china ones come clean with basic washing.

As for cleaning, you can't beat vinegar diluted with water. It lifts every mark, kills germs, smells fresh, and doesn't harm the air you breathe. I've recently used ½ cup vinegar in one pint of water to clean wooden furniture, drying the surface afterward. Worked a treat!

Do you think using bleach to clean and sanitize is worth the risk to your health?


10 Comments
Ajay Pai link
4/2/2015 07:20:52 pm

Oh! the poor baby! Thank God the scar has faded away! But this is just a one off an incident. Am sure, that you have taken care of your kids well and they are well civilized and cultured.

Wrt the Vinegar and its cleansing effect, I did hear (offlate) from my sister. Need to try that one soon.

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Vidya Subramanian link
4/2/2015 07:53:13 pm

I agree, too much use of cleaning solutions and chemicals can have a boomerang effect causing many unexpected health problems. The best is to use natural and harmless remedies. These are safe for us and the environment.

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Vidya Sury link
4/2/2015 08:10:59 pm

The minute I read the words bucket of hot water, my heart did a somersault. Gosh, how you must have felt! Hugs to you! Luckily there are safer cleaning agents today. And no, I wouldn't risk bleach with a toddler around.

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Amy link
4/2/2015 10:18:09 pm

Francene, there's also evidence now that using products that kill germs can have a detrimental effect on children and their immune systems . . . but wait . . . I think I read about that on your blog! I agree that bleach is just one risky substance that should be avoided, especially if there are littles in the home.

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K.Lee Banks link
4/2/2015 11:57:40 pm

Yikes on the injury to the poor baby! Glad it wasn't worse.

I can't stand to use bleach - don't know if it's my asthma and sensitive respiratory system and allergies, but I avoid bleach and often use the vinegar/water option instead.

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Laurel Regan link
4/3/2015 02:40:24 am

Poor little one - but accidents do happen. Thankful she was ok.

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Cassandra Massacre link
4/3/2015 05:13:23 am

That's crazy that bleach use has those effects on young kids. I don't have kids but I have friends with young kids who I will need to share this with!

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Inderpreet Kaur link
4/3/2015 05:25:16 am

Poor baby, it must have hurt like hell. I have burnt myself from hot tea once and through layers of clothes, boils had appeared.
Thank god we have safer products today.

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Amy Bovaird link
4/3/2015 07:53:37 am

Poor you and poor baby! Oh my goodness! How frightening! Thank goodness, she's all right now.
My sister was against any chemicals and she used vinegar and water for everything from cleaning carrots to the entire kitchen. I sometimes use Lysol Wipes for convenience but I much prefer vinegar and water.

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Alana link
4/4/2015 12:34:22 pm

Scary, but all turned out well. Not a cleaning story, but one day, I left an antacid lying around and my young son grabbed it, and to my horror, ate it before I could grab it away from him. I called Poison Control and they reassured me no harm - but I felt I was the world's worst mother. So I had a little taste of how frightened you must have felt. With three little ones, you had nothing to feel guilty about. I use vinegar cleaners sometimes. I rarely use antibacterial products.

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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