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Homemade Cleansers Vs. Commercial Cleansers

Walk through the cleaning section of any grocery or superstore and you'll see several aisles filled with household cleansers. Many of these contain ingredients that pose environmental and health risks. For instance, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that terpene chemicals found in pine, orange and lemon oils interact with ozone to create toxic compounds (see reference 1). However, homemade cleanser recipes provide effective substitutes, and they typically use natural, basic ingredients found in the home.

  1. Commercial Cleansers and Bacteria

    • Researchers at Birmingham and Warwick universities revealed that household products are spreading drug-resistant bacteria in the U.K., according to "The Guardian" (see Reference 2). Disinfectants and household cleaners kill bacteria and pathogens in concentrated form, but when diluted with water once they enter the sewage system, bacteria develop resistance to them. Dr. William Gaze states that the majority of 1.5 tons of treated sewage in the U.K. is spread on farm lands. Over 11 billion liters of treated waste water is pumped into rivers and estuaries, so this also spreads resistance. Making chemical-free homemade cleansers can reduce or eliminate chemical waste, as does properly disposing of excess cleansers.

    Cost

    • Compare the cost of a commercial cleanser with its homemade substitute, and you find that making your own cleaning products saves a significant amount of money. For instance, as of the date of publication, an 80-load box of high-quality laundry detergent cost about $18.49, or $.23 per load. Homemade detergents typically cost much less, as little as $.03 cents per load, or $2.40 for the same amount of detergent. The more commercial cleansers you replace with homemade recipes, including bath and body products, the more money you save. Also, homemade cleansers share many of the basic ingredients, so you save money because ingredients like borax, washing soda, lemon juice and vinegar have multiple uses.

    Air Quality

    • According to the Environmental Protection Agency, commercial cleansers contain chemicals that could harm your health. Cleansers, strippers, disinfectants, air fresheners, aerosol sprays and dry-cleaned clothing contain harmful gases called volatile organic compounds. VOC levels are typically 2 to 5 times higher in homes than outdoors. Exposure to VOC can lead to nose, eye and throat irritation, nausea, liver, kidney and central nervous system damage. Exposure to higher levels and extended time periods increases risk. (See Reference 4) The less products you use that contain VOC, the better the air quality you'll have in your home.

    Differences in Usage

    • Homemade cleansers clean effectively. Acidic cleaners like lemon juice and vinegar neutralize and clean materials with a higher pH level -- 7 or above -- while alkaline cleaners like washing soda and borax neutralize and clean materials with a lower pH level. Homemade cleaners, however, aren't as potent as commercial cleansers. You must typically let them sit for several minutes and longer for set stains or heavy grease. You may have to scrub a bit harder than you would with a commercial cleanser, because you're using chemical-free cleansers. Plan to spend a bit more time cleaning if you go with homemade cleansers.

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