Study Finds Cleaning with Conventional Cleaners Equal to Smoking 20 Cigarettes A Day

Cleaning Smoking Study

An independent 20-year-long scientific study shows that women who regularly clean with conventional cleaning products have the same reduced lung function equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day over that same period.

A comprehensive 20-year study conducted by the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) has revealed significant insights into the long-term respiratory effects of cleaning activities, particularly among women. The research indicates that women who engage in regular cleaning, either at home or professionally, experience a more rapid decline in lung function compared to those who do not participate in cleaning tasks.

Key Findings:

Accelerated Lung Function Decline: Women involved in cleaning at home showed an annual decrease in Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) of 22.1 ml, while professional cleaners experienced a decline of 22.4 ml per year. In contrast, women not engaged in cleaning activities had a lesser decline of 18.5 ml annually.
Impact on Forced Vital Capacity (FVC): Similarly, the study observed a greater reduction in FVC among women who cleaned, with declines of 13.1 ml per year for home cleaners and 15.9 ml per year for occupational cleaners, compared to an 8.8 ml annual decline in non-cleaning women.
Comparison to Smoking: The extent of lung function decline associated with cleaning activities was found to be comparable to the effects of smoking 1 pack a day for 10 -20 years, highlighting the severity of exposure to cleaning agents, which is a huge deal. It means that just cleaning regularly with conventional cleaning products over many years can harm your lungs almost as much as being a long-term smoker.

These findings underscore the potential respiratory hazards posed by conventional cleaning products, which often contain chemicals that can irritate and damage lung tissues over time. Transitioning to green cleaning methods—utilizing natural, non-toxic products—can significantly reduce exposure to harmful substances, thereby safeguarding lung health.

Embracing eco-friendly cleaning practices not only contributes to a healthier environment but also plays a crucial role in preserving respiratory well-being. By opting for green cleaning solutions, individuals can effectively minimize health risks associated with traditional cleaning agents.

Why clean your home with cleaners that are shown to cause so many potential health problems when it is so easy to clean without any of these toxic products?

I have created several posts on this blog that show amazing alternatives to these toxic cleaning products.

DIY Vinegar Free Rosemary Lavender All-Purpose Cleaner

Hypochlorous Acid Uses – A Miraculous Molecule for Skin, Hygiene, Cleaning, and Health

Safe Disinfectant Spray DIY

The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide

I also wrote an entire book to show people how easy, effective, and inexpensive it is to start cleaning with eco-friendly and safe products.

*This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate disclosure. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Easy Green Cleaning, available on Amazon, shows you how to use Simple, Inexpensive, Natural, and Non-Toxic Ingredients and Recipes to Keep Your Home Sparkling Clean!

People who are conscious of their health tend to make efforts like eating healthier, exercising more, and not smoking. These practices have gained mainstream awareness. What is not mainstream, however, is the awareness of how toxic chemicals in our everyday products are seriously impacting our health.

Years ago, I began purchasing what I considered greener cleaners that were commonly available. This evolved into learning that I could make better and more effective cleaners myself using safe, time-tested ingredients and reusable materials. Once I started using these homemade cleaners and saw not only how effective they were, along with how inexpensive and easy they were to make, I had to ask myself:

Why have I not been green cleaning all along?

More importantly, why are people bringing such toxic and under-researched conventional cleaning products into their homes?

These toxic conventional cleaning products are harmful not only to ourselves and our loved ones but also to our environment and wildlife. I wrote the book Easy Green Cleaning to show people the easiest and most effective way to start green cleaning in their own homes.

Having done the research and reviewed current literature, I really do believe this is the best, most in-depth, and easiest book on green cleaning currently available. Here are the reasons why:

The book Easy Green Cleaning:

It contains some of the easiest, safest, and most effective recipes and practices for cleaning your home. More recipes are not always better in terms of how many a green cleaning book provides. You do not need to make a separate product for each thing you clean in your home; it is far better and easier to make a few products that clean everything.
It shows you, step by step, the easiest and most cost-effective way to get started green cleaning your home and how to green clean pretty much everything in your home.
It combines everything you need to know about green cleaning and is set up for quick visual reference, including pictures of all the tools, ingredients, and recipes mentioned in the book.
It explains the safe use and cautions when using green cleaning ingredients, such as which ingredients need to be avoided on which surfaces. It also discusses the safe use of essential oils around pets and young kids.
The references cite research on the proven dangers of toxic cleaners to ourselves and the environment and discuss just how these products made it into our homes in the first place.
It gives you the reasons why it is important to green clean your home, as well as the top reasons people don’t and how to overcome them.
It goes above and beyond showing you how to green clean your home, but also how to keep your pets clean, your children’s toys clean, your produce clean, your car clean, your air clean, and additional steps you can take to have a positive impact and influence change in the world!

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Why I believe switching to Green Cleaning can help improve the world:

The main reason I wrote Easy Green Cleaning is that I am very passionate about getting the word out. To some it may seem like a stretch that I am saying green cleaning can improve the world, but humor me for a moment with an open mind and let me tell you why.

Green cleaning is a simple stepping stone we can all do at home easily and inexpensively. Making these smaller changes means improving our health and the health of the planet which can be a catalyst for larger changes and for spreading awareness on these important issues.
Greener cleaning will reduce the negative impact of toxic chemicals on our soil, waterways, and ourselves. It also encourages the use of reusable materials and will cut down on the abundance of waste that is not only consuming our natural resources at a rate we can’t sustain but also filling our oceans with unnecessary toxic garbage.
Having the resources to green clean is not a socio-economic issue like so many other public health and safety issues are. No matter the income bracket or demographic, virtually everyone can green clean in a way that is accessible and affordable.
When more people start green cleaning, it will alert industry to the fact that we have changed our values as a consumer base and make them realize it is time to redesign the system to support these new values.
Supporting safer products and taking care of our planet can be an issue that unites us instead of dividing us. I am sure most of us agree we want to continue to live and thrive on this planet for many years to come and allow future generations the same opportunity.