Do you think you are cleaning? You may poison your interior. Under cover of cleanliness, some cleaning products contain toxic substances that harm your health. Inhaled or absorbed by the skin, they can cause allergies, irritations, even worse. The magazine 60 million consumers has analyzed 30 commercial products for you: here are those to avoid absolutely.
Cleaning does not mean healthy: a well -established illusion
Shining your sink, disinfecting toilets, scouring your shower … These daily gestures are often made with supposed “cleansing” and “sanitizing” products. However, this promise of cleanliness sometimes hides a much more disturbing reality: chemicals harmful to human health, even in low doses.
The paradox? While food ingredients are scrupulously labeled, those of household products are not always accessible – or even absent from the packaging. You have to look for them on the manufacturers’ sites … if they are there.
Toxic substances, bleach, endocrine disruptors: bad students
On the 30 products tested (multi-uses, kitchen and bathroom), 60 million consumers warns against 8 particularly problematic products. Some contain bleach, other irritating agents or recognized allergens. Even more serious: some ingredients are classified as endocrine disruptors, likely to upset our hormonal system.
Here are the 8 products to avoid according to the survey:
- Ajax – Multi -Usage Red flowers notes
- Carolin – Multi -surfaces essential oils peony and white musk
- The cross – antibacterial in sage essential oil
- La Croix – Ultradenty with bleach
- Sanytol – Disinfectant degrector kitchen
- APTA (Intermarché) – Cleaning bathroom with lemon vinegar
- Briochin – Bathroom cleaner
- La Croix – Ultra shine bathroom cleaner with bleach
These products are not necessarily ineffective … but their impact on health is worrying, especially since certain substances prohibited beyond a threshold may be present at low doses without obligation of reporting.
Labeling in sight: towards a “nutri-score” of household products?
To remedy this regulatory vagueness, ANSES offers an ambitious initiative: a double score labeling system, assessing the health and environmental impact of each product, from A (the best) to E (the worst).
If the initial tests show that the majority of products get a weak score, the experts remain cautious: the tested sample is still too limited to draw final conclusions. It is now up to the state to decide whether this measure will become compulsory.
Which products to choose? Good students exist!
Fortunately, some products are doing well by combining efficiency and safety. 60 million consumers Recommend in particular:
- Rainett Multi-Weld Multi-Usages (European Ecolabel);
- Rainett Bicarbonate kitchen cleaner;
- Cillit Bang Expert Cleaner Bathroom.
Finally, for those who want to play the home card, a simple and safe cleaner: mix white vinegar + Marseille soap, and add a few drops of essential oils. Your health – and your lungs – will thank you.