Simplify your everyday life with fewer chemicals at home
Sara IdenforsChemicals are an integral part of our lives and are found in many everyday products. These can be harmless or harmful depending on how they are used and combined. To reduce exposure to unnecessary chemicals, there are things we can do at home, including replacing ordinary cleaning products with more natural alternatives such as soft soap, citric acid, and vinegar.
Last edited on May 8, 2024
What exactly is a chemical? The answer is not very simple, but it can be explained like this: According to the nomenclature committee of the Swedish Chemical Society, a chemical is a macroscopically homogeneous element or chemical compound when it is applied in an industrial or commercial process. “Macroscopically homogeneous” means that mixtures can also be considered chemicals if it is not obvious that they are two different substances. Dry and boring text, but we can explain it with an example.
Example: Imagine that you have vinegar in the kitchen that you use to pickle gherkins. In that case, the vinegar is not a chemical, but if the same vinegar is used for cleaning, then it is.
But chemicals are necessary for us to live the lives we do. They are found in practically everything that surrounds us in everyday life—furniture, clothing, food, hygiene products, electronics, and cars.
The number of chemical substances present in society is vast. Companies report their production to the EU chemicals agency, and these reports show that more than 100,000 chemical substances are used.
Reduce chemicals at home
Not everything is dangerous; you surely remember our earlier example with vinegar. But because there are so extraordinarily many chemicals in so many different places, it is very difficult for us as consumers to keep track of everything.
It is actually completely impossible to live a normal, modern life while keeping track of all the chemicals we encounter in everyday life. Even if not everything is dangerous in itself, the mixture of many, many different chemicals together can become an unhealthy mixture and simply be too much.
A clean home without chemicals. Have you tried Soapa?
So, onto what we can do
Below, we have listed simple things you can do yourself to reduce the number of unnecessary chemicals in your everyday life. Be more mindful, read product packaging, and ask yourself with every new purchase whether there is a better alternative. Choose organic, locally produced products where possible, and be sure to read the ingredients and warning labels. Find out what the symbols mean. Also ask yourself whether your product really needs to be scented. Dishwashing liquid, for example—do your freshly washed plates really need to be perfumed? Plates and glasses that we are going to put our food on!?
Cleaning chemicals, soap, shampoo, conditioner, skin creams, air fresheners, dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent are all things you can replace with eco-friendly, gentler alternatives. Below you will find a checklist to go through your rooms and tick off the things you have replaced. Once you have done that, you will have made good progress toward using fewer chemicals in your everyday life.
The kitchen: Check under the sink and in the cleaning cupboard—what is actually in there?
You can replace sprays and bottles containing substances you cannot identify or that have hazard symbols with: soap, citric acid, vinegar and baking soda.
⎸ Sprays → Replace them with soap spray
⎸ Descaler -> Replace with citric acid
⎸ Window cleaner → Replace it with vinegar and water
⎸ Oven cleaner → Replace it with soap, baking soda and vinegar
⎸ Drain cleaner → Replace it with baking soda and vinegar
⎸ Dishwashing liquid → Switch to an eco-friendly dishwashing liquid. Read the back; if there are hazard symbols, find out why they are there and what they mean.
Bathroom: How do you clean here?
⎸ Sprays -> Replace with soap spray
⎸ Descaler -> Replace with citric acid
⎸ Window cleaner -> Replace with vinegar and water
⎸ Drain cleaner -> Replace with baking soda and vinegar
⎸ Bleach -> Stop using it immediately! Replace it with soap and citric acid. The citric acid removes all green deposits and limescale, while the soap removes organic dirt.
⎸ Toilet cleaner -> Replace with bathroom soap
You might also want to go through the drawers in the bathroom -> Makeup can be replaced with organic alternatives that come in refill packaging.
⎸ Shampoo, conditioner and soap – > replace with organic solid products without packaging.
Bedrooms and other rooms:
⎸ Air fresheners -> Replace with fresh green plants.
⎸ Wardrobes -> Check whether there are mothballs or moth repellents, and replace them with red cedarwood if so.
Laundry room:
⎸ Laundry detergent -> Replace with soap nuts or biodegradable laundry detergent.
⎸ Fabric softener -> Replace with vinegar and, if you like, a little essential oil or an eco-friendly fabric softener alternative.
⎸ Bleach / Stain remover -> Replace with solid soap and a scrubbing brush to pre-treat stains before washing.
⎸ Laundry bags -> Get a laundry bag that captures microfiber when washing synthetic clothes and prevents particles from entering the water. It may not affect you directly, but polluting the water will of course affect you in the long run.
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Questions and Answers
- What is the definition of a chemical according to the Swedish Chemical Society?
According to the Swedish Chemical Society, a chemical is a macroscopically homogeneous element or chemical compound used in industrial or commercial processes.
- Why can a mixture of different chemicals be dangerous even if each one is harmless in small quantities?
Although individual chemicals may be harmless in small quantities, mixing many different chemicals together can create an unhealthy combination and pose risks to human health.
- What are some alternatives to conventional cleaning products that contain chemicals?
Alternatives to conventional cleaning products include natural substances such as soap, citric acid, vinegar and baking soda.
- Why is it important to be aware of the contents of cleaning products and other everyday products?
It is important to be aware of the contents of products to avoid unnecessary chemicals and reduce the risk of health problems, as well as to protect the environment by choosing more natural alternatives.
- How can you reduce the use of chemicals in everyday life by replacing products?
By replacing conventional cleaning products with more natural alternatives and being mindful of the contents of products, you can reduce the use of chemicals in everyday life and create a healthier, more environmentally friendly home environment.