Ok – here are the facts.  Chlorine is defined on Wikipedia as the following:  ”Chlorine (IPA: /ˈklɔəriːn/, from the Greek word ‘χλωρóς’ (khlôros)(meaning ‘pale green’), is the chemical element with atomic number  17 and symbol Cl. It is a halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17 (formerly VII, VIIa, or VIIb). As the chloide ion, which is part of common salt and other compounds, it is abundant in nature and necessary to most forms of life, including humans. In its common elemental form (Cl₂ or “dichlorine”) under standard conditions, it is a pale green gas about 2.5 times as dense as air. It has a disagreeable, suffocating odor that is detectable in concentrations as low as 3.5 ppm,^[1] and is choking and poisonous. Chlorine is a powerful oxidant and is used in bleaching and disinfectants. As a common disinfectant, chlorine compounds are used in swimming pools to keep them clean and sanitary. In the upper atmosphere, chlorine-containing molecules have been implicated in the destruction of the ozone layer.”  Got it?  Good.  Ok so I must have been under a rock becuase while I was researching this topic, I found out that “bleach” is a verb.  I thought that ”bleach” was a noun..which I think the act of “bleaching” can be considered a noun…but according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it’s a verb.  So now everything is totally clear as mud right?  Sorry!  But hang in there with me for just a little bit longer and my point will reveal itself!  

I’ve been using Seventh Generation laundry detergent for quite a while.  In the beginning it was because my hubby has really sensitive skin and after a long process of elimination, we discovered that Seventh Genteration was the only detergent that did NOT irritate his skin.  Now I use it for that reason and because I’ve really come to love the company and what they’ve got going on.   You can read it for yourself their website, Seventh Generation.

Anyway – I’ve been looking more and more into the use of non-chlorine products vs chlorinated products and I have to say that the amount of household cleaning products that contain chlorine was pretty shocking!  I mean that stuff is everywhere!  And once I read up on chlorine and what it is and what it does OR can do in time….made me run to my cabinets and finally get rid of all the cleaning products that I had been holding on to that contained chlorine.  You just have to let them go!  Any cleaning product that contains chlorine that goes down your drains, toilets and into our water systems…you have to stop using!  Chlorine is a pollutant and a poisonous chemical.  It can cause skin and respiratory problems and can you even imagine what it does to our sea life once all that crap makes it into our oceans????  YIKES!  

But before you flip out totally – you can purchase non-chlorine cleaning products.  Seventh Generation has a ton of stuff, Mrs Meyers does too and BioKleen is another.  OR you can make your own.  It’s totally eff’ing amazing what vinegar, backing soda and Borax can clean in your house.  I was addicted to my Softscrub because the porcelin sinks and tub in my house are like 60 years old and it was the only thing that got them white…but I threw it out yesterday and used just straight baking soda on a wet spongs and BAM!  Super clean and sparkly white.  There’s alot of info out there about chlorine and non-chlorine products.  You can check out epa.gov  (although I find those science dorks a little hard to follow, but maybe you’re smarter than me) ewg.org is another one, and all sorts of other places.  Just google it if you want.  I’ll probably start a separate section on here with all the stuff I use to clean with and the ratios.  I’ll keep you posted!