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GREENGUARD Environmental Institute:  From vitamins and vaccines to nutritious meals and regular exercise, parents will do almost anything to ensure the health and welfare of their children. Maintaining a clean house is high on the to-do list for keeping kids healthy, but many parents don’t realize that the cleaning products they use and the way they use them can often do more harm than good when it comes to the health of their family.

Cleaning products and routines have a tremendous impact on indoor air quality. In fact, indoor air pollution is ranked as one of the nation’s greatest health risks. Over 60 million Americans currently suffer from asthma, allergies, respiratory disease and general ailments associated with poor indoor air quality. Over the long-term, the health consequences are even more severe and can include neurological and respiratory diseases and cancer.

A recent study revealed that 40% of the 3,000 participants experienced asthma symptoms including wheezing or started using asthma medications as a result of using home cleaning sprays at least once a week. The products most often used by participants were cleaning products such as glass cleaners, furniture polishes and air fresheners that are commonly found in most homes.

While the chemicals emitted by cleaning products have the potential to affect everyone, children are in one of the highest risk categories for suffering the effects of airborne chemical emissions. Children spend up to 85% of their time indoors, thus increasing their exposure to the ill effects of poor indoor air quality. In addition, children’s organs and respiratory, immune and neurological systems are still developing and they have a lower body weight. This means that relative to their size, they breathe in a greater volume of air than adults.

Fortunately, parents don’t have to choose between a clean home and healthy children. While a home cleaning routine plays an important part in reducing the allergens and toxins in indoor air, parents don’t have sacrifice the health of their children for the sake of a clean house. To avoid inhaling toxic chemical fumes create a cleaning routine that incorporates indoor air quality. Keep in mind that the use of a product is just as important as the product used, and follow these simple tips to maximize efforts to reduce indoor air pollution:

• Select products that have been tested and verified (ideally by a third-party) for non-toxic chemical content and low emissions of volatile organic compounds. Resources include GREENGUARD Certification for VOC emissions and Green Seal for environmental toxicity.
• When it comes to cleaning products, more is not better. Dilute products as directed by the manufacturer and only use the devices that are recommended by the manufacturer for product application.
• Odors are bad! Avoid products with strong and long-lasting odors as this typically indicates high chemical levels (this includes all “natural” odors or fragrances like pine, lemon, etc.). Ventilate your home properly during and after cleaning.
• After cleaning a surface, rinse it thoroughly with water to remove excess chemicals.
• Use water-based cleaners that are odor-free and biodegradable; avoid ones that say "danger," "caution" or "flammable." Use non-fragranced cleaners and polishes that rub on rather than spray on. Vinegar and water makes for a great floor cleaner and damp cloths often work better to control dust than chemical cleaners!
• To catch dust and other particles that you can’t always see, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and use microfiber dust cloths and sweepers for all of a home’s hard services.
• Clean up any spilled water around the house immediately and be on the lookout for mold in damp environments like bathrooms and basements.

To help consumers select cleaning products that help minimize indoor air pollution, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute has developed an indoor air quality standard for cleaning products that is based upon allowable chemical emissions criteria.

GREENGUARD measures the chemical “off-gassing” of a product during recommended use and application, and then compares that data to known short-term and long-term risk exposure levels. Products that meet or fall below these established risk levels can be certified by GREENGUARD as low-emitting. Consumers can check out the most comprehensive and current list of low-emitting cleaning products free of charge by consulting the GREENGUARD Product Guide.

Helping kids breathe easier and live healthier at home requires just a few simple changes to your home cleaning routine. With the right products and proper usage of those products, parents can do their part to create cleaner air and healthier kids.

For more information on indoor air quality, please visit the American Lung Association (ALA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), California Air Resources Board (CARB) or Aerias.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

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