At first glance, you may think the video below is funny, but it tells a true fact that mixing chlorine and ammonia can  be quite dangerous if not deadly. The mixture creates a chemical compound called Chlorine Gas. Chlorine gas was used in WWI to kill people. Yet how many people do you know, perhaps yourself,  create this mixture right in the kitchen while cleaning ( or cleaning up pet urine – yes there is ammonia in urine) and not aware of what they’re doing! KA-BOOM!

What manufacturers fail to tell consumers is that new chemical compounds are created when mixed with other products.  It’s not good enough to just put a label on the bottle that says: Danger, keep away from children, and so on.

90% of chemical exposures happen in the home.  It makes sense to get wise and smart about what cleaning products to buy. But the most important thing to remember is this -  on a microscopic level you create new chemical compounds when mixing products.  So think before you mix- ALWAYS!

Know these routes of chemical exposures:

• inhalation = coughing, irritation of the mouth and throat, dizziness, headache
• ingestion = nausea,, vomiting, upset stomach
• skin absorption = rash, chemical burns
• eyes = irritation, redness

Check the products you have under your sinks (kitchen, bath, basement), if they’re toxic, best to remove them and replace them with safer ones – especially if you have kids and pets.  It ’s hard to find products that are completely void of some kind of chemical. So look for the safe ones.  Product labels  (if they are true green) should list them. Some might be: Surfactant and phosphate free, plant based, no chlorine, etc.

Get educated, do you homework, and shop wise.

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