[CHEMISTRY | Week #10] The Chemistry of Household Products + Electronegativity

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Kitchen Sink Cabinet Findings

We have a quite a range of cleaning products and materials underneath our kitchen sink.  The most environmentally friendly product we have is dish soap from Costco named, "Kirkland Signature Environmentally Responsible Ultra Liquid Dish Soap."  Through this blog assignment, I actually questioned what constitutes "Environmentally Responsible" from Costco's perspective. I found a review on a blog called, "Apartment Therapy." Here's what the author wrote:

 "Costco is forthcoming about what’s not it the detergent: phosphates, dyes, optical brighteners, or bleaches. They’re also not tested on animals, and they “feature” biodegradable cleaning agents and plant-based formulas. But are they entirely free of petroleum products? Other than the bottle, which is still (petroleum-based) plastic, it’s hard to say."

 We try our best to be environmentally conscious with other cleaning products, but still have a long way to go. Other products we have under the sink are Oxyclean, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Natural All Purpose Cleaner from Target, and Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner.  I am proud (and relieved) to say that we do not have bleach, ammonia or other harsh cleaners that are super toxic. Its mostly because we have air sensitivities and are asthmatics.  😩  Many of our personal products are unscented like lotion, shampoo, even our laundry detergent. I hope we can get to a place to dramatically reduce our use of unnatural and toxic products at home. 

 Alternative Cleaning Products

 I feel alternative cleaning products are becoming much more popular and affordable because of society's growing environmental consciousness. I am still learning what brands work for me and the different jargon attached to being "conscious" about products I use. (i.e.: "alternative," "eco-friendly" etc).  If you simply google "alternative cleaning product guide," tons of resources will pop up; from DIY recipes to actually store bought brands. Here's what popped up for me:


I also found this website www.goodguide.com to be an awesome resource. You can enter any household product in their search box and it will tell you the ingredients! So if a brand claims to be "eco-friendly" and they do not publicly share the ingredients, I'd be hesitant to purchase their products.  Here's my sample search of Dove soap:

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