Welcome back to our series, Savvy Swaps, where we analyze popular store-bought products and offer up healthier alternatives, without any of the negative additives. Last time, we looked at healthier packaged food. Today, it's all about tossing toxic cleaning products for safer cleaners for your home: all-purpose cleaning spray, bathroom cleaner, laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent and glass cleaner.

Read the ingredients labels on most store-bought cleaning products and you’ll find most of these items are filled with loads of toxic chemicals, including synthetic colorants, fragrance and ammonium.

The Truth About Toxic Cleaning Products

After analyzing over 2,000 cleaning products, the EWG found that over 53 percent contain ingredients known to harm the lungs and 22 percent contain chemicals reported to cause asthma. Many other toxic chemicals in popular cleaning products cause cancer and hormonal issues.

And if that weren't enough reason to stay away from toxic cleaning products, they're also bad for our planet–many aquatic organisms in streams, rivers and lakes have been harmed by cleaning product ingredients that washed down drains or were discharged in wastewater.

Take a look at some of the leading brands’ ingredients labels to get an idea of how some of these toxic cleaning products compare to their safer counterparts (Note: Don't be fooled by “green marketing” on the label, these are often some of the worst offenders):

You may be wondering why some of these ingredients are even bad for you in the first place (I for one hadn't heard of most of these chemicals, besides the fact that I could hardly pronounce them). To give you an idea, here are a few of the worst offenders from above:

• Synthetic Colorants: The U.S. is way behind other countries on outlawing harmful ingredients in our products, but even the FDA prohibits the use of synthetic colors, like FD&C Red #3, in cosmetics because it causes cancer, notably thyroid tumors, in rodents. But it's still allowed in our cleaning products… there's a head scratcher. Just like in food, these cheap, artificial dyes also pose a risk for hyperactivity in children and allergic reactions.
• Fragrance: Just like in cosmetics, Fragrance (one of the top five allergens in the world) in cleaning products is also a proven human immune system toxicant and often contains harmful chemicals in its secret mixture, like phthalates (these chemicals mimic human hormones and are known to cause birth defects, lower sperm count, thyroid issues and even cancer). Though some fragrance mixtures may be safe, since we can’t know exactly what’s in it, I try to avoid anything with “Fragrance” listed in the ingredients to be safe, including “Unscented” products. Be sure to look for the words “Fragrance-Free” instead.
• Ammonium: This disinfecting chemical comes in many forms (in the above products, you'll see it as ammonium chloride and ammonium hydroxide) and are proven to cause asthma, severe skin burns and eye damage. It's also incredibly toxic to aquatic life.
• Butoxydiglycol: Another chemical known to inhibit pulmonary and respiratory function, Butoxydiglycol (rated an F by the EWG) also causes serious eye irritation and has some concern for causing cancer, female reproductive toxicity and genetic defects. 
• Ethanolamine: Rated an F by the EWG, Ethanolamine causes severe skin burns and eye damage, asthma and respiratory issues, skin irritation and central nervous system depression.
• Sodium Borate: Rated an F by the EWG, Sodium Borate is proven to damage fertility and the unborn child with clear evidence of endocrine disruption. It also causes skin allergies and irritation.

So, I think it's safe to say that conventional household cleaning products are pretty scary. While I highly recommend making your own cleaning products (check out our DIY Homemade recipes here!), there are a handful of safer store-bought alternatives that will also get the job done:

All-Purpose Cleaning Spray

• BAD: Green Works All-Purpose Cleaner Spray
• GOOD: Earth Friendly Products Orange Plus Cleaner

Bathroom Cleaner

• BAD: Clorox Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner
• GOOD: GreenShield Organic Bathroom Cleaner

Laundry Detergent

• BAD: Tide Pods Detergent, Spring Meadow
• GOOD: GrabGreen 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods, Fragrance Free

Dishwasher Detergent

• BAD: Cascade Complete All in 1 Dishwasher Detergent Pacs
• GOOD: Seventh Generation Auto Dish Pacs, Free & Clear

Glass Cleaner

• BAD: Windex Foaming Glass Cleaner
• GOOD: Citra-Solv Citra Clear Window & Glass Cleaner

As always, be sure to read the ingredients label on any product you buy and search the item on EWG's database to see how it ranks. Being aware and making informed decisions is the first, and most important, step. Happy Cleaning!

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust.