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Mr. Yuk: He's in my house, is he in yours?
So this is a little embarrassing. On the one hand, I'm pleased with myself for getting the Mr. Yuk stickers, preventing my children from sticking them everywhere, and applying them to the grim, poisonous chemicals in our house. Job well done, mom!
On the other hand, no self-respecting EWG staffer can simply smack a label on the (many) poisons in her house and call it a night! Nope. So down I trod to the basement, where the chemicals reside, and counted them. And inventoried them. And yikes.
Worse yet, I tend to think I'm a little green, you know? No pesticides on the lawn, organic produce, recycled toilet paper, you get the picture. I know, I know, you're probably wondering what I found. So here they are, all seven of them, in all their unglory:
- Wash-in waterproofing for wet weather clothing (I live in the Pacific Northwest..)
- Hot shot flying insect killer ("kills fast!")
- Rust-oleum gloss protective enamel (husband?)
- Interior-exterior spray paint (no runs, no drips, no errors!)
- Chlorine bleach (brightens whites, removes stains, cleans and deodorizes)
- Carpet spot remover (for those really tough spots)
- Laundry stain remover (powerful stain fighting ingredients)
Now that the truth is out, the confession thankfully over, it's time to shepherd them right to the household hazardous waste disposal facility. Phew, that was pretty easy. But wait, what will I use instead?? After a little research, I discovered it's just as easy to get along without all this Yuk, it's just not what I'm familiar with.
So, for flying insects? I'll hang a trap or have someone (not me!) remove the nest. For spray paint, well, I'll use a brush. For whitening the whites, I'll switch to non-chlorine bleach since there's no need to disinfect our clothes. Point being, there are alternatives aplenty, it's just a question of doing it. Our Healthy Home tip sheet makes it easy, and includes this straightforward recommendation:
Use greener cleaners & avoid pesticides. Household cleaners, bug killers, pet treatments, and air fresheners can irritate kids' lungs, especially if your kids have asthma. Investigate less toxic alternatives. Use vinegar in place of bleach, baking soda to scrub your tiles, and hydrogen peroxide to remove stains.
I have a sneaking suspicion I'm not alone in having a stash of unnecessary, poisonous chemicals in my house. How many Mr. Yuk stickers do you have in your house? Not to pick on a very useful guy, but the fewer Mr. Yuk stickers in our midst, the better. So go ahead, count, inventory, dispose safely, and retool. Not sure where you'll find them? Check this whole-house tool to see what typically is kept where.
This deYuking project packs a big punch for a minimal effort. And in addition to avoiding hazardous exposures during routine use, you'll greatly reduce the potential for an urgent call to poison control (1-800-222-1212).
I did the same as you; taking an inventory of the nasty chemicals in my home. A couple of the alternatives that I found for laundry are Distilled Vinegar for disinfecting and lemon juice for whitening and brightening. These two work just as well as their nasty chemical counterparts and much cheaper too :)