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How cleaning could be harming your health

And what to do instead - by Livia Gamble
  • 20 Feb 2018

If vinegar and bicarb soda aren’t already on your list of cleaning products, they should be.

A new study found cleaning sprays can cause significant damage to the lungs of women, in particular. 

Published in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers analysed data from 6,200 participants taken over a 20-year period.

RELATED: Does vinegar really kill germs

The data showed the deterioration of lung function, similar to smoking 10-20 cigarettes a day.

One limitation of the research, however, was the number of men who had been exposed to cleaning products on the same scale as women were small.

"The take-home message of this study is that in the long run cleaning chemicals very likely cause rather substantial damage to your lungs," lead author Øistein Svanes explains.

"These chemicals are usually unnecessary; microfibre cloths and water are more than enough for most purposes." 

How to clean with vinegar

After some tips on how to clean with vinegar? You might like to read:

  • Homemade natural weed killer
  • 10 ways to use vinegar in your garden
  • How to clean a shower
  • 16 surprising new uses for apple cider vinegar
  • Easy toilet cleaning hack
  • 10 ways to clean your house while you sleep
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