Week 8: The Chemistry of Household Products

Ummm, after looking under my kitchen sink I realize that I need to start treating a lot of my cleaning supplies like I do my food by making better choices that lean more towards products in their natural state and products that do less harm to the world, and my own body. I do use baking soda, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide (and lemons, which aren't under the sink) where I can, but I don't think I do enough.
Along with these three items there is Windex, Method Kitchen Cleaner, Bleach, Method dish soap, wood polish, and Finish cleaner for the dishwasher.

WINDEX: NH3 ammonia plus detergents, dyes and fragrances

Method Kitchen Cleaner: Corn and coconut derived biodegradable surfactants, corn based cleaning salt, soda ash, potassium hydrtae, fragrance oil, color, and purified water.

Bleach: NaClO sodium hypochlorite

Method Dish Soap: water, sodium lauryl sulfate, lauramine oxide, Decyl glusoside, lauryl glucoside, glycerin, alcohol, sodium chloride, citrid acid, methylisothiazolinone, fragrance, polymeric yellow, polymeric red

Vinegar: C2H4O2 acetic acid, ethanoic acid

Baking soda: NaHcO3 sodium bicarbonate

The other two cleaners don't have ingredients listed.



I am going to start researching the best ways to clean with natural products cause I do think it is best to avoid any product that is mass produced. The thing is, I'm a sucker for a good cleaning product...

The Mediterranean Diet

These two articles talked about the fact that if you eat whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, meat, fish and grains can lead to healthier, longer life. They called this style of eating "the Mediterranean Diet" although from what they said in these articles, they really just mean a diet full of whole foods and nothing processed.
They also talk about the "low fat" diet and how although it can lower cholesterol, it does not lower the chances of dying or suffering from myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease.