When you think of allergies, you might not think about the products you use in your home every day, to keep it clean, could be the source of your discomfort. Many of the household products we purchase to clean our homes with have chemicals that can cause an allergic response in people who are sensitive to them. Oftentimes, there are fragrances added to cover up the smell of the harsh chemicals in them. Sometimes, even the “green” products we buy on the market contain chemicals that some people are allergic to.

Even with some green products you have to be careful. To protect the skin on your hands from breaking out from the chemicals in cleaning products, you should wear gloves. If you are sensitive to some of the ingredients in cleaning products, you should never wear contacts when using them, because you could suffer from inflammation. When using spray cleaners, and deodorizers you may need to wear a mask over your nose and mouth if you have respiratory problems caused by chemical allergens.

If you are very sensitive to household cleaners, you can substitute the cleaners with vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is very good to use as an all purpose cleaner, because the acidic acid content in vinegar is good to cut through grease and grime. Vinegar is perfect to wash your windows, clean your floors and to wipe down all of your counter tops. The smell of apple cider vinegar isn’t unpleasant, and the scent fades as the vinegar evaporates. Vinegar is acidic acid, so you will not be able to use it on countertops made of granite or marble. Vinegar is perfect for nearly any other surface, other than the two just mentioned.

Scouring powder can be caustic to the skin and its particles can get airborne and breathed into the respiratory tract. If you have respiratory problems related to chemical allergies, you may want to substitute baking soda for scouring powder. Baking soda is fairly gritty when poured straight on a surface that you want to scour. You will find that baking soda does a very good job at cleaning surfaces and wipes away easily with a moist paper towel. Many people have allergies to drain cleaners and toilet cleaners. Baking soda is a very effective drain cleaner and toilet cleanser. If you have allergies to harsh chemicals for cleaners, baking soda is a very good substitute.

Lemon juice is another good cleaning agent that can take the place of harsh cleansers. Just like with vinegar, lemon juice contains an acid, so you might want to dilute it. You also may not want to use lemon juice on granite and marble countertops.

Some people are allergic to the ingredients in furniture polishes. There are a lot of great smelling spray polishes, but if you have an allergic response to the products, you need to avoid them. Instead of using a lemon scented furniture polish, you can make your own polish out of lemon juice and olive oil. To make your own furniture polish you can pour 2 ounces of olive oil with one ounce of lemon juice. This mixture is very good to clean wooden surfaces.

There are many more creative ways to replace cleaning products. The Internet is full of recipes for homemade green cleaners. If you have allergies to household cleaning products, you might benefit by substituting some of the items in your pantry for some of the cleaning items on the shelves at the store. By making your own cleaning products, you will prevent pain and discomfort from chemical allergies, and you are likely to save a bit of money too.

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