G ood, old-fashioned soap and water will kill just as many germs as the antibacterial stuff -- and it won't disrupt thyroid function or harm aquatic life, as some antimicrobial cleansers do.
EMMAUS, PA — Cleaning house doesn’t mean nasty
chemicals have to pollute your home. Your next home cleaning campaign or daunting do-it-yourself projects can be done without poisoning the air or tainting your local water supply. Most of our safer alternatives will even save you money, too.
Here are five chemical culprits to kick out of your house—and the nontoxic options that should move in instead.
1. Coal-tar driveway sealant: If you plan to seal your blacktop driveway this spring, avoid coal-tar based sealants. They contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which studies suggest can be carcinogenic, toxic, and mutagenic. When rainwater and other precipitation hit your driveway, the toxic chemicals run off into your yard and into your local drinking water supply. In fact, this situation has been compared to dumping quarts of motor oil right down a storm drain.
More From Rodale.com 7 More Household Toxins You Should Banish from Your Home
