Which is worse: germs or chemicals? I have tried some all-natural cleaners and they don't get things clean the way I like things clean. But I also don't love scrubbing a tub out with bleach and then putting a baby in there. Do I need to lower my cleaning standard or up my chemical tolerance?
On a similar note-
Which is worse: eating 1/2 as many (organic) fruits/veggies or eating lots of (contaminated) fruits/veggies? I can't handle the price of some organic produce, not to mention the regulations are iffy and it often doesn't look/taste as good.
Tell me what to do.
16 comments:
Although I'm a recent extreme germophobe, I'm gonna say chemicals are worse. But there are times when you definitely need to bleach the tub, ask Cora about that. And I don't know if half as many organics is better than lots of contaminateds, but I do know that any amount of contaminateds is better than no fruits or veggies. I'm also a recent GMO-phobe though so my life is getting tricky.
Thanks for bringing this up! I want to know the answers to these questions too.
I just read an article that organic was no better than regular. I buy organic when it looks better and the price is okay.
I don't know on cleaning. Our cleaning service (shh) uses all eco friendly and it definitely doesn't get as clean or stay as clean. I'm not really against bleach, just rinse it really well after. I definitely squirm more at the thought of cleaning my baby in a germy tub than a bleached tub. I feel zero percent qualified to say any of this. WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?
Hey, I just saw this. It's a list of the things that are most likely to have the most pesticides. There's also a link in the comments to a list of ones that are least likely.
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/05/02/what-to-buy-organic/#more-8325
I love this post. Thank you. We're on the same wave length. I'm like Bean, I buy organic when the price is right and the fruits/veggies look good. I'm a big advocate of eating as many fruits/veggies as you can, conventional or organic. I'm still really into bleach to kill bacteria. I'm too freaked out about germs. I would rinse really well and I always wear gloves.
haha. but seriously!!! tell me when you know.
I have certain things I will only buy organic...strawberries, peppers, celery, etc. Everything else I will buy whatever looks good, organic or not. As far as cleaning, I try to use natural things like baking soda and vinegar to disinfect, but after awhile I do bust out the bleach. If you rinse well, it should wash away. It's hard for me not to be totally freaked out by EVERYTHING. I love to read books about this kind of stuff, then I go to the store and I am too freaked out to buy anything. Recently I read about how sand box sand has carcinogens in it. REALLY??!! Can a girl not get a break. Now I have to worry about the sand. Just do the best you can without obsessing. That's what I'm trying to do at least.
1. Well, I love my all purpose cleaner, but is it natural? Rubbing alcohol, ammonia, dish detergent. Doesn't have the toxic smell that some store-bought cleaners have. I never used to freak out about any of this, and I still don't, but my recent reading of an anti-cancer book has made me think twice. Just rinse, rinse, the bleach away. And I hope I taught my daughters to never combine chlorine and ammonia. I'm not sure I ever taught you that.
2. Lots of contaminated is better. Buy a veggie cleaner and wash everything (more chemicals?). Things that you are going to peel I wouldn't worry about. Other things like berries, either rinse/wash and then quit worrying, or just eliminate.
P.S. Supposedly both peroxide and borax and are miracle workers, both for cleaning and skin problems, etc. Are they natural? I don't know. Google them and you'll see what I mean.
This is a funny topic for me right now because I bizarrely crave chemical smells in this pregnancy. I guess it's a form of Pica. I don't seek the smells out but like I totally enjoy wiping the counter down with Windex. Awful! I don't even know why I'm admitting that. One natural cleaner that I've found to actually be really effective is vinegar. And I would say more fruits and veggies is better than less but organic.
I want to know the answer too! For the bathtub, I scrub with baking soda (which is safe but drying), then spray with bleach if necessary. It looks and smells super clean and I only use the bleach like once ever 3-4 months because the b.s. is super amazing. For the rest, I use vinegar w/ lavender drops. If we cook with meat though, I don't mess around and use bleach wipes. Because eww. You don't risk e. boli. Esp. with the Brooklyn meat. Ewww.
I just heard on NPR that many "natural" and "eco" cleaners are more dangerous than standard ones. I'm not great at this, but I think old-fashioned classics like baking soda and vinegar are safest.
I'm guessing my standby for the tub, toilet, and sink--Softscrub, would be considered a big no-no? You know how I believe in wiping shower and tub down after each use, but still sometimes you just need to scrub, scrub, scrub. Do you need any more scrubbers? I've been making them.
i'm also a bit of a clean freak but the only thing i use bleach on is the tub and the toilet scrubber (seriously, you can't NOT use bleach on that every time you use it). and the tub is kinda iffy especially lately. i just hold my breath and spray bleach, let it sit for a while and turn on the fan and open the window, and leave for a little bit. anyway, that's not even helpful for anyone to know but maybe i'll try the baking soda route.
i use the jr watkins products for windows, all purpose cleaner, toilet cleaner, dish soap and hand soap, partly because i really like the packaging and partly because i was lured in by promises of an all-natural cleaner. the comment above that says all-natural cleaners might be worse makes me really sad and i hope it's not true because then i'd be poisoning myself in 20 different ways. either way, i try to tidy up with cleaner at the end of the day every day (emphasis on try) and then i feel less bad about it possibly being less effective than bleach, etc. also i have clorox wipes which are horrible for the environment but sometimes you just need to wipe stuff up (like the meat comment mentioned).
ummm and as far as the organic goes, i can't really contribute anything that hasn't been said already. i went strawberry picking on monday and i think that's the most guaranteed organic fruit i will be eating all year. but i will say that if you guys are at all meat eaters, try to buy your meat from farmers who have grass fed AND grass finished cows. it makes a huge difference in taste and quality. that's the one thing we really splurge on—that, and kerrygold butter, which you can buy in bulk at costco for the price of one stick at a regular grocery store. kerrygold butter is from a farm that has grass fed/grass finished cows. robbie's totally into this stuff right now which is why i know way too much about it. but the difference is that with a grain fed cow, you're basically eating all the crap it was eating too (like GMO grain and corn) and with grass fed/finished, it's all pretty healthy, even the fat.
lately i've been trying to eat more whole/organic foods in general but it's really tedious for me to eat, and to eat frequently (i get bored of everything AND i'm always starving) so i try and make myself feel better by shopping a lot at trader joe's because the food is good and convenient and doesn't overdose on preservatives, etc. it gets the stamp of approval from my super paranoid sister, AND it comes from monrovia so you know it must be good. anyway i wonder if it matters as much for things to be organic (like, i had to decide today whether to buy "organic" pasta sauce and "organic" apple sauce, and i was like—whatever, it's processed food either way so i'll pay less for the other one) as it is for food to not be processed. if you're eating less processed food then i wouldn't worry as much about eating organic, in my opinion.
world's longest comment, i'm really sorry. i don't know how it got out of hand so quickly.
i love seeing inside your brain. please post these things more.
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