Household cleaners and personal care products

What do these have in common? A lot of stuff, but in recent times they have all started smelling the same. Why oh why can't cleaners smell like cleaners and shampoos like shampoos? And above all I never want my moisturiser to smell like vanilla icecream. It ruins the joy of eating vanilla icecream, because you feel like you are eating your moisturiser, and when you apply moisturiser you sometimes wonder if a batallion of ants are going to attack you. But thanks to the weather, there are no ants around. But still. All these different smells just mess up with your brain. You really can't tell the difference between a body cleanser and a cleaner. Gone are the days when cleaners were pungent and bleachy smelling.

Here is what the scene looks like. Dishwashing soap smell of honeysuckle (whatever that is), lemongrass and orange blossom. Counter top cleaners come smelling like lavender and lemons, while bathroom cleaners smell like fresh spring. Air sanitizers come in Spring Waterfall Scent, Summer Breeze Scent, Country Scent, and Green Apple Breeze Scent. Fabric softners come in scents like April Fresh and Peach blossom.

Somehow all these different smells distract the user from the fact that these are all chemicals and are in someway harmful. It is very misleading when some toxic cleaner actually smells like lavender. I think there should be a regulation as to how cleaners can smell. And another to ban vanilla moisturisers.

Most bathroom cleaners contain Ethylene based glycol ethers, which when used in a enclosed space like the tub, can cause health risks, particularly for people with asthma. A similar situation exists with car freshners, moth balls etc. They all contain 1,4 - chlorobenzene which is not usually listed on the package. Exposure to the toxicity could be high in an enclosed space like the car. I guess if it was made mandatory to provide with a Material Safety Data Sheet with all common cleaners, people would take one look and not buy any of these. Read the above link and you will definitely want to atleast google the MSDS for these products.

Over years of cleaning, I am beginning to think for most household cleaning, you only need bleach and vinegar, both of which you can dilute with water depending on the surface you are cleaning. That way you lessen your exposure greatly and save money too.