It’s Your Choice! Safer Cleaning Product Options at Home

Ready to explore easy, safer, and inexpensive cleaning options outside of conventional cleaning products? You may already have some of the products needed to switch to safer cleaning practices, such as liquid soap, baking soda, and lemon juice. We now know it’s not necessary to depend on heavy chemical products for effective cleaning in the home. Try a few safer cleaning products found here and share your experience with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @smchealth, or leave a comment in this blog!

Check out even more Safer Replacements videos:

Safer Cleaning Basics                                  
Simple Safer Spring Cleaning Ingredients!
Conceptos Básicos de la Limpieza Menos Tóxica
Ingredientes Básicos para Limpieza Menos Tóxica

💡Helpful hint: It’s not necessary to clean mold with chlorine bleach. Try hot, soapy water and be prepared to DRY THE AREA THOROUGHLY. If you do not dry the area, the mold may return due to moisture in the air.

Safer cleaning resources:

💚One of the more popular and effective safer cleaning recipes is our creamy cleanser. Follow along and make some of your own with this video.
🌎Women’s Voices for the Earth demonstrates how to make safer cleaning products at home!
🧼Our 3 Steps to a Healthy Home also highlights less toxic pest and mold control.
🧽Environmental Working Group (EWG)-Verified Cleaning Products
🌎The Safer Choice Label for safer cleaning, car care, laundry, dish detergent, degreasers, and other home products that contain the least toxic ingredients.

Making the switch? Check out our safe HHW management video! Have you decided to opt for less toxic products and would like to safely dispose of or donate your existing cleaning products? Make an appointment for an upcoming collection event near you.

Video: Manejo Seguro de Desechos Peligrosos del Hogar

Last but not least, FREE household products! The Product Give Away Program at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility donates partially or unused products Thursday through Saturday, 2-3pm.

Engage! Contact Cynthia Knowles at cknowles@smcgov.org for any questions or feedback on Safer Cleaning at Home!

¡Involúcrate! Comuníquese con Cynthia Knowles al cknowles@smcgov.org con cualquier consulta.

Spring cleaning is around the corner!

Ready to deep-clean? Reduce your exposure to cleaning chemicals by opting for basic ingredients found in your pantry, such as white vinegar, baking soda, and liquid soap. Try a few safer cleaning products and share your experience with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @smchealth or leave a comment on this blog!

Demonstration on how to make a creamy cleanser

Look for mold! Deep cleaning following our heavy winter rainstorms helps you find mold that may have grown, but you do not see. For example, look behind and under cardboard boxes, which attract moisture and pose conditions for mold growth, mainly due to lack of ventilation and the organic material they are made from (tree pulp). Boxes that are stacked, pushed up against a wall, or stored in a closet inhibit air circulation.

💡 Helpful hint: It’s not necessary to clean mold with chlorine bleach. Try hot, soapy water and be prepared to DRY THE AREA THOROUGHLY. If you do not dry the area, the mold may return due to existing moisture in the air.

Attention! Mold spores occur naturally in the outdoors, and easily enter a home (not through the front door alone). Once mold spores make contact with a damp surface, mold can easily grow.

Some conditions that promote mold growth:

• Moisture in the air from cooking, bathing, and even breathing.
• Lack of ventilation or air circulation in all rooms, including, and especially in, closets. Use ventilation fans and open windows when cooking and bathing.
• Lack of air circulation and clutter, combined with moisture that enters from the outside. Many apartment buildings were not built with insulation, which can protect your home from some amount of moisture intrusion. Mold is common below windows and exterior walls (walls not shared with an adjacent room or apartment unit) so be sure to move furniture at least 6 inches away from the wall to allow for air circulation.

Check our healthy homes resources, as well as California Department of Public Health’s highly informative mold reduction and prevention resources.

Carpets? Consider a vacuum with a HEPA filter to safely remove allergens, dust, and residue from shoes that accumulate over time in throw rugs and carpets.

More safer cleaning resources:

🌎Women’s Voices for the Earth demonstrates how to make safer cleaning products at home!
🧼 Our 3 Steps to a Healthy Home also highlights less toxic pest and mold control.
🧽 Environmental Working Group (EWG)-Verified Cleaning Products
🌎 The Safer Choice Label for safer cleaning, car care, laundry, dish detergent, degreasers, and other consumer products for the home that contain the least toxic ingredients.

Making the switch? Have you decided to opt for less toxic products and would like to donate your existing cleaning products? Make an appointment for an upcoming collection event near you. The Product Give Away Program at the San Mateo County Household Hazardous Waste Facility will donate partially or unused products.

Paint Your Walls and the Town, Then Recycle!

PaintCare makes it easy to recycle leftover paint!

🎨 What can I drop off?
PaintCare drop-off sites accept the following:
-Latex, acrylic, enamel, and water and oil-based paints
-Primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish

  🎨 Where do I drop off my paint?
-Local drop-off sites are located near you. Neighborhood PaintCare sites do not require an appointment! Find your closest site at Paintcare.org

🎨  How much can I drop off?
-Paint must be in its original container of no larger than 5 gallons in size
-Most sites accept up to 10 gallons per drop-off visit
-Products must have the original manufacturer’s printed label on the container
-The container must be covered with a secured lid

 🎨 Before you PaintCare, PaintSmart!
–PaintCare provides guidance on how much paint to buy, how to make your paint last longer in storage, and how to use up or give away leftover paint

 🎨 Items NOT Accepted by PaintCare
-Aerosol products, solvents, paint thinners, mineral spirits, and auto or marine paints
-Leaking, unlabeled, or uncovered cans

Place non-leaking containers in boxes or crates. Do not use plastic garbage bags.

Do you have items that are not accepted by PaintCare and other household hazardous wastes, such as pesticides, fertilizers, solvents, cleaning, automotive, and home improvement products? Make a drop-off appointment at an upcoming household hazardous waste collection event in Daly City, Foster City, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, South San Francisco, or San Mateo.

Visit smchealth.org/hhw for more information on HHW and learn What Goes Where.

Safer Products Corner: Spotlight on the Safer Choice Label

After you clear out the hazards, choose less toxic products. Search the Safer Choice Label for safer cleaning, car care, laundry, dish detergent, degreasers, and other consumer products for the home that contain the least toxic ingredients.

Don’t forget about safer cleaning products already found in your kitchen pantry! And be sure to check out our 3 Steps to a Healthy Home for advice on less toxic pest and mold control.

Women’s Voices for the Earth also showcases simple steps to make safer cleaning products at home!

Many items collected at San Mateo County’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility are in good, usable condition. Products may include home and heavy-duty cleaners, solvents, auto supplies, pesticides, fertilizers, adhesives, and stains. The Product Give Away Program redistributes these products for free each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 2-3 p.m.

5 Ways to Reduce Hazardous Waste

Here are five ways to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated in your home and the time you have to spend disposing of it.

1. Clean Safer
You don’t bake with bleach, but did you know you don’t have to clean with it either? Many ingredients you cook with can also be used to clean your home. Think lemon, vinegar, and baking soda. For cleaning recipes, visit: smchealth.org/safercleaning

Safer Cleaning Alternatives in the Bathroom

It’s inevitable that toilets get stained, drains get clogged, and mildew develops in the shower. But before you grab a conventional cleaner with harsh chemicals found at the grocery store, protect your health and your wallet by creating your own bathroom cleaners from safer ingredients.

Here are some bathroom ingredient essentials you will need:

Safer Cleaning Products are Right in Your Kitchen Cabinet!

Safer cleaning alternatives may be things you already have at home!

By Cynthia Knowles, Pollution Prevention Specialist, San Mateo County Environmental Health

Spring is upon us and many of you will open your windows and doors for a spring cleaning. And when you do, we’re here to help you make cleaning choices that are safer for you and the environment. You can breathe easy knowing that there are lots of simple switches you can make that safely clean most surfaces in your home.