Classic household cleaning products including Lysol or Clorox are staples in nearly every household in America. We often buy these products based on packaging, or reviews, without ever really investigating their impact or significance. In my house, we use Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner. The standard bottle size, 16 fluid ounces, is priced at $4.29. Mrs. Meyers advertises their cleaner with the tagline “Removes Dirt” and “Freshens Surfaces”, and it is lemon verbena scented.
Meyer’s is not a disinfectant and refers to itself as a cleaner. According to Mrs. Meyer’s website, the ingredients in Meyer’s cleaner are as follows:
Water, Decyl Glucoside,Polysorbate 20, Betula Alba (Birch) Bark Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Abies Alba (Fir) Leaf Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Fragrance, Sodium Citrate, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Sulfate, PEG-5 Cocoate, Methylisothiazolinone, Benzisothiazolinone.”
mrsmeyers.com
The main ingredient in the Meyer’s cleaning spray is decyl glucoside. Decyl glucoside is a sugar-derived surfactant that keeps ingredients blended while cleaning. The next ingredient, polysorbate, is an emulsifier that has the primary purpose of ensuring even dispersion of fragrance. Of the sixteen ingredients in the Meyer’s cleanser, there is only one product that is meant as the cleaning agent. Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate provides cleaning and foaming qualities to the cleanser. I find this very concerning and certainly do not want to use my Meyers cleanser in the future.
Now that I need a new household cleaning product, I considered making my own from household items. According to the blog, Old House to New Home, an easy three-ingredient homemade antibacterial cleanser involves combining water, white vinegar, and essential oil. More specifically, I should add three cups of water, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and 15 drops of scented essential oil. The essential oil adds a scent to mask the strong scent of vinegar, water acts as a diluent, and vinegar acts as a cleaning product. White vinegar is comprised of acetic acid and water. Acetic acid, along with other acidic cleaners are used to remove rust stains, get rid of the film caused by soap, remove tarnish, and dissolve hard water deposits. In the future, perhaps I will try to make my own household cleaner using this simple recipe, and feel better knowing that my counters will be clean.
Alisha Talks Science 