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We’ve gone Green on cleaning chemicals!

01/02/2020
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In 2018 a study by the Community Respiratory Health Survey concluded that household cleaning products caused as much damage to our lungs as smoking a packet of cigarette’s every day for 20 years!

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At Black Swan Care Group we took notice.

We felt that we couldn’t continue to use hard carcinogenic cleaning products in our homes if there was even a slight chance it was effecting the health of our residents.

Our job is to take care of them, and we couldn’t knowingly continue to use those products with a clear conscience. The study concluded that cleaning products containing ammonia; Quaternary disinfectants, and chlorine bleach were the most harmful ingredients within the majority of household cleaning products.

After discovering the potential side-effects of using these chemicals we began researching alternative’s that would ensure our homes were just as spotless as with traditional cleaners, but without the potentially dangerous hazards contained within.

We opted for EU certified EcoSense products which promise high levels of cleaning with naturally sourced ingredients which occur in the environment, which do not contain the dangerous chemicals aforementioned.

The study was ongoing for 20 years, starting in the 1990’s, and followed the respiratory condition of participants whose average age was 34 years old. They were regularly checked at health centre’s using a spirometer (A device which measures lung capacity) and their cleaning product usage was recorded and logged to create a data set.

After two decades scientists from the Community Respiratory Health Survey uncovered that the damaging effects of these cleaning products was unprecedented. Their results indicated that cleaning your home using these products just once per week had the same negative effects of smoking a packet of cigarette’s a day for twenty years.

Women were more affected than men, with women who took part in the study logging more time cleaning than their male counterparts. In fact, the study found that those cleaning their own home’s had equal or worse effects than industrial cleaners. They concluded this would be due to the lack of protective clothing (Gloves, masks etc) in a home setting which a professional cleaner would be required to wear under regulations.

We made the decision to switch over to cleaning products which include thyme oil, surfactants (Derived from coconut and palm oil), natural enzymes, citric acid (Found in lemons and other citrus fruits), and 100% pure Melaleuca oil.

This makes EcoSence cleaning products much safer and healthier for our residents, which is our ultimate goal. We make a point of trying to stay as up-to-date as possible on new studies and strive to improve our practices wherever possible to improve the quality of life for our residents.

To read the full study please click here.

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Each of our home’s has received this certificate to show our commitment to using green chemicals within our establishments.

*Due to regulations we are required to have access to a chlorine based cleaning product in each of our homes to comply with infection control protocol, but this will only be used in circumstances where it cannot be avoided*

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