As lives become busier and more stressful, it's natural to gravitate towards the latest products that promise to make household chores even easier.
Looking for a toilet cleaner? You'd simply grab one of the most appealing bottles that promises to be a quick fix, wouldn't you? But have you ever thought about what's in that container?
Most of them are made up of harsh cocktails of chemicals, which can be bad for you (and your kids') health. If you're guilty of that, you need to stop and rethink what you're bringing into your home and look towards greener solutions.
Ignorance is not bliss
According to the Household Cleaning Products Survey 2015, conducted by theAsianparent's Insights Team in collaboration with homegrown eco-friendly home cleaning brand bio-home, while 98% of Singaporeans surveyed want their homes to be chemical free, only 38% are of them are actually using green alternatives for cleaning products.
Effectively, 62% of the families are exposing themselves and their loved ones to potentially harmful chemicals.
This is not surprising since out of the 400 Singaporean families were surveyed, a huge portion of them were unaware that home cleaning products contain chemicals that may cause cancer, reproductive issues and other serious ailments (see infographic below).
According to the survey findings, while 74% believe that green products would be safer for their families only 30% of them actually green cleaning products.
The biggest hurdle preventing families from switching to green cleaning products is not the price, but simply the lack of knowledge. Of the families that don't use green products, 62% say that they are not aware of any green brands in the market.
According to Ameetess Dira, theAsianparent.com’s Regional VP of Strategy and Client Services, “It seems that the lack of awareness of green alternatives is preventing many people from switching. It’s important that mums understand that going green is a great option. Safer products for their households, especially given the potential negative side-effects of regular, everyday cleaning products, is an option we’d like more mothers to be aware of.”
Here are the digits to help you learn if your family is safe from harmful chemicals at home.
Head on over to the next page to find out the myths and facts about green cleaning products.
Green cleaning products: Myths and facts
The overwhelming majority who are unknowingly exposing their families to harmful chemicals everyday either do not have knowledge about the contents of their cleaning products, or are not aware of available green alternatives in the market.
Some even have the misconception that green products are less effective cleaning agents and are substantially more expensive than non-green products.
When families purchase cleaning products, respondents cited ‘cleaning effectiveness’ as the top consideration, while ‘price and promotions’ ranked much lower at 28%. Consumers need to be educated on the effectiveness of green cleaning products while also informing them that the price differential is minimal.
So mums, let's clean up at home with environmentally friendly options.
For more information about Household Cleaning Products Survey 2015 please contact Ruoshan Tao at ruoshan@tickledmedia.com