Ladies,

Health begins in the kitchen! Not only through the food we prepare and consume, but also through the cleanliness of our kitchen, especially the dishes we eat from.

"With chamomile extract", "contains aloe vera", "moisturizes hands", "protects skin" - are these phrases familiar to you? Of course they are, we find them in the marketing of conventional cleaning products in far too many kitchens in Romania.

A close look at the label

Let's take a closer look at the labels of the most common kitchen cleaning products. The most common toxic substances found in their formulas are:

• Triclosan - with antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects. That's why it's often used in cleaning products, including dishwashing liquid. However, if we come into long-term contact with a large amount, this risks endangering not only our skin, but also our thyroid and visceral nervous systems.

• DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), TEA (Triethanolamine) - even if they are also found in cosmetic products, the loading quantity or concentration in dishwashing liquid is mostly uncontrolled, therefore the degree of absorption into the skin is very high.

• Chlorine - this often appears in the formula of dishwashing liquid. This substance is not necessarily a massive danger to humans, but it is devastating to marine life when it reaches ocean waters.

• Pentasodium pentetate - the substance hidden in dishwashing liquid fragrances is far from being extracted from flower fields. This is actually a toxic air freshener for the environment and our bodies.

• Sodium borate - concerns related to this substance target its possible effects on the reproductive and endocrine systems, as well as possible skin and respiratory system lesions.

• Sulfuric acid - a substance with carcinogenic potential and harmful effects on the skin and respiratory system.

• Methylisothiazolinone, 2-Octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one - cause a delay in the development of nerve cells, which is dangerous for pregnant women and children. It is found in the most popular dish liquids on the market.

A simple calculation

Now that we know them, let's do a simple calculation. Throughout her life, a woman washes dishes for a total of 700 days. This was the statistic until dishwashers appeared, but the number has not drastically decreased - we are still at an average of 5 and a half hours per week.

Every time we wash dishes with such products, a form of residue remains on their surface. Our food will therefore absorb some of the residues, especially if it is hot when placed on the plate.

For toxic substances to completely disappear from cooking utensils after the washing process, 40 minutes of continuous rinsing are needed, preferably with boiling water. Of course, this process does not happen with manual washing, so we end up ingesting almost a whole glass of toxic substances remaining on the surface of the dishes annually, simply as a result of using dishwashing detergent.

Toxicity = health imbalances, ours and the planet's

When we talk about the toxicity of cleaning products, we are primarily talking about health imbalances as a result of long-term exposure, hormonal imbalances, allergies. Dish liquid contains chemical surfactants, which means that just as it cleans food from dishes, it also cleans the protective layer of our skin, causing dermatitis, allergies, asthma, etc. over time. How many of you wear gloves when washing dishes and how much do you like it?

We know that #biotiful women choose to live in harmony with themselves and the environment. Ladies, know that one type of surfactant used in cleaning products breaks down into an endocrine-disrupting chemical during the waste treatment process or after waste is discharged into waterways. This is called nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE), and the endocrine disruptor is nonylphenol (NP). Its main risk is not directly addressed to humans and their health, but to the aquatic environment and the creatures that inhabit it.

Gentle cleaning

We understand that there is a need for "drastic" cleaning, sometimes excessive, stimulated by marketing and alarming images of dangerous microbes living hidden in all corners of our home. We ask you, however, not to endanger your health, not to intoxicate yourselves with particularly dangerous chemicals that persist on surfaces long after rinsing and artificial air freshener that makes you sneeze as soon as you breathe it, when cleaning.

• We recommend using only a few cleaning products, which are clean themselves, non-toxic, gentle on you and the environment.
• We recommend replacing the cloth and sponge as often as possible. The surface of a dish sponge hosts over 10 million bacteria.
• We recommend not being afraid of the effectiveness of natural, plant-based disinfectants with 100% natural ingredients, which can offer the same effectiveness we expect from chemically, industrially prepared products.

Love yourselves, inform yourselves, choose for yourselves!

When we talk about natural, non-toxic and effective products, we are not referring to lavender mixed with lemon and squeezed onto a sponge, but we are taking into account the technology, research and chemistry behind them. There are a few types of ingredients that we advise you to always look for on cleaning product labels, which will inspire you and give you confidence.

• Benzalkonium chloride is a CLEAN, naturally derived preservative whose purpose is to maintain the integrity of the product formula and inhibit the growth and development of microorganisms.
• Citric acid which acts as a plasticizer, helps to consolidate the product formula and maintain its texture.
• Ethoxylated alcohol and Ethoxylated alkyl amides are two clean ingredients found in detergent, soap or plant-based cleaning product formulations.

Non-toxic, clean, sustainable, gentle alternatives already exist on the market, they are accessible. It is up to us to recognize and choose them.

Bondi Wash – a story about Australians' respect and care for the environment

We leave you here with just a few words about Bondi Wash, a brand created by a woman out of respect for her family and the society she lived in. Bondi Wash's philosophy is simple and clear: if we cannot create an effective and natural product, we will not claim to have created it and we will not launch it.

Among our favorite Bondi Wash products is the dishwashing detergent. It does not contain sulfates, artificial dyes usually derived from petroleum, coal tar or heavy metals, METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE, SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE, TRICLOSAN silicone, phthalates. It is a completely chemical-free product, with 100% natural surfactants, where the cleaning power and antibacterial effect are provided by natural components.

Fruit and vegetable soap is a necessity, from the perspective of chemicals, wax deposits, fungi, mold, bacteria or any other films that deposit on their surface. Regardless of the source of our fruits and vegetables and no matter where we buy them, they must be cleaned with great care. We simply put 3-4 drops of soap in 1-2 liters of water and leave the fruits or vegetables there for 10 minutes. That's all!

Kinfill – the future of sustainable cleaning

Kinfill is a Dutch home cleaning brand that offers products for the bathroom, kitchen, as well as surfaces, windows and floors. We were won over by its philosophy centered on reducing waste in the production process. Kinfill has taken into account the waste of resources and money spent on bottled water used in the production process, which we inevitably end up paying for over time. It offers us a cleaning kit that contains an Italian glass container called a forever bottle, a container that you can reuse endlessly at home, as well as a concentrated refill dedicated to the surface you want to clean.

So, you are your own product formulator and you will prepare the product at home, mixing the refill with tap water poured into the bottle. This reduces carbon emissions, the water resources needed for manufacturing disposable products, and the waste of packaging, boxes or transport methods.

The kitchen cleaning kit is here.

Ladies, let's make conscious, assumed choices, with the intention of living healthily and beautifully, in harmony, on a planet whose resources will be enjoyed by future generations!


Warm regards,
The Biotiful Team