¿Es la limpieza antibacterial una opción sana?

Cuando pensamos en comprar productos de limpieza la palabra "antibacterial" nos hace creer inmediatamente que este es más efectivo que otros pero ¿lo es?

Los productos de limpieza doméstica y de uso personal con ingredientes antibacteriales no son necesarios en el hogar y además son peligrosos para la salud y el ambiente.
En general estos contienen cloro -que puede irritar las vías respiratorias- y triclosán.  El triclosán es una sustancia antibacterial que ha sido ligada una y otra vez a disrupciones del sistema endocrino y al cáncer.

Estos productos tienen un impacto en el ambiente pues la mayor parte se va por el drenaje afectando la vida en los ríos: la concentración de este producto inhibe la fotosíntesis de las algas de los ríos y con el tiempo los ecosistemas fluviales afectados pueden acabar muriéndose (1).

También existe la preocupación en la comunidad científica que debido al uso extendido de estos productos las bacterias puedan hacerse resistentes y por lo tanto más peligrosas.

Así que busquemos productos de limpieza amigables con el ambiente y libres de triclosán.
Y de paso compremos pastillas de jabón y así nos ahorramos el plástico de las botellas y los "refills" :D

Por cierto que la lista de productos con triclosán es larga:
El triclosán está presente en muchos productos como son cosméticos (jabones, desodorantes, pastas de dientes, enjuagues bucales sanitizadores, productos de primeros auxilios (vendas, tiritas, etc.), como agente desinfectante.(1)


Referencias
1.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclos%C3%A1n
2.

https://utopia.de/ratgeber/die-schlimmsten-inhaltsstoffe-in-reinigungsmitteln/

Getting my shower green...

Here my current status on the suggested tips to get a "greener" shower and a public written compromise to get greener on this subject!!!!

1. I do short showers

I do short showers only when I don't wash my hair...but I only open the tap when I need to rinse off. I try to wash my hair only every other day. But I live in the tropics and it gets really warm and humid, sometimes I can't help to wash my hair everyday to get a fresher feeling!

2. I shower every other day

I have never actually loved showers...but still I do shower everyday except if I don't have to go to work or if it's the weekend and I don't have a social meeting...So, I ended up having showers 6 out of 7 days a week most of the time. I can't really commit to shower every other day...but I can commit to have quick showers, close the tap when I don't need the water, etc.

3. I prefer soaps than shower gel

The other way around in my case: I prefer shower gel than soap. So, here is my commitment: I will use the current shower gel I have and that's it!!! I'm going to get soaps from now on, organic and biodegradable ones! I actually will do a market search for the best one in terms of environment and price!!!!

4. I use environmentally friendly shampoo and rinse

I do too!!! I have been using an aloe shampoo and rinse for years now! Good for the environment and good price too!!

5. I skip scrubs with micro plastic

I don't particularly use scrubs...so not a problem! When I go for a scrub, I have always use brown sugar and add a little bit of soap and just one drop of water and it works perfectly!!

6. I reuse my towels

I reuse my towels; usually I use them for a whole week! 

** I have one more tip to add **

 I use as a body sponge a natural paste (or natural sponge), also I use a little one just for my face .

                

Natural Paste for body

Natural Paste for face

SUMMARY OF COMMITMENTS

- Have quick showers; close the tap when I don't need the water (only open the tap when I need to rinse off).

- I will use the current shower gel I have and that's it!!! I'm going to get soap from now on.

Looking for Microbeads: Plastic bits for our skin and mouth

When I read Lucia's post on Microbeads: Plastic bits for our skin and mouth, I was very curious on wheter all the cleaning and beauty products I use had these ingredients.

So I checked each one of them, and was very surprised to find NO polyethylene, polypropylene, poly-e-terephthalate and polymethyl methaceylate!!!

I think it was good to check each product anyway and also to take into account this every time one is about to buy something!!

Still...each product I use comes in a plastic bottle! So it makes you wonder, even if I recycle them...plastic seems to be a plague...got to do something...don't know what yet!

Getting your shower green

Hello everyone. Here is how to better your shower: some tips ad some anecdotes...

I do short showers. Yes, it is better to keep it short ad sweet. You get to use less water and for those like me who like a warm shower, it keeps the electricity bill decent.

I shower every other day. At the beginning of this experiment when I had shower-time I was showering as if I came back from wrestling. Then I noticed I should relax because I was not dirtier then before. But off course some days I had to do some exceptions and shower.
I am aware that weather in the Tropics can make you sweat but I wouldn´t say this is always the case especially if you sit all day. There is off course the "cat wash" which everybody can customize according to its needs.
The skin doesn't need to be exposed to soaps and hot water every day then it looses their natural lipid coat and dries. By the way, Leonardo Di Caprio does this too.

I prefer soap bars than shower gel. I avoid the plastic of the shower gel container.

I use environmentally friendly shampoo and rinse. If you start reading the contents of your cosmetics you will come to a huge lists of ingredients among them parabens(1),(2) which are petroleum derivatives that are endocrine disrupters. Cosmetics have a lot of ingredients that shouldn't come in contact with our skin. Therefore look for environmentally friendly ones and read the labels. Remember that "Natural" when it comes to buying products doesn't mean environmentally friendly neither organic ingredients...It doesn't even mean that all ingredients in that product are natural.

I skip scrubs with microplastic. Yes plastic in our scrubs, toothpastes and other cosmetics.
These are the ingredients to avoid:

Polyethylene   (Note: Polyethylene isn't the same as polyethylene glycol.)
Polypropylene
Poly-e-terephthalate
Polymethyl methacrylate 

More info about microbeads here: http://verdetheexperiment.blogspot.de/2015/05/microbeads-plastic-bits-for-our-skin.html

I reuse my towels. I don't change them every time I use them. I change them at the end of the week. Less washing, less soap, more time for other stoff. : )


(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraben#Breast_cancer
(2) http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/radiation-chemicals-and-breast-cancer/parabens.html