Stop over-cleaning.

Are we over cleaning?

The cleaning process has become one of the most toxic processes in our life. Here in US we are becoming obsessed with cleaning. We are becoming so Germophobic that a huge isle in the grocery stores is dedicated to cleaning and disinfection. We hear horror stories about the germs and have become truly preoccupied with killing every single germ in our home. The price we are paying for this cleaning process is huge and we don't even know about it. Here are some of the negative sides of too much cleaning.


. Destroying The Good Germs.

Hopefully, we all remember studying about "The Good Germs and The Bad Germs". The good germs are our friends. They are necessary for our health. They are the defend wall that keeps Fungus and some other aggressive germs away and help to protect our body. If they are destroyed, the so called " Opportunistic germs" replace them and could cause diseases. We need the good germs. We should stop killing them with all our Antibachterial agents.


. Inexperience Immune system.

Immune system's mechanism works like the memory . That is how vaccines work. When our white blood cells, that are our defence system, encounters germs, they learn to recognize these kinds of germs and learn to defend themselves. When we inject our bodies with weakened germs( Vaccination) the germs are not strong enough to take over our bodies, but it is still enough for our body's defence mechanism to learn about them and build a defence system. This way, the next time this strand of germ attacks our body, our white cells recognize and destroy it.
When we are removing all the germs around us, the immune system becomes relaxed and too comfortable, thus the first attack of germs, could become successful and causes sickness. We are constantly exposed to all kinds of germs. Our strong immune system is the reason we are not sick all the time. Having a strong immune system is a lot more crucial to our health than having a germ free environment.


. Resistant germs.

Like any other cell and microorganism, germs can change and adapt themselves. It is called Mutation. Microbes and Viruses are smart organisms and can recognize our attacks. They can become stronger and resist Antibiotics, or other germicides. A resistant germ is very dangerous. Unfortunately, there are more and more new strands of germs that can resist our Antibiotics and other treatments. These new strand can survive easily and cause for our treatment to become inefficient. The battle with those germs are extremely hard. The more we attack them, the stronger they become.


. Chemical exposure.

Our bodies are a part of nature. We are from nature and need the nature. Over the past several years, we have been overwhelming our bodies with tons of chemicals, not thinking that they are just not natural and our bodies are not made to deal with them. The effect of chemicals on our body is a very controversial subject. Many researchers say that it is very unhealthy for us to be exposed to so many chemicals. On the other hands we are bombarded with commercials telling us, how safe and secure we will feel, if our kitchen floor is cleaned with the chemical they are selling. I personally believe, the best way is, to go back to our origins and back to nature. Stay away from chemicals as much as possible. Sometimes it appears to me, that the germ fighting chemicals, are more dangerous than the actual germs.

Based on Organic Consumers Association's report.
some cleaners are among the most toxic products found in the homes. In 2000, cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10% of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers, accounting for 206,636 calls. Of these, 120,434 exposures involved children under six, who can swallow or spill cleaners stored or left open inside the home.


. Expense.

Buying all sorts of cleaning agents can quickly add up and put a dent in our monthly budget. There are many HUGE global companies that generate a huge amount of profit and their only product, is chemicals used for cleaning our houses. Just think about it. It is and has been a big business. This is the money people spend with the hope for healthier and cleaner life. In reality, We don't need all those gadgets to have a clean home. There are many fast, inexpensive ways to clean our homes. We can actually Save tons of money, only if we switch to the natural home made cleaners.


. Bad for the environment.

The effect our household cleaners have on our environment is devastating. The household cleaners are very toxic and are designed to kill organism. The problem is that, it affects all kinds of live organism. Many researches have been conducted regarding the effect of our household cleaners on the water and the soil in our planet. These chemicals mostly end in the oceans and poison the see animals. The same chemicals residue in the fatty tissue of the fish we are eating and it comes back to us as food. We should simply care about our planet and all the living creatures, specially knowing that one of those living creatures is us, humans and we are not safe from our own harm.



Now, I know the value of sterilization and disinfecting. Believe me, One of the most important things you need to know to become a dentist, is how to kill germs. Owning a Dental office for many years, caused me to become an obsessed germophobic. But the germs in a dental office are very different than the germs in our homes. What i am trying to say here, is that i am not against destroying germs. I am against destroying our own immune system, our oceans, our ecosystem and our future generations chance of a healthy planet, just to remove germs. I truly believe that the most effective ways to kill germs is naturally and without all the harsh chemicals.

What should one do to keep clean, yet consider all the above? The key is Moderation. Like every thing else in life, moderation is the best way.

I will soon have a post about how to clean naturally and with moderation!

Paris