• Take a close look at the chemicals you use to clean your home.Cleaning materials image by TekinT from Fotolia.com
  
  Many of the products you use to clean your house may contain chemical toxins that can harm the health of your family and pets. To take better care of your health, you may want to switch to natural cleaning alternatives such as white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. Even if you continue to use dangerous chemicals in your household, educate yourself as to their risks and what substances are dangerous to use in combination.
  
  

Chlorine Bleach

• The active ingredient in chlorine bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Laundry bleach, as well as many disinfectant products and swimming pool chemicals, contain this substance. Bleach can react with other substances in harmful ways. When bleach mixes with ammonia--found in window and glass cleaners, furniture polish, urine, and many types of paint--it produces toxic gases called chloramines. Exposure to these gases can cause chest pain, pneumonia, nausea and wheezing.
  
  When chlorine bleach mixes with acid, it gives off chlorine gas, which can cause vomiting, fluid in the lungs and, at high levels of exposure, death. Acid is present in vinegars, dishwasher detergents, glass cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and products that remove lime, calcium and rust. Chlorine bleach also reacts with oven cleaners (which contain lye), hydrogen peroxide and insecticides.
  
  

Triclosan

• Many common household products, including dish-washing liquids, toothpastes and antimicrobial soaps, contain triclosan. When used in combination with chlorinated water, such as most tap water, triclosan reacts to produce chloroform gas, which is absorbed through the skin or inhaled. Chloroform can cause depression, liver damage and various cancers.
  
  

Formaldehyde

• This chemical substance associated with embalming and taxidermy is also present in many household products including water softening chemicals, adhesives, detergents, dyes, pressed wood and lubricants. Inhalation of formaldehyde vapors can cause respiratory problems ranging from bronchitis to asthma. The International Agency for Cancer Research has classified formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen, connected to hematologic cancers such as leukemia as well as lymphatic cancers and lung cancer. Infants exposed to formaldehyde may display symptoms such as severe diarrhea and prolonged vomiting.