Many women worry about the effects of household products on their babies, especially cleaning products during pregnancy. While that may be the case, a lot of household cleaning products have not been proven to cause harmful birth defects or complications during pregnancy.
By scrubbing your toilet or polishing your furniture, you are unlikely to compromise your baby’s health. It is actually possible to reduce your baby’s risk of infection by eliminating the bacteria from your home using cleaning products. Household cleaners may pose no danger to your baby if they are temporarily inhaled while cleaning.
However, cleaning should be done with caution and products should be chosen carefully. Keep toxic chemicals away from your home.
The following tips will help you avoid harmful chemicals, but you can also get the list from your practitioner.
Cleaning products with strong odors or fumes should not be inhaled directly and should be used in an area with adequate ventilation. Leave your spouse to do the cleaning if you cannot use this product.
It is always better for the environment to use pump-type sprays rather than aerosol-type sprays. Mixing ammonia and chlorine-based products is something you should never, ever do, even when you are not pregnant. To put it simply, chloramine gas is created in this process and produces a toxic fume that can be deadly.
It is also recommended that you avoid toxic chemicals used in oven cleaning and dry cleaning, as their labels clearly state that they contain hazardous materials.
Make sure you wear rubber gloves when cleaning while pregnant if you have the time and energy. The gloves prevent the skin from absorbing harmful, toxic chemicals. You can directly transmit anything you absorb through your skin to your baby through your bloodstream. You should also avoid a few things in your environment, besides household cleaning products during pregnancy. It’s no secret that leads have negative effects on children’s IQs, but it is also harmful to pregnant women and their unborn children.
You can expect to experience a variety of problems as your child grows as a result of lead exposure, ranging from minor birth defects to serious behavioral and neurological problems. Pregnant women should also refrain from using insecticides. Growing your own garden, enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables, and using insecticides around your home and garden in the course of your pregnancy are all great things to do. However, using pesticides could result in birth defects for your unborn child.
Pest control should be done as naturally as possible. Use biodegradable insecticidal soap or a garden hose to spray a forceful stream of water on the insects in the garden. Instead of spraying your house with chemicals that could lead to side effects, use traps that draw in bugs and trap them.
The use of natural insecticides is not necessarily safe either, even if they are labeled ‘natural’. It is often found in these products that boric acid is harmful when ingested or inhaled, particularly when it is ingested through the eyes. Despite your desire to get creative and decorate the room for your child, let your spouse handle the painting.
You never know what may turn up in the future regarding paint fumes, even though today’s paints do not contain lead and there is no evidence that they could harm your baby. It is unnecessary for you to expose yourself and your baby to potentially harmful fumes when someone else can do the painting.
All-purpose cleaners, dishwasher detergents, laundry detergents, and window cleaners are generally safe to use during pregnancy. There are, however, a number of hazardous substances that can be released into the air when using heavy-duty cleaners, such as undiluted bleach, tile cleaner, oven cleaner, and air fresheners.
Related Reading – Use of Tobacco During Pregnancy