Swiffer cleaning fluids=toxic

[TsPoet]

It appears to me that Dogmama said that this was being touted as an urban legend, but her science-buff friend begs to differ. For some reason, I think I'd go with the PhD in Chem's opinion over the biased opinion of Swiffer . . . but, that's just me.

How 'bout going with a PhD in Toxicology?
It's an urban legend. One of many (like Bisphenol A, fluoride...)
I could ramble on forever. But, basically it comes down to the quote by Paracelsus, the Godfather of Toxicology - to paraphrase "The dose makes the poison". The Chemist friend is correct, but almost everything is poisonous, at the right dose. There are even stories of water being poisonous to individuals who drink to much of it.
The dose isn't left on the floor. I wouldn't let my dogs eat the cloths, though.

[OakLeaf]

"The dose makes the poison".

Which goes back to what I said about one's personal health (or the health of one's pets or family) being the wrong reason. Workers in manufacturing, those who live near the plants, and those who live down the waste stream are exposed to horrific doses of these poisons. Maybe you caught the story a couple of years ago where DuPont had to buy a whole town in my area because they contaminated it with C8. Last year it came out that they'd contaminated the water supplies of a whole region. And yes, there's epidemiological as well as hydrologic data. When we buy that stuff, we're poisoning the workers.

[Dogmama]

How 'bout going with a PhD in Toxicology?
It's an urban legend. One of many (like Bisphenol A, fluoride...)
I could ramble on forever. But, basically it comes down to the quote by Paracelsus, the Godfather of Toxicology - to paraphrase "The dose makes the poison". The Chemist friend is correct, but almost everything is poisonous, at the right dose. There are even stories of water being poisonous to individuals who drink to much of it.
The dose isn't left on the floor. I wouldn't let my dogs eat the cloths, though.

Exactly my point. The propylene glycol within the solution is probably OK because it is a very small percent of the total solution. The problem starts when the accompanying ingredients (water & alcohol) evaporate, thus leaving a strong residue of propylene glycol on the floor. It can be absorbed through paws and/or licked off of the floor. Remember that dogs & cats are smaller than humans, so are potentially affected more adversely by toxic substances.

Hills (Science Diet folks) use ethoxyquin as a preservative in their kibble. Ethoxyquin is a potent carcinogen. Hills claims that the minute amount used won't harm animals. Oddly enough, ethoxyquin is also used in their prescription diets - foods used for sick animals. Now, why would you add a carcinogen to a food & feed it to a dog with a compromised immune system or other organic problems...? I digress....

Regarding Snopes, etc., I cannot believe most of those websites. Unfortunately, the internet is full of misinformation. That's why I went directly to a guy who knows his chemicals.

Bottom line - why chance it? There are natural cleaners available that are not harmful to animals or the environment. I have a German Shepherd whose paws bring in more dirt than a front loading tractor. I find that vacuuming & wet mopping with water only (I have tile) works just fine. I'd rather have slightly discolored grout and a healthy dog & cat. Just my opinion.

[malkin]

This malkin loves the steamer to clean the floors, the tile, the ...porcelain conveniences..., the grimy places, and pretty much everything else that needs cleaning.

[Brandi]

I always clean my floors with antifreeze, don't you?
(vinegar,warm water,borax and an old fashion mop at our house) My asthma does not like all these new fangled (I am 40) modern day cleaning products. I think they are all not very good. I try and stick to the ol stand by's. Vinegar is wonderful. And cheap!

[Irulan]

I always clean my floors with antifreeze, don't you?

I absolutely know you are being facetious here, but this is what people will glean from these so called "email warnings".People pass these around with good intentions of warning others, not really understanding the science of what's behind the warning, or how much truth (or not) is in them.

[PamNY]

This malkin loves the steamer to clean the floors, the tile,

I've thought about steam cleaners, but I'm not sure what they'd be like in actual use. Does the cleaner loosen dirt (or soap scum or whatever), and then you wipe it with a cloth or mop?

BTW, I use Nature Clean products. They aren't easy to find in the US but they work really well and are supposedly as non-toxic as possible.

Pam

[badger]

I've thought about steam cleaners, but I'm not sure what they'd be like in actual use. Does the cleaner loosen dirt (or soap scum or whatever), and then you wipe it with a cloth or mop?

BTW, I use Nature Clean products. They aren't easy to find in the US but the work really well and are supposedly as non-toxic as possible.

Pam

I've been using a steam mop for about a year now.

When I first got it, I was hoping the steam would dry the floor as it went, but it basically is just like mopping - only you end up mopping around dirt all over (instead of rinsing out the mop head). So it's best if you have 2 or three of those cloths.

I'm not crazy about it, but it IS easier than the conventional mopping, and it DOES take dried up mud or food off the floor. But I would also caution not to use it too much on wood floor as I've read the heat and water sometimes warps it. If you have a lot of tile, it'll be great. And if you live somewhere warm, even greater because then the water will dry quicker.

[OakLeaf]

I definitely would not use the steam cleaner on wood (or cork, or bamboo), but it's wonderful on tile, and also on the stovetop and oven. I wouldn't have thought it possible to clean an oven without lye or worse, but it takes the crud right off. For me, unless there's an extreme amount of dirt, a single wipe after steaming is enough.

[PamNY]

I definitely would not use the steam cleaner on wood (or cork, or bamboo), but it's wonderful on tile, and also on the stovetop and oven.

Oh, it does stovetop? How wonderful. That and bathroom use would justify the purchase even if I can't use it on my laminate floors. Does anybody use steam for windows? I read a description on Amazon of a steamer with a window squeegee attachment.

Pam

[Di bear]

Don't forget that the individual ingredients most likely do not maintain their individual properties when mixed together. Mixing them together produces a chemical reaction (constantly going - usually two-way reactions), so the amount put into the mixture is most likely not the amount of solution actually present in the mixture. Of course, I don't know how they measure the contents of cleaning products (chemical analysis versus recipe). Chemistry is fascinating.

Water is a good example. A glass of H2O isn't pure H20 (minus the minerals). It is actually H2O with trace amounts of HO, and H30+, yet you don't see "hydronium ions" and "hydroxide ions" on the ingredients label in a bottle of water.

[Eden]

How 'bout going with a PhD in Toxicology?
It's an urban legend. One of many (like Bisphenol A, fluoride...)
I could ramble on forever. But, basically it comes down to the quote by Paracelsus, the Godfather of Toxicology - to paraphrase "The dose makes the poison". The Chemist friend is correct, but almost everything is poisonous, at the right dose. There are even stories of water being poisonous to individuals who drink to much of it.
The dose isn't left on the floor. I wouldn't let my dogs eat the cloths, though.

I've seen an MSDS for coffee

and one that wasn't a joke.... an MSDS for Prismacolor markers.... it listed amount you would have to ingest to get sick... If you could sit down and eat 100 magic markers hats off to you...

One thing I have heard, I'm not sure if this is true either though- if you have sanded something to varnish it do not use a swiffer cloth to clean up the dust before sanding. The varnish won't stick and you'll have to do the sanding all over again.

[malkin]

Our laminate floors are fine with the steamer and we have not-very-nice-at-all wood floor in the kitchen and I use it there too. I have a couple of the cover cloths for the floor attachment thingy.

I use it on everything in the bathroom. They mfr. cautions about glass, but I just hold it a little further away so I don't crack the glass and haven't had a problem in 3 years. The little squeegee attachment was cute, but for glass or mirrors that matter, I wipe it with a cloth.

Sometimes I spray random rug spots and wipe at them with a cloth.

I like that it doesn't require any special chemicals or consumables.

It is so dry here that the humidity that it adds is welcome and the little film of wet dries in seconds. I'm not sure I'd like it so much if I lived in a humid place.

Oh- my husband also brews beer which we dispense out of taps on a chest freezer. Every now and then there is a dramatic event where a spray of beer flies majestically. Using the steamer after that happens is good too.

[badger]

what sort of steam cleaner do you guys have? there's no way I can clean stovetop/counters or anything that isn't on the ground. It's akin to taking a vacuum cleaner on the counter

[OakLeaf]

what sort of steam cleaner do you guys have? there's no way I can clean stovetop/counters or anything that isn't on the ground. It's akin to taking a vacuum cleaner on the counter

It's called "The Shark." The canister is maybe the size of a 1-1/2 gallon container. It has a shoulder strap, or it can sit on the counter while you do the stovetop. Mine looks a little different from the current model pictured in the link.