Are Your Cleaning Products Damaging Your Lungs Like Cigarettes?
We all want a clean home, but what if the products we use to achieve that shine are quietly harming our respiratory health? A landmark scientific study has revealed a startling truth about conventional household cleaning sprays: regular use can damage lung function as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
In this article, we explore the science behind these findings and explain why rethinking your cleaning routine is one of the most important choices you can make for your health.
The 20 Year Study: Cleaning vs. Smoking
In 2018, researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway published the results of a massive two decade study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine [1]. The researchers tracked over 6,000 participants to understand how exposure to domestic and occupational cleaning products affects respiratory health over time.
The findings were alarming, particularly for women. The study concluded that women who regularly used cleaning sprays, whether at home or as professional cleaners, experienced an accelerated decline in lung function.
To put the severity of this decline into perspective, the researchers compared the damage to a well known health hazard. They found that the loss of lung capacity in these women was equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day over the same 20 year period [2].
Why Does This Happen?
The experts attribute this decline to the harsh chemicals found in many commercial cleaning agents. These substances are often volatile organic compounds and strong irritants. When you spray a conventional cleaner, tiny chemical droplets become suspended in the air.
As you breathe, these droplets enter your airways. Over time, the researchers theorize that these irritating agents cause inflammation in the sensitive mucous membranes lining the lungs, leading to structural and tissue damage [3]. Day after day, year after year, this repeated micro trauma accelerates the natural decline in lung function that occurs with age.
The Problem with Traditional Sprays
The method of application plays a huge role in this risk. Spray bottles aerosolize chemicals, making them incredibly easy to inhale. The Environmental Working Group, a non profit organization dedicated to protecting human health, specifically advises consumers to avoid spray cleaners for this exact reason [4].
Furthermore, many conventional cleaners contain complex cocktails of synthetic fragrances, ammonia, bleach, and harsh surfactants. These ingredients are designed to aggressively cut through grease, but they do not discriminate when they come into contact with delicate human lung tissue.
A Safer Approach to Surface Cleaning
The scientists behind the University of Bergen study advised avoiding these harsh chemical products altogether. But keeping your home clean does not have to come at the expense of your lung capacity.
This is exactly why we created n.a.k.e.d pills. We believe that a clean home should also be a safe home.
How n.a.k.e.d pills Are Different
When we formulated our all purpose cleaning pills, we started by stripping away the unnecessary and harmful chemicals. Our formula relies on a short, transparent list of plant based and mineral ingredients:
• Sodium Coco Sulphate: A gentle, plant derived surfactant that lifts dirt without creating toxic fumes.
• Citric Acid: A natural acid found in citrus fruits that helps break down grime.
• Sodium Carbonate: Also known as washing soda, a mineral that boosts cleaning power.
• Magnesium Sulphate: Epsom salt, used to stabilize the formula.
No Harsh Aerosols, No Toxic Fumes
Because you dissolve one n.a.k.e.d pill into 500ml of water, the resulting solution has a highly diluted, safe concentration of active ingredients (just 0.64% by weight). There is no ammonia, no bleach, and no aggressive volatile organic compounds to inhale.
While you still use a spray bottle to apply the dissolved solution, you are spraying a gentle, water based mixture rather than aerosolizing a cocktail of industrial grade chemicals. This significantly reduces the risk of respiratory irritation, making it a much safer choice for you, your family, and your pets.
The Bottom Line
The science is clear: the air quality inside our homes is deeply impacted by the products we choose to spray on our counters and floors. You do not need industrial strength, lung damaging chemicals to wipe away daily messes. By switching to a simplified, plant based formula, you can protect your respiratory health while still maintaining a beautifully clean home.
References
[1] Øistein Svanes et al. Cleaning at Home and at Work in Relation to Lung Function Decline and Airway Obstruction. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201706-1311OC
[2] Impact of Cleaning Products on Women’s Lungs as Damaging as 20 a Day Cigarette Habit: Study. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/impact-cleaning-products-lung-health-bad-20-day-cigarette-habit-study-810277
[3] Mayo Clinic Q and A: Cleaning products and lung health. Mayo Clinic News Network. Retrieved from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-cleaning-products-and-lung-health/
[4] Cleaning Products May Harm Female Workers’ Lungs as Much as Smoking a Pack a Day. Environmental Working Group. Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/cleaning-products-may-harm-female-workers-lungs-much-smoking-pack-day
When our pills arrive, they are in a highly concentrated form. The EU CLP hazard statements on the packaging are real, and they apply, please read them. In their dry, undiluted state, the pills are a concentrated cleaning agent and should be handled accordingly.