Natural cleaning products 'a preferable alternative'
Many consumers are becoming increasingly eco-conscious, both to be green and for health reasons.
Cleaning products are among the items that can be a concern for customers.
Canadian television channel CBC recently produced a TV programme on cleaning products, in which it looked at studies done by various scientists in this area.
For example, Shawn Ellis used a meter to measure volatile organic compounds in the air after chemical cleaners have been used.
"You can always smell those cleaners even though they're all tightly sealed," he told the broadcaster.
The average home reads around 50 parts per billion (PPB) and Mr Ellis tested three popular cleaning products at the request of the programme.
He found that Pledge registered 273PPB and although the meter does not reveal how strong or harmful the chemical particles might be, Mr Ellis suggested that anything over 500 could be a problem for sensitive people.
Dr Gideon Koren, a paediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, told the broadcaster that young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of chemicals, as their bodies are still developing. The brain, internal organs, respiratory and immune systems are not fully grown until adolescence.
Studies like Shawn Ellis' are a concern for many people and Alissa Marrapodi, associate editor of Natural Products Marketplace, recently wrote an article on this subject.
She said that natural cleaning products are becoming even more popular, with more and more being seen in supermarket aisles.
"A new approach to household cleaning products has taken flight, looking to natural sources to polish and disinfect," she suggested.
Kipling Wagner, assistant marketing manager at Ecover, told the website that using natural cleaning products is effective.
"We all know by now that we can clean just as well without the chemicals, so why use them?"
"It has been widely researched that our homes are typically the most polluted places we inhabit all day. This is largely in part due to the cleaning products we keep under our sinks," he added.
As well as the health concerns, there are also environmental considerations. Using natural cleaning products is another way of being more eco-friendly, along with using the car less and energy-saving light bulbs.
"The idea is to have the minimum negative impact on our environment," Mr Wagner said.
"By manufacturing cleaning products with sustainable ingredients that have been responsibly sourced and then manufactured in ecological factories, we take great measures to reduce our negative impact," he added.
Those looking to swap to natural cleaning products may want to try the Bentley Organic range. 
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