My cleaning obsession contributed to the pollution of our planet.

I like cleaning; I really do. It helps me gain perspective when I feel overwhelmed. It helps me relax when I feel stressed. It clears my head. I can get really obsessed with baseboards. And it brings me a great deal of joy to clean the fridge on Sunday mornings when everyone else is still sleeping. 

What I didn't know, back in the day, is that conventional cleaning agents are among the biggest polluters of the environment. They are packed with toxic ingredients and microplastics that go down the drain and end up in our wastewater, rivers, and oceans. Once there, they cause a massive amount of harm and knock our ecosystem severely out of balance. 

How did I discover this? 

At one point in my life, I cleaned even more than usual because I was stressed out due to an unhappy work situation. I often had itchy eyes and a headache while cleaning the bathroom. I also realized that I had a cupboard full of products contained in a lot of plastic. So, I started researching. 

We are developing a resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics.

I used to think the cleaner my space was, the fewer bacteria, and the better that was. I was so very wrong. We are overusing disinfectants and antibiotics, and it's causing us to develop a resistance toward the same. It's called AMR - antimicrobial resistance, and it is a serious global issue. The WHO (World Health Organization) says it will be the major cause of death for 10 million people by 2050. AMR will become the highest cause of mortality in the world, ahead of cancer, diabetes, and road accidents. 

We are suffocating in plastic. Every other wall contains a bellyful of plastic.

Plastic containers are standard in the cleaning industry; they're handy and cheap. Nowadays, at least most brands use recycled plastic. But it is still plastic, and we have way too much of it. We have so much of it that we ship it elsewhere from Europe. Germany, for example, ships tons of plastic waste to India every year. There, it just rots away and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitos and flies. They then transmit diseases such as malaria, typhoid, or tuberculosis. Alternatively, it is burned, and the toxic fumes get into the air and cause respiratory problems or skin diseases.

All this got me thinking, and with the help of a partner company who are experts in biotech, we developed my very own cleaning products. My products don't contain any toxic ingredients, and we use probiotics as active cleaning agents. We clean bacteria with bacteria - this keeps the ecosystem in balance and strengthens our immune systems. Also, the probiotics work up to 72hrs after application, so even when down in our wastewater, they keep up on working. I choose glass bottles to refill as they can be used forever and are easy to reuse with refill packs. 

I believe change starts at home. 

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