Hi since my last post about eco friendly cleaning products i have made my own concoction and it is working really well. For general cleaning i used soap flakes, water and tea tree oil. Also I used some soda crystals on a casserole dish the other day for soaking and it was so much easier to clean. I am now looking at making more of my own products.
However DH is convinced that soap flakes are harmful to health, highly toxic one of the most dangerous things we can have in the home. He also says soda crystals will damage all the pans etc as it is very caustic. I have done my own research on the net and can,t find anything to back this up. i will continue to use what I have made but know he won,t be happy about it. Can anyone offer any idea where he has got this idea. Nothing will change his mind he just prefers the more highly toxic supermarket brands. Even the idea of saving money isn,t reassuring him.

Maybe he has read that even naturally occurring things are still chemicals and need to be handled and stored safely in many circumstances, but they are at least naturally occurring and less harmful than synthetic cleaners and more biodegradable.

Soda crystals I handle with care, but soap flakes?  They’re usually not even as strong as the kind of hand soaps that are on sale in any shop you care to name!  The ones I buy are organic vegan soap flakes from the wholefoods shop, and they contain almost exactly the same ingredients as the ultra-neutral non toxic oil-based soap I buy for the children’s hands.

I suspect he is getting his soaps mixed up.  Liquid soap is normally full of nasties.  Soap flakes are fine.  Oh and he is right soda crystals could damage your pans over time, better to use a paste of bi barb if you need a gentle scouring action.  My main issue with commercial cleaner is that as far as im aware there is no research into how these various chemicals in all the various cleaners used interact.

Soda crystals are slightly caustic, but nothing major, I regulary plung my hand into hot water with soda crystals disloved in.  I wouldn’t use them on aluminum pans, but I wouldn’t use aluminum pans anyway.  Stainless steel is very intert and will be fine IMHO.  Is he getting confused with soda crystals and caustic soda?  Caustic soda (AKA Sodium Hydroxide) his is pretty nasty stuff and will take your skin off if you are not careful.

He did mention caustic soad and seemed to think they were the same thing. thankyou all you have helped so much.