Monday
Dec062010
My babies were healthy without Lysol
Monday, December 6, 2010 
#lysolmoms is a toxic fail whaleToday brings us yet another round of Think Before You Tweet. Twitter Moms is hosting a Lysol Twitter Party with the theme of Healthy Babies. It is scheduled to take place on twitter from 7:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Tuesday, December 7 using the hashtag #lysolmoms. There are already more than 100 people signed up to attend the twitter party for the chance of winning one of 10 $25 gift cards (presumably for Lysol products, but that isn't really clear in the invite).
While most people are happily confirming their attendance in the RSVP section with "WOOHOO" and "Wouldn't miss it!", a few moms have decided to think before they tweet. For example, twitter moms member Teresa Avila (@WellnessMomCA) said:
I fail to see how Lysol and keeping yourself or your babies healthy has anything to do with each other. There are much safer alternatives that kill germs, without the harmful side effects!
Ethanol is the primary ingredient in Lysol spray and is highly flammable, especially under pressure. Prolonged inhalation in a closed environment will create headaches, cough, fatigue and drowsiness. Skin exposure might result in severe redness and burning. Lysol spray uses denatured ethanol, which can cause ethanol poisoning when ingested.
Lysol spray contains carbon dioxide. It is colorless and odorless. In low amounts, carbon dioxide can affect your concentration. Increased amounts will cause your breathing rate to increase. And prolonged exposure can cause death from suffocation.
When using Lysol spray, be sure there is plenty of ventilation. Do not spray near your face and risk inhaling the fumes. Use on fabrics such as rayon, acrylic plastics and wood will cause damage.
Keep Lysol spray out of the reach of children and do not expose your children or pets to the spray. Do not spray on or near food because of the risk of ethanol poisoning.
I have not used store brands for 6 years now, because of chemical sensitivities brought on by these types of chemicals along with being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is linked to chemical exposure. I only wish I had know the statistics before.
Another member, Amanda Kloster (@onlygreencanada), posted:
I don't know how "Lysol" and "raising healthy babies" go together. Lysol products contain so many chemicals! Toxicologist Shawn Ellis found Lysol products have up to 1000 times more chemical particles than their competitors, recorded at around 1,200 parts per million (average household is about 50 parts per million). These chemicals have been found to cause permanent eye damage, kidney and liver issues, and asthma. Google it or read more at http://bit.ly/gmcvKM
I think these women are right to be concerned. I was concerned the moment the e-mail about the twitter party hit my inbox.
On a general level, I think that with any corporately sponsored twitter party, people need to be aware that the companies have their own interests at heart. Lysol is obviously not going to organize a twitter party to tell you not to use its products nor is it going to organize a neutral twitter party that will provide truly neutral information on how to best keep babies healthy. With this type of event, people attending or watching on twitter should expect a series of carefully crafted tweets by the twitter party hosts (@twittermoms and @goodgirlgonered) about how wonderful Lysol is and how it helps keep babies healthy. They should also expect people who are only interested in a $25 gift certificate to re-tweet and help spread those messages to their friends while interjecting their enthusiasm for Lysol products (whether that is true enthusiasm or enthusiasm manufactured by the potential of winning a prize).
When it comes to Lysol in particular, it looks like the company has invested a lot in developing partnerships to help spread the word that people should "routinely clean and disinfect surfaces", indicating that "cleaning with soap, water, and scrubbing removes dirt and most germs," but that "using a disinfectant cleaner kills germs, giving even better protection." The problem is that messages like these breed dirt and germ fear in our society. It has parents keeping their children out of the natural dirt outside (Dirt is Good!), teachers slathering antibacterial crap on kids hands, and people constantly disinfecting things, all while exposing kids to more and more chemicals and not allowing them to develop natural resistance to the bugs around them.
In its report called Disinfectant Overkill, Women's Voices for the Earth outlines some of the concerns with the overuse of disinfectants:
As stories on the dangers of flu viruses, contaminated foods, and contagious illnesses proliferate in the media, advertisers increasingly try to convince consumers that antimicrobial cleaning products will protect their homes and families from infection. Likewise, manufacturers have capitalized on consumer fears by producing more products that contain antimicrobial chemicals. However, it is unnecessary to disinfect one’s homes to the degree that advertisers and manufacturers would have consumers believe.
Antimicrobial cleaning products (also known as disinfectants) are specifically intended to both clean surfaces and kill germs such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi. But research has shown that some of the most common antimicrobial chemicals used in cleaners could have serious health consequences, especially for women, cleaning workers, and young children. Also, the overuse of antimicrobials contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which some scientists say could leave the public with fewer tools in the fight against infectious diseases.
I agree with this conclusion. I do not think that routine disinfecting is a good idea (despite what Lysol and its partners recommend). I think people should consider alternatives to antibacterials and disinfectants. If I have a virus spreading like wildfire through my home, in addition to regular good practices like hand washing, I might consider using a natural disinfectant product (e.g. Seventh Generation Disinfectants), but I don't see the need to use those on a daily basis. If you absolutely must use a product like Lysol in your home, I think the one important message with regards to healthy babies would be to keep it away from your babies and anything they might touch or use. But I think the best approach is just to avoid it altogether.
In its report card on cleaning product companies, The Dirt in Cleaning Product Companies, Women's Voices for the Earth gave Reckitt Benckiser, the company that makes Lysol, an overall grade of C minus. While not all of its products are considered to be a concern (7 out of 65 products were flagged as problematic), the report indicated that the five companies reviewed "are failing to provide the public with the information they need to make informed buying decisions. It’s time for these companies to act like leaders and set an industry standard for comprehensive product labeling and removal of potentially harmful ingredients from ALL of their product lines." In particular, in the case of Lysol, the report flagged the following products as problematic because they contain the toxic ingredient benzalkonium chloride which has been linked to asthma:
- Lysol Brand II Disinfectant All-Purpose Cleaner (Dilutable) - Fresh Scent
- Lysol Brand II Disinfectant All-Purpose Cleaner (Dilutable) - Country Scent
- Lysol Brand II Disinfectant All-Purpose Cleaner (Dilutable) - Lemon Scent
- Lysol Brand Disinfectant Deodorizing All-Purpose Cleaner (Dilutable) - Fresh Scent
- Lysol Brand Disinfectant Deoderizing Cleaner - Mountain Air Scent
These products are not only unnecessary, but they are also potentially hazardous to our health. Before you jump on the bandwagon and tweet in support of #lysolmoms, think about what you are doing. Even if you do use those products in your home, are you really comfortable recommending them to others given the potential hazards? How do you think it affects your social capital when you tweet about toxic products under the guise of keeping babies healthy? Is it worth it for a chance to win a $25 gift card?
Image credit: Matthias Töpfer on flickr
Reader Comments (84)
I'd like to chime in with everyone else. I've never thought about chemicals in my home until I had kids. Then I realized do I really need them? Our bodies are created to let the good in and fight the bad. God created these perfect systems and over time our environment, greed, and the constant trying to one up each other as messed with that system.
I am all about keeping my home clean but there are better ways to do it - hot water, soap, vinegar, and other common natural products!
Thank you for sharing this - as always right on sista!
Excuse me as I wander a little off topic. I'm not familiar with Lysol on Australian supermarket shelves these days, though for all I know it might be there. My only association for Lysol is from "The Play" by C. J. Dennis, part of his book The Sentimental Bloke. The very Aussie bloke takes his sweetheart on a date to Romeo and Juliet, and he paraphrases the play. The relevant stanza:
"Then things gits mixed a treat an' starts to whirl.
'Ere's Romeo comes back an' finds 'is girl
Tucked in 'er little coffing, cold an' stiff,
An' inna jiff
'E swallows lysol, throws a fancy fit,
'Ead over turkey, an' 'is soul 'as flit.
Thank you for indulging me quoting a favourite poem. At least it adds to the discussion that Lysol was synonymous with poison 95 years ago in Melbourne.
Thank you! I totally agree with you, but eight years ago, I didn't know any better. After having my first child, I was a crazy, disinfecting mama who didn't want a single germ near her baby. I used Lysol, bleach and other harsh cleaners thinking that I was protecting my child from all those nasty germs. Eventually, I learned that I was doing the wrong things and now I make wiser choices in the products I use in my home (and outside my home...you should have heard me when my husband brought home pesticide...and it was his last time). My home feels cleaner and we can breath better knowing we are safer these days.
Great article, as always.
I meant to write something similar, after receiving a Lysol product in our Blissdom Swag bags...it upset me to think that a group of smart, savvy women were supporting and endorsing a product like Lysol, and passing it out to hundreds of other women. I know sponsorship freebies like that can be tricky, but we have to be careful what we pass off as OK to others.
We've been chemical free in our home for 5 years now, and we have all never been healthier. My kids rarely get sick, while others are plagued by cold after flu after sickness all winter long.
Um, this makes no sense. Why did the flu kill thousands of Aboriginal people in the early 1900s, then? They ate excellent, nutrient-rich diets, got lots of vit D, exercise, etc.
This type of talk also discredits us.
Really, No sense at all? None? What part were you confused on?
Which aboriginal peoples (of what nation?) died in 1900 of "flu".
Also in that time is when most traditional people were being lead to eat "refined" foods which deteriorated their health and allowed them to be susceptible to disease and nutrient deficiencies.
I'm not "discrediting" anyone, I speaking for myself.
We need to understand that germs have their place and when you go around "disinfecting" or using antibiotics willy nilly you kill ALL THE GOOD with the Bad, so any chance of the good germs killing the bad ones or balancing them out, or your body's ability to gain inoculation/immunity from the bad ones, instead you kill them all. When you use antibiotics your body is depleted of all of the bacteria it needs to function properly, so to truly heal after using antibiotics you need to replenish your gut bacteria...yes bacteria, germs, in your GUT.
Good grief, the dire-est of circumstances is poop? Just use soap! or some vinegar or at best, Tea Tree Oil or Grapefruit Seed Extract.
Agree!
There was even a study done a while ago that children who were kept in extremely clean environments were linked to more heart disease than those who were allowed to play in dirt.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/12/11/let-kids-eat-dirt-over-cleanliness-linked-to-heart-disease/
"it’s hard for people to take “our side” of the story seriously because so often we denounce ALL chemicals,"
really? what people? All TOXIC chemicals YES, if people can't take the time to use more common sense and type a few words into google for a MSDS or to find out what it is, then "they" are the idiots, not "us".
Yes people have shortened the words dangerous, toxic, chemicals to saying simply chemicals in regards to manufactured/toxic "chemicals" not natural chemical compounds such as water and air and dirt...sheesh.
Give it a rest, this argument is so annoying. Everyone gets the point of what people are saying when they use the term "chemicals" in the home etc. Stop worrying about silly stuff, WE aren't the ones endangering the live of our children because we choose to shorten a word to get our point across quicker. Go after the companies who are telling parents that these products are SAFE and NATURAL and HEALTHY!
Momma, you said: "if people can’t take the time to use more common sense and type a few words into google for a MSDS or to find out what it is, then 'they' are the idiots, not 'us'."
But clearly many people in our own anti-toxin movement are not using that common sense. The original post here quotes WellnessMomCA as blaming Carbon Dioxide, which is a component of AIR, as the culprit in Lysol's toxicity. You say "Yes people have shortened the words dangerous, toxic, chemicals to saying simply chemicals in regards to manufactured/toxic 'chemicals' not natural chemical compounds such as water and air and dirt…sheesh." But see? Here is a post that essentially calls AIR a toxic chemical. Carbon dioxide is what we breathe. And this post is calling it toxic. I'm not talking about the shortened terminology; I'm talking about the actual confusion of harmless stuff with the nasty stuff.
If you were a Lysol executive, and you received complaint letters about your toxic product that called out air as the problem, how seriously would you take the complaints about your product? Not very, I imagine. And that's a shame, because there is all kinds of nasty stuff in Lysol, which is why I don't use it; but if we keep complaining about stuff like air, then the people in charge of Lysol can't possibly take our concerns (which are legitimate) seriously.
On the topic of the people who think we're not using common sense, you ask: "really? what people?" Well, I think that's pretty obvious. The 95% of our American culture that still buys things like Lysol even though they're full of nasty stuff. When I talk to, say, my cousin who uses disposable and nasty-chemical EVERYTHING, she dismisses folks like me as "crazy" or "over-reacting." BUT, she stopped using BPA when people made a big enough stink about it. And why? Because the BPA campaign was a focused effort against a specifically dangerous chemical, and she could understand that.
Or, let's be more bold here: "what people?" How about my friend Erica, who is a toxicologist, and helps decide what things get researched? Erica makes a game of poking holes in the "pseudoscience" that people post on the internet, telling her that EVERYTHING is toxic. And yes, she's part of a specialized group. But that group is a group that could really help our cause, and it's a shame that they just laugh at us most of the time.
I don't think it's fair to say that if you are sick, you have an immune/diet problem. One of the ways our immune system strengthens itself is by fighting off bugs. The blanket statement is too broad.
Now, if you are *always* sick, barely get over one thing before you catch another, catch every little thing going around, then yes, you might have an immune/diet problem. Certainly a good diet is critical for immune system support.
On the other hand, if you are in a new environment it's natural to catch more bugs because your immune system hasn't been exposed, and is adjusting to the environment. My family always seems to catch a few bugs whenever we move to a new state.
Historically, the introduction of germs from other cultures has wiped out native peoples - remember that's what happened to Squanto's tribe, and also to the Mayans?
Dr. Laura Jana is having a live chat 12/9 3pm EST on what looks to be the Lysol facebook page.
I've interviewed her before and, at least at the time, was impressed by both her knowledge in her field and also by her honesty. I wonder if they will allow people to ask her questions about whether or not most households need disinfectants with harsh chemicals or if vinegar is sufficient for most purposes.
I'd be curious to hear her thoughts on the topic and whether or not she'd be permitted to share them on this platform.
Yes, I can tell you exactly which ones -- considering I met people who actually survived the Spanish flu pandemic when it hit the far North, and was the health reporter for CBC Yellowknife for six years and did stories on it.
The flu came late to the NWT, Yukon, Nunavut -- not until the 1930s, because there were few outsiders.
When it did come, the vast majority of people still lived on the land nomadically, not in villages, and ate a traditional diet. In fact, people in those regions ate a mostly traditional diet until the 1970s, and are returning to that diet today.
Their diet consisted of caribou, wild berries, fish, etc. Lots of exercise. Lots of sunshine in the summer (24 hour light). And it was these very people, not just the ones attending residential school, who were decimated by the flu.
I met elders who buried every member of their family under five and over 12 when they were seven or eight -- the oldest living survivors. They walked for days to get to a village or mission.
People buried in the permafrost of the North are the sources of the Spanish flu lung tissue studied today.
I completely agree about disinfectants, antibiotics, etc -- but I vehemently disagree with the sunny view many poeople have of the time before modern medicine. I'm not arguing with Annie. I am saying your statement below contins a huge fallacy in the last sentence:
"Cut out sugar and wheat and gluten, processed/pasteurized dairy, processed/packaged foods, artificial flavors/colors/preservatives and eat wholesome nutrient dense foods and get sunshine vitamin D. And you wouldn’t be passing these illnesses around because your body would be strong enough to not become susceptible."
These people ate the diet you are advocating -- and they passed the flu around like wildfire.
Just because you live a healthy lifestyle does not make you germ-proof. I resent the assumption that only those doing something "wrong" get sick. It's not true. It blames the victim. And it's scientific twaddle.
Thank you for stating your case so thoughtfully, Annie. I appreciate that you take the time to really THINK about things and that you encourage others to do the same.
I don't buy Lysol products and thus would be uncomfortable promoting the brand on twitter or otherwise. We use the ionator HOM by Activeion for almost all of our cleaning. It uses plain water to clean + disinfect. We love it! Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.activeion.com/HOM.aspx.
One final comment - I think it is important to raise awareness about issues like this. I ALSO think it is important to extend grace to the Lysol Mom participants. As a 1st time mom or 1st year blogger, I'm sure I sometimes promoted or used products that I would never use now. We are all growing and learning every day...and it's important to remember that.
I keep a mixture of vinegar, water, a drop of Dawn, and a drop of tea tree oil in a spray bottle, and that has done wonders for my kitchen. And I can keep it under the sink. :D
It's weird, because it was having a baby (and this nuts antibacterial MISSION when I was working at Subway after my son was born; hello H1N1 panic) that made me realize I really wasn't okay with the amount of cleaning chemicals in my house.
I so agree with you on this one! Not only is anti-biotic-everything not helping, and not good science, the tone of it put me off as well.
One tweet that came my way actually said "it's been a really fun time here at the lysol twitter party, the hour just flew!"
Have we sunk this low... for a gift card?
Great post. We mostly use hot water to clean, Simple Green for tougher stuff, vinegar for the in-between. We don't have kids & aren't germphobic, but I can't imagine our cleaning products changing much if we do have kids.
Interesting post. Some questions that may be a no-brainer for most of you? I also try to keep my home chemical free. As I grew up with fantastic and bleach etc...How does one "chemically-free" clean a toilet? How much vinegar to water ratio does one use to clean other stuff? What about baking soda?
Thank you
I've always hated cleaning chemicals. Anything with a strong alcohol smell tends to bother me quite a bit.
But for my household, the deciding factor was when I noticed that our bottles of cleaning products would "sweat" (some of the stuff inside would get through the porous plastic of the bottle, making the outer surface a bit slick). It only happens if you keep the product around for a while, but it really bothered me - particularly because my cats knew how to get into the cupboards where we kept our cleaning supplies. I would have nightmares about them brushing up against one of those bottles and having the chemicals transfer to their fur, and then they would get poisoned when they lick themselves. So I got rid of everything.
Now, the only cleaning products we use are laundry detergent and dish soap. That's it. Anything else, we just use water with a bit of extra elbow grease, or either vinegar or baking soda for counters and stubborn stains.
And guess what? I rarely get sick. My husband, who grew up in a very "clean" home and was always a sickly child, became a paragon of health shortly after we moved in together. I'm not saying that letting ourselves be exposed to ordinary household germs has made us healthier, but it clearly isn't making us unhealthy.
The only exception is if I'm sick and I have to go to work anyway. I will usually buy myself one of those tiny bottles of purell and wash my hands before going into any of the common areas of the office, just out of respect for my co-workers.
I'm a firm believer in balance - be tidy, be clean, but don't disinfect. It just isn't necessary and (as others have pointed out) quite possibly harmful.
I read this when you first posted it, and as usual was disgusted with the chemical companies and their marketing. Then I watched a documentary this weekend called "Our Daily Poison" and just got scared. I wrote about it on my blog and linked it back here (also to your corn sugar article). Thanks so much for keeping our eyes wide open.
Thanks for the great post. I intuitively decided not to use chemical cleaners when my son was born 2 years ago. I felt insecure about whether I was doing the right thing, but his skin is so sensitive that i felt it was. Now that I read how common our cleaning habits are (water, soap, laundry detergent, elbow grease -- like the above), I feel much better that I am indeed taking care of my family out of common sense as well.
Erma Bombeck said, "If it looks clean, it probably is."
Fine with me.
I was always busy, and set priorities, to keep up with the important stuff. I had a good job, I paid for certain things to be done by others. Some cleaning ladies used strong chemicals. I got rid of them sooner or later.
I prefer mild products, and let things soak a while.
I like sunshine to help sanitize clothes or shoes or linens. I dry laundry on a line outside on my patio. I seldom use my dryer.
I don't spend money on brand names or expensive products.
I do certain cleaning in the installment plan, don't do it all at once. I get the worst out of the way, do more later. That works well for me, it looks better than it did.
Am I the only one who can't stand the smell of vinegar??
I try to use organic, non-sls, Canadian products all over the house after reading Ecoholic. But I will admit to using lysol once in a while after we've had a nasty bug in the house. And I wish the access centre where my foster kids go regularly would clean with ANYTHING their toys. The kids are constantly coming back with illnesses! I agree with dirt being good vs inherently bad, but there's a line still.
[...] Risks of Informal Breastmilk Sharing versus Formula Feeding (PostRank 7.4) [...]
[...] we will believe them, because they spend billions convincing us we need their products to live (often with the claims their products actually make us healthier, and often in ways that are designed to make them seem more trusted). Our government protects them [...]
I came across your article by complete accident when using this great technology I am just figuring out to track the clicks through my links. I am very happy you wrote this article and am thankful there are so many people (as seen by the numerous replies) who care about using chemical-free products. Oddly enough, I just wrote about household cleaners in my latest newsletter that went out yesterday: http://bit.ly/f4YQbZ. I talk about what to avoid in different types of household cleaners - hope you like it!
[...] I’m a “Mom against Toxic Chemicals” who thinks that “cooties” (come on, we’re adults, let’s call them [...]
[...] once again Annie over at PhD in Parenting is bring attention to hypocrisy. Earlier this month Lysol had a Twitter Party with the theme of “healthy babies.“ [...]
Just a caution - if your child has not been unwell, if you are able to clean your home with the most basic ingredients, if you have been able to save your money, save your sanity, and enjoy uninterrupted life because no one ever gets sick in your sphere - you are not superior to everyone else, you are lucky. Be thankful, not judgmental. I ran across this blog post because my daughter, who is 4, and who has had severe eczema since birth, and now who is colonized with MRSA (and I was NEVER a germaphobe, conscientiously avoided using antibacterial products as a matter of course, was, and still is, a fan of vinegar, have never lost my LOVE of see kiddos get dirty, have bypassed antibiotics in favor of boosting my kids' immune system, love the idea of going green, but study everything as much as I can before using it in my home, etc., etc.) but I am now desperate. I started using Lysol daily 3 months ago because I needed something that attempts to be scientifically proven to help us fight. MRSA kills people. Lysol kills MRSA. What choice would you prefer that I make? Please be assured, I am not a Lysol cheerleader and am still researching daily all the other options I can find that help us fight (and I won't go into the long list of products) -- but please, please, try to understand there are those of us who are working very hard and we are not cavalier about our family's well being just because we make a choice different from the one you have made. Maybe, we no longer have the same options as you. I agree wholeheartedly that marketing is a disgusting business (and I am a former advertising professional turned teacher). Marketing nowadays called VIRAL for a good reason. It is a sickness - esp. when it does nothing to seriously protect the buyer's ability to make smart decisions. Viral marketing exploits weaknesses - just like a virus does. If the public is weak enough to rush to judgement - either on the touted benefits of a product, or on the fallacies surrounding a product - a rush to judgement is destructive. Whether you think being PC is some conspiracy or just people trying to do their best to do no harm, you need to understand that what we need are smart conversations that take into account the sensitive scenarios that others may be facing and ask questions, rather than make assumptions. Don't assume we make different decisions than you because we are somehow less informed. Your ignorance may be the very bliss you are enjoying right now with your good health.
No one here is judging the mom with a legitimate reason to use disinfectants. The point is that if your family is reasonably healthy, you don't need to - and their widespread use is doing more harm than good.
[...] glass cleaners, room deodorizing products, air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, dish soap, disinfectants, dishwasher detergent, and laundry [...]
There are a lot of cleaning products, disinfectants and deodorizers available in the market. There are toxic and non-toxic products as well, however, we can also make homemade natural disinfectants. I use vinegar and baking soda or lemon sometimes and they actually work and disinfectant the home.
At the risk of sounding spammy, might I suggest Ceylon Cinnamon Leaf Oil. Diluted to 1% of course, and only when necessary. Overuse of disinfectants even natural ones can lead to disinfectant resistant bacteria.
Cinnamon Oil is a great odor neutralizer in the toilet and around the trash can since it destroys much of the bacteria that cause odors by digesting protein. And it is food safe and keeps away those pesky creatures in your kitchen especially black ants.
Nice advice. More on hazardous household cleaners.
Avoid:
-Cleaners that contain VOC's
-Disinfectant cleaners or germicides. The chemicals in these cleaners kill living organisms. I wouldn't let a baby, child or any family member touch surfaces with these harmful chemicals.
For healthy VOC free cleaners look at BioWorx.us. They have a line of green cleaners that are VOC free and they outperform the best green and non-green cleaners. They show lab studies on how their products compare to other major brands.
A great new ecofriendly and family friendly cleaning product line is from a company called BioWorx.us None of their chemicals contain VOC's or other unhealthy chemicals.
I would recommend wiping down surfaces with their glass and surface cleaner. This cleaner will not harm your family or leave toxic VOC chemicals lingering in your home. VOC, in almost all glass cleaners and many bathroom and all-purpose cleaners, are one of the leading causes of “sick home” syndrome and over 10% of asthma cases.
Also, avoid disinfectant cleaners and sanitizers. The quats, disinfectants and germicides in these cleaners kill all living organisms, they are not selective. In almost all cases, the quats are more harmful than the bacteria you are worried about. You might or might not have dangerous bacteria but touching disinfectant cleaners will certainly not be healthy. Plus, for a disinfectant or sanitizer to kill bacteria, the cleaner must have 5-15 minutes of wet contact time.
For those who use non-green cleaners, do you really want to absorb these toxins while touching surfaces or in the shower and having the cleaner absorb in your skin? Your skin is like a sponge, it absorbs what touches it.