Let’s start with defining what is chlorine free and what are the Top 5 chlorine free products: diapers, bleach, pool products, tampons and toilet paper.

Chlorine is a poisonous, corrosive, yellowish green element of gaseous nature. It is an element of halogen group, and is very reactive. It is obtained by electrolysis of sodium chloride.

Chlorine finds an important place in common salt as sodium chloride, as well as in bleaching powders. It is used as a disinfectant and purification of water, and used to kill the deadly bacterium, microbes and pathogens.

In addition to therapeutic and other beneficial purposes, chlorine is also used excessively bleaching. Bleaching is a process that uses a chemical, like chlorine, to clean, whiten or lighten colors, as well as to remove stains.

Though chlorine is no doubt used to benefit humans in the manufacturing of drugs and medications, detoxification of water and in common salt; but its other uses, especially in the manufacturing industries, carry a threat to the environment.

Harms of Chlorine Abuse

As chlorine is highly reactive in nature, if chlorine is released in atmosphere, it reacts with hydrogen to form HCl or Hydrogen Chloride gas that comes down with rainfall, or forms fine particles that come down with gravity.

Chlorine is also accountable for the destruction and depletion of tropospheric layer of ozone. Chlorine gas is emanated from internal combustion engines and through industrial wastes into the atmosphere. This is why chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which were used in refrigeration and air-conditioning were phased out.

To preserve the environment and the atmosphere, it is necessary that people become conscious upon the usage of chlorine in beneficial and therapeutic or medicinal/drugs purposes, as well as the damages caused by chlorine abuse.

Chlorine is used extensively as a bleaching agent in the manufacture of first-grade papers. As papers have widespread use everywhere, in every home, office, shops packaging industry etc, it is not possible to omit it from our working. But there are some steps we can initiate to reduce the usage of chlorine without compromising our requirement of paper or other products that need chlorine in its manufacturing. “Chlorine free” products provide the perfect answer to such dilemmas.

Processed Chlorine Free (PCF): This makes used of recycling of paper. PCF paper may contain chlorine content, as it has originally been bleached with chlorine.

Totally chlorine free (TCF): This process does not make any use of chlorine whatsoever in the manufacture of paper during the bleaching process. This prevents the release of dioxins, and carcinogenic pollutants in the atmosphere.

These PCF and TCF labels are endorsed by an independent non-profit accreditation, the “Chlorine Free Products Association” which certifies these labels. Read more about Top 5 Chlorine Free Products →

Here is how to make your own homemade jewelry cleaner. For those who are trying to clean their jewelry without using a lot of chemicals, consider a homemade jewelry cleaner. Not only is this a safe and inexpensive way to clean precious jewelry, it is much safer to clean jewelry at home rather than taking it to a store. Any stones in the jewelry may be damaged by the equipment used and is probably not worth the risk.

There are several recipes for jewelry cleaner, but the most effective one is about two spoons of detergent, a very small amount of ammonia, and about a cup of water. Be careful with the ammonia, as it has a very strong smell. Also, use a slightly warm water so the detergent is easier to dissolve. Read more about Natural Jewelry Cleaner →