Is it safe to use cleaning products during pregnancy?

As long as you practice a few safe cleaning habits, research shows that you can carry on using most cleaning products throughout your pregnancy. However, it’s worth finding out more about indoor pollution, which jobs to avoid and the safest products you can use to fully protect your unborn baby.

We all used cleaning products more often during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic (Deierlein et al 2022). If you’d like to continue to keep your home extra clean, read on to find out how to do it safely.

Should I avoid certain cleaning jobs and products during pregnancy?

Most everyday tasks are fine to do when you are pregnant. Loading the dishwasher and adding a dishwasher tablet, for example, is unlikely to expose you to many harmful substances. Neither is using washing up liquid to clean pots.

Just make sure you have plenty of fresh air circulating where you’re working and that you protect yourself with household gloves and long sleeves.

There are some cleaning jobs, however, where you will need to take extra care. Better still, ask someone else to do them for you. These include:

• Cleaning the oven. Many oven cleaners give off a lot of fumes from the strong cleaning chemicals they contain (Tommy’s 2022). If you have to do it, get as much fresh air in the room as possible and read the instructions and warning labels carefully.
• Using aerosol cleaning products such as cleaning sprays or furniture polish (NICE 2020). These release chemicals into the air in a fine mist, which you’re more likely to breathe in. If any fumes make you feel sick, ask someone else to do the cleaning.
• Anything which involves mixing chemicals. Regardless of whether you’re pregnant or not, it's you should never mix many different chemicals, such as ammonia and bleach, or vinegar and bleach. The resulting fumes such combinations release can be very dangerous to anyone inhaling them (Hansen 2020).
• Clearing the cat litter tray. There is a small chance that doing this can give you the infection toxoplasmosis, which can put your unborn baby at risk in rare instances. Try to get someone else to do this job for you. If there’s nobody around, wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards (NHS 2020).

How can I reduce indoor air pollution from cleaning products?

You may be aware of the health effects of outdoor air pollution, but not many of us are as clued-up on the negative health impacts of indoor air pollution. Lots of things contribute to indoor air pollution, including damp, mould and smoke. The VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from some cleaning products are a factor in the mix, too (PHE 2018).

Even if you’re exposed to low levels of air pollution every day, it’s possible to have a perfectly healthy pregnancy. However, pregnant women and babies under 12 months old are at more risk of ill health from indoor air pollution (NICE 2020) so should take extra care. If you’re pregnant, or have a young baby, you should:

• Reduce your use of cleaning sprays, air fresheners and other aerosols. Make sure you always follow cleaning product instructions.
• Wear gloves and a long-sleeved top to protect your body, as the chemicals can also be absorbed through the skin.
• Keep the room well-ventilated when you clean. Having plenty of fresh air circulating will reduce the amount of chemicals that you breathe in (NICE 2020).

What should I do if I use cleaning products as part of my job?

Research suggests that pregnant women who use disinfectants regularly at work might be more likely to have children who develop asthma or eczema by three years old (Kojima et al 2022).

So it’s important to be careful to protect your developing baby, especially if you’re a frequent cleaner. If using disinfectants is a regular part of your job, speak to your employer. Once you’ve told them in writing that you’re pregnant they have to check your job for any health and safety risks to you or your baby, and take steps to remove these risks (Citizens Advice nd).

In fact, all employers must do regular risk assessments as your pregnancy progresses. If something has changed, or you are worried about something in particular (for example, your exposure to a particular cleaning product) you can request to be assessed sooner (HSE nd).

This might include better ventilation in your place of work, protective clothing or adjusting your work responsibilities.

Are natural products safer for cleaning while pregnant?

You could switch to safer or natural cleaning products, free from harsh substances. Just be aware that we are all exposed to both natural and man-made chemicals every single day. Chemicals are not necessarily bad news, and many cleaning products which bill themselves as ‘natural’ are still packed with different chemicals. So always study the label.

One affordable and eco-friendly option is to make your own cleaning supplies. White distilled vinegar, diluted with water, makes a great all-purpose cleaner, and baking soda is a match for the toughest oven cleaners (Tommy's 2020). These are still chemicals, but they are much safer than many alternatives (Fletcher 2020). Natural products will also be safer around your baby after they are born.

Worried about the effects of air pollution on your pregnancy? Find out how to reduce your exposure from indoor and outdoor pollutants.