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Household Cleaners: The 3 Worst Poisons Under the Sink

id you know the air inside most American homes is worse than the air outside? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air pollutants may be 2 to 5 times higher than out of doors, and in some homes are as much as 100 times higher! What's more, 90% of all poisonings are a result of household toxins.

The problem is the collection of cleaners under the average sink. Many cleaners give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Even when you keep bottles firmly closed and stored, the cleaners can often still exude VOCs into the air--fumes you and your children are breathing. VOCs have been implicated in everything from asthma and other respiratory problems to cancer. Children are at greatest risk, since they're both smaller than adults and are still growing.

And that's not the only problem these chemicals can cause. Here is a rundown of some of the worst chemicals in common household cleaners and what you can use instead.