Awesome, bostonwaves, thank you! I love that site, but haven't been there for awhile.

Halfwavy: yes, that was my point exactly. Lots of folks don't realize that the cleaning products are often more harmful than whatever they're trying to clean. Bleach & ammonia are kind of like using a bazooka to eradicate a mosquito. I didn't used to give it much thought either, but having asthma gives you an instant education. Borax is extremely non-toxic and it's potential to be a skin/respiratory irritant is far, far less than essential oils (which are wonderful, when carefully chosen & properly diluted.)

Anyway, my advice to anyone concerned about this is just to use common sense: if something has fumes -- be it a natural product (even Simple Green aggravates my asthma, it's so intense) or otherwise -- use caution.