Fearful of chemicals, 2 moms launch all-natural cleaning line

GRAND HAMPTON — She was a mother who worried about lead in her kids' toys. Then the plastics in sippy cups, the chemicals in their wipes.

So Sarapage Bauguss started researching ingredients in her household products. What she found alarmed her.

They contained known irritants and cancer-causing ingredients and she was exposing her children to them.

Each time Bauguss learned of a product containing harmful mixes, she would tell all the mothers she knew to steer clear of them.

"I felt myself becoming the crazy friend," said Bauguss, who has two girls, ages 3 and 1. "Don't use this because it's so bad."

Then it dawned on her: She was telling them what not to use, without offering any solutions.

So last June, Bauguss went to work mixing natural ingredients to replace common household commercial hand soaps, dish detergent and glass cleaners.

With the help of childhood friend Teresa Arrighi, who is pregnant and has a 2-year-old son, the mothers launched a line of natural cleaners called Baby Girl Products, which are safe enough to swallow, yet, Bauguss insists, strong enough to scrub your stove top clean and leave your windows streak-free.

The products, displayed recently at a party in Grand Hampton, contain ingredients like vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice and jojoba oil.

So far, the Baby Girl product line includes an all-purpose cleaner, a mirror and glass cleaner, microfiber towels, a wood cleaner, a bathroom cleaner, a disinfectant and organic dish soap that are priced between $4 and $6 a bottle.

"The reason for doing all this was not to make money and scare people," Bauguss said. "It's to inform people. These products will change your life."