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Storing Chemicals and Cleaners Safely

Anthony Cuomo • November 25, 2014

If you have young children, then you have probably childproofed your home, storing cleansers and chemicals out of their reach. Even if your kids are all grown up, however, you need to be careful about where and how you store these hazardous substances. Read on for some valuable tips on how to store chemicals and cleaners safely:

Up high and locked up is the way to go if you have little ones
This includes young grandchildren or little neighbors who may stop over to visit frequently. You might not think about the dishwashing detergent under your sink or the can of foaming cleaner in your bathroom cabinet, but if little hands get ahold of it, it could lead to a disaster. Get into the habit of keeping dangerous chemicals high above where children can reach them. Also, if you can lock the cabinet or closet that they’re in, that’s even better. Remember: Taking these precautions is just a way to slow kids down when they’re getting into potentially dangerous mischief; you still need to watch them carefully if you have chemicals in the house.

Protect them from temperature extremes
If you keep aerosol cans or certain chemicals in the garage during the winter, they are at risk for freezing. More dangerous is to allow them to get extremely hot. Keep bottles and cans out of direct sunlight and out of a very hot garage, attic or car. Don’t store anything flammable near a source of heat, such as a furnace or radiator. It’s best to keep chemicals at room temperature. During the winter months, if it’s very cold where you are, you may need to bring the inside if you keep them in the garage.

Keep everything in the original bottles
You want to always have original labels on the containers holding your chemicals and cleaners. There are several reasons for this. One is that you need to know what you are using and how to use it each time you clean. You might forget whether a certain chemical is safe for porous surfaces, or how much water you need to add in order to mix it properly. Secondly, you would never want to erroneously mix two chemicals that might cause a dangerous reaction. For example, mixing anything containing bleach with anything containing ammonia could result in potentially deadly fumes. You need to be able to know what is in each chemical that you have. Finally, having a list of ingredients is essential should the unthinkable happen; if a child or pet were to ingest some of the chemical, the professional at Poison Control would be able to advise you much more easily and accurately if they knew exactly what was swallowed.

Don’t store chemicals with food
This is something that all of us know, but it bears repeating. Do not store air fresheners or cleaning products in the pantry where you also store dry goods. Also, don’t store food under your kitchen sink if you also have cleaning fluids underneath. It’s not worth the risk that your food might get contaminated. Have places to store chemicals, and different places to store food.

As long as you exercise caution and follow the directions on your household chemicals, they are typically very safe to use. It’s important to store them properly to keep your family safe and also to prevent wasted product and wasted money. Following these tips should help you to store your chemicals and cleaners correctly and will allow them to work most effectively and efficiently.

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