How To Hide The Unseen Danger In Your Cleaning Routine From Your Children

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Bleach, ammonia, detergents — these are all powerful chemicals commonly used around the home to clean and disinfect. While they might be a part of your everyday cleaning routine, they also could be putting your kids at risk without your knowledge. While not all of your products contain a common cleaning chemical you'll want to remove from your home, like PCE, kids getting into cleaning products lead to numerous emergency room visits every year in the United States. Ingesting cleaning products, like detergents or disinfectants, can lead to nausea, vomiting, breathing problems, and, in severe cases, death. The way you store chemicals and other cleaning supplies in your home is vitally important. It can be the difference that prevents a dangerous situation involving your child. When in doubt, remember to hide cleaning supplies out of reach from little hands. Even if you're not working with products containing high-powered cleaning ingredients you should use with caution around children, you should store away anything non-edible with care.

There's a right and a wrong way to store cleaning products in the home. First, do not keep them within reach of children, including out on countertops or other accessible spots. Cleaning products are one of the things you should purge from under your kitchen sink, because children can open cabinet doors when you are not aware. It's also never a good idea to keep cleaning products on countertops or in pantries near food. Bottles can look too similar to edible items, which can be bad for children and adults alike. So, store cleaning chemicals and supplies up high, such as cabinets installed above a washing machine, where kids have no way to see or reach them. Ideally, drawers and cabinets should close tightly without gaps.

Sometimes you don't have a place to keep bleach and ammonia that is up high or in a utility room that kids cannot access. In that case, install child-resistant locks on the cabinets where you have them stored. Childproof locks, like the Skyla Homes Baby Locks available for $9.99 on Amazon, typically feature designs that baffle children but easily let adults inside. Lock designs might have magnetic closures, adhesive straps, or pull-cord latches. Magnetic locks work well for drawers without handles and require a key to access. Pull-cord locks loop around a handle or knob. When pulled together, the cord prevents the door or drawer from opening. 

Remember to follow other safety rules to protect your kids. Storing chemicals out of sight is just the first step to protecting them from the risks associated with spills, fumes, and more. When storing chemicals, keep them in the containers they came in to avoid confusion. Containers should also be closed tightly when they're stored, whether it's a bottle of all-purpose cleaner or laundry pods. For example, if a spray bottle has a safety feature on the nozzle, make sure to turn it to the "OFF" setting before putting it away.