Spring will be here before we know it! And with spring comes spring cleaning. As you cleanse, disinfect and sanitize your home, keep in mind that many household cleaning products may contain harmful or toxic ingredients.
As the third week in March is National Poison Prevention Week, we thought now would be a good time to give you a few tips to help you protect your family from accidental poisoning.
Household Product Safety Tips
- ALWAYS keep household cleaning products in a high and/or locked cabinet and away from your Mac Kids!
- Any time you use cleaning chemicals, open up a window for ventilation.
- Many cleaning products are scented - lemon fresh, spring garden, etc. While they may smell good, those scents are not created naturally. DON'T sniff the ingredients of a bottle for any reason.
- Keep rubber gloves on hand when using household cleaning products and gardening chemicals.
- Working in your yard? Keep your family and pets away from outdoor areas that have recently been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. Some of these toxins can soak into your clothing and shoes, so stay away from a newly treated area for a few hours after spraying.
- Always wash hands and any skin that comes into contact with household or gardening chemicals with warm, soapy water.
- Rinse eyes with warm running water if cleaning solutions or other harsh chemicals have splashed into your eyes. Contact the poison control center or your physician for further advice on chemical eye burns.
- Keep the number for poison control programmed into your cell phone and next to any landlines so it is readily available in case of an emergency.
- Call the poison control line immediately in case of accidental ingestion of any household chemicals!
