Knowing how to safely and properly store your cleaning products is a vitally important way to maintain a hygienic home. We wanted to run through where certain cleaning chemicals should ideally be stored for the most optimum hygienic maintenance. Where should your cleaning chemicals be stored? Read on to find out!
Key steps to consider
- Make sure you always read the list of ingredients before using a product and use the product as is directed on the particular label. Remember that the instructions given are there for your own safety.
- Make sure you know what the different ingredients are used for and whether or not they can be considered harmful.
- Try to avoid mixing your products together. Some products might be perfectly safe for use but produce toxic gasses if they are mixed with other cleaning chemicals.
- Use the original containers that the cleaning chemicals come in.
- Keep the cleaning products locked away, and ideally out of reach of pets and children.
Can cleaning products be harmful?
While not all cleaning products will be as harmful as some others, it can typically depend on the product you purchase and the ingredients therein. Below we have listed some ingredients that you should look out for on your products!
- Phosphates – Phosphates were frequently used in a number of laundry detergent products until it was figured out than an excess of this substance in water waste from laundry collected globally was contributing to a build-up of algae blooms, which happens when there is a rapid accumulation of algae in marine water or freshwater systems.
- Phthalates – This chemical family can be found in the packaging of many household cleaning products. Phthalates have the impressive ability to both add flexibility to plastic and toughen it, but are not an active ingredient in the actual product itself.
- Chlorine – Chlorine is a key ingredient in forms of household bleach. Bleach is an extremely effective cleaning substance, but can be incredibly harmful if it used incorrectly. Bleach has a much lower impact on the environment because of its chemical composition allowing it to be broken down nicely into water.
- Sodium lauryl sulphate – This ingredient causes foaming action and can act as a catalyst when used with water for breaking oils and fats on a countertop or in the wash.
Tips for storing your cleaning products
Follow these essential steps below for information on the most adequate storage of your cleaning products:
- Make sure you read the recommended storage instructions that are on the label.
- Properly close the product after it has been used.
- As a general rule of thumb, keep your cleaning products on a shelf that is high enough so that a pet or child cannot reach it.
- Consider possibly installing a purposefully designed child safety latch on the products regardless of the height of your shelf. If you store your cleaning products in an open space (e.g. a garage), safely secure them on a shelf or in a box under lock and key.
Clean Shield are Gloucestershire based, commercial cleaners with over 30 years’ experience, aiming to give their clients peace of mind so that every aspect of their workplace cleaning is taken care of. Our expert cleaners will ensure the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness are maintained at all times.
A risk assessment can also be carried out – if required – for any aspect of the cleaning process, either for school cleaning or anywhere else, where necessary. All Clean Shield professional staff are fully trained, receive regular health and safety updates and are CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) checked.
If you’d like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01452 260 922 or take a look at our website www.clean-shield.co.uk.