We live in a world full of chemicals that can be found in the majority of our products. Household cleaners, lawn care products, car care products – all of these contain chemicals that can be very harmful to our health.
In order to keep yourself and your family protected from the effects of these items, you need to make sure that you are taking every precaution possible to keep everyone safe. The following is a list of tips that can help you practice poison prevention in your home:
1 – Read labels.
You won’t know how poisonous something is unless you read the label, and you may be completely shocked by the poisonous items you find throughout your home. Makeup, bleach, certain plants and some art supplies will even make the list. Once you know which items are poisonous, you’ll be able to take the necessary precautions for their storage and while they’re in use.
2 – Do not leave poisonous products unattended.
Even taking your eye off a product for a few seconds is long enough for a child or pet to ingest some of it. If you are using a poisonous product and you have to walk away for a few seconds, make sure to either bring the item with you or close it up and put it back in its proper place.
3 – Never mix chemicals.
If you have a tough stain, do not try and make your own super cleaner by mixing a bunch of other cleaners together. Some chemicals in one cleaner may not react well with chemicals in another, which could end up causing severe injury to you. Some may completely combust, some may burn you and some may even catch on fire.
4 – Know what’s in your purse.
You may not realize the poisons you have in your purse, such as makeup products or hand sanitizers. If you carry anything poisonous in your purse, make sure that you keep your bag high out of the reach of pets and children.
5 – Use child-resistant packaging when possible.
Even if it means spending a few extra dollars, it is well worth keeping your family protected. Like medicine, some products come with child safety lids that make it hard for a child to open. Spray bottles can contain a certain mechanism you have to do in order to get the spray to work. Bottles may have harder twist-open caps. These are harder for your children to open if they come across one of these items.
6 – Lock any cabinet that contains poisonous products.
If you keep all of your cleaners and products in cabinets, make sure to buy child safety locks to keep the children out of the cabinet. When you combine locks with child resistant packaging, you will taking multiple cautionary steps to ensure everyone in your family remains safe.
7 – Check your home for lead.
If your home was built before 1978, it’s possible your home contains lead-based paint, which is extremely dangerous to your health. To be safe, you should have your home inspected for lead. If they find lead in your home, you need to have it professionally removed while also having everyone in your home checked for possible reactions to the paint.
8 – Check for paint chips.
If you have children or pets in the home, check thoroughly for signs of chipping paint. If you have paint chips on the wall or floor, you need to remove them and repaint. If your pet or child ingests paint chips, it can cause severe harm on their health.
9 – Install a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer, so it’s important that you have detectors located near the sleeping area of your home and also have one on every level of the home. This can help save your life.
If you believe that you or your child have been poisoned, it’s important to have the number for poison control on hand: (800) 222-1222. They are open everyday for 365 days per year. Most often, they will be able to relieve the issue over the phone, or they’ll be able to tell you what steps to take next.
About the author: Flora Huges lives in Chicago. She is an avid writer and likes to write about health, safety, and cleaning. She recently wrote about the importance of MSDS sheets.
Photo credit: resignent