Household Cleaners
Dangers
Failing to wash your hands or rubbing your eyes after coming into contact with certain chemicals can expose you to the risk of chemical-related injuries.
Sources
Ingredients
Some ingredients that are found in cleaning products such as those that contain phosphorus or nitrogen can pose health issues that can cause skin irritation or even damage the water quality
Volatile Organic Compounds
VOCs are usually found in cleaning products (eg. Aerosol spray products, Air fresheners; Chlorine bleach, Detergent, dishwashing liquid, etc) and the main effect they have is on a person’s indoor air quality. This can pose serious breathing problems to individuals with weak lungs.
How to Limit & Avoid an Indoor Gas Danger
Ecolabels
Purchasing products with the ecolabel on them is a great way to ensure that the products are safe and effective. These products are usually created with greener and more natural ingredients compared to other ones that you might purchase. Using these will help lessen the toxicity that can come with using other cleaning products
Indoor air quality
To improve the air quality in your home, be sure to use the proper ventilation and a dehumidifier once you’re finished cleaning.
Safer Choice
Another option for choosing good cleaning products to use is to use ones that are labeled with “safer choice”. Much like the ecolabels, these products are made to be more efficient with less harmful ingredients and safer ones.
Skin irritation
To prevent skin irritation from cleaning products, wash your hands immediately after use with warm water. For a safer and more effective cleaning method, consider using warm water and soap. Additionally, always read the labels on cleaning product bottles to check for harmful chemicals that could pose a risk to your health.
Frequently Asked Questions (coming soon)
References & Helpful Articles
- https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products
- https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/identifying-greener-cleaning-products
- https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/air-cleaners-and-air-filters-home
- https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/learn-about-safer-choice-label
- https://www.cdc.gov/widgets/micrositeCollectionViewerMed/index.html?chost=covid19.mt.gov&cpath=/&csearch=&chash=&ctitle=Governor%E2%80%99s%20Coronavirus%20Task%20Force%20%3E%20Home&wn=micrositeCollectionViewerMed&wf=/widgets/micrositeCollectionViewerMed/&wid=micrositeCollectionViewerMed1&mMode=widget&mPage=&mChannel=&cdcDataid=404908&cdcTheme=theme1&cdcGeotag=%7B%27continent%27:%20%276255149%27,%20%27country%27:%20%276252001%27,%20%27state%27:%20%27%27,%20%27region%27:%20%27%27%20%7D&chashOptMode=out#!/detail/404496
- https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/cleaning-supplies-household-chem