Take Five Continues: Laundry and Garage

In my last blog I dealt with the bathroom and the kitchen in my quest to “take five” and find five toxic products in different areas of my home. Today I deal with the laundry room and the garage, where pretty much everything seems to come with a warning against eating, drinking or even touching without gloves.

“Take Five” in the Laundry Room

Most laundry rooms contain bleach and ours was no exception. Bleach is reported to be the number one cause of child poisoning among household cleaners. There was also laundry detergent, spot remover, room deodorizer and more all-purpose cleaners in spray bottles. To our credit, we keep all these products in high cabinets.

“Take Five” in the Garage

This was quick and easy. Garages are notorious for toxic substances. Just a quick look revealed turpentine, drain cleaner, windshield wiper fluid, swimming pool chemicals and weed killers.  Most of these are on shelves or in cabinets.

What to Do Now?

My inventory completed, I decided to learn more about child poisoning.  Here are some highlights:

• Even though most toxic products must, by law, use child-resistant packaging (those “push and turn” bottle caps), chemical products that come in or are stored in spray bottles don’t offer the same kind of protection. According to the latest statistics, 40% of cleaning product-related injuries involved these spray bottles, and most of the injuries involved the youngest children.
• When products are in use, they should be under adult supervision and capped at all times. Remember, products are packaged as “child-resistant,” not “child-proof.”  With persistence, even a child can open a press-and-push bottle.
• According to the latest poisoning statistics, liquids kept in spray bottles are not as “child resistant” and thus account for more than their share of poisonings. They seem to be especially attractive to young children, who like to grab them and put them in their mouths.
• Purses, which are so attractive to youngsters, are often a trove of toxic products. These include medication, perfumes and lipsticks, which often contain lead as an ingredient.  The experts advise that moms of young children carry purses with child-resistant closures.

So here’s the challenge again: take five minutes and find five toxic substances around your home to move to a higher shelf or put behind a latched cabinet. If you do, email me and let me know what you’ve found.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to answer questions or handle emergency phone calls at 1-800-222-1222.