The number of poisoning incidents in children has declined in recent years due to increased awareness and safety measures.Three-quarters of these ER cases involve children under the age of three, and a significant number of them involve household chemicals.To protect kids from household chemicals, ongoing vigilance is your best defense, combined with smart storage, reducing potential chemical dangers in your home, and knowing what to do in an emergency.
Step 1: Keep an eye on the kids.
Small children can be very clever and determined when they want to get their hands on something.They are known to defeat safety measures on storage cabinets.They cannot overcome the eyes of a supervising adult.No one can keep their eyes on one child all the time, so supervision is your first line of defense.Additional household chemical safety measures should be used in conjunction with your observational skills.
Step 2: In locked cabinets, store household chemicals.
When it comes to storing household chemicals in a child-safe manner, "out of sight, out of mind" should be your motto.Whenever possible, keep the chemical containers behind a locked door.The cabinet under the sink is not a great place to store household chemicals, even if you add a child-proof lock to the doors.A locked cabinet is out of a child's reach.You can keep your holiday dishware under the sink and your household cleaners on the upper shelf of the kitchen cabinet.
Step 3: Return the containers to their storage locations as soon as you finish using them.
If dangerous household chemicals are inside the locked storage cabinet, it's a useful safety measure.Don't leave a chemical product container on the counter, table, etc., even for a short time; keep it in a locked cabinet or in your possession.The laundry detergent container should be on top of the washer or in the clothes basket.Even if you know you will need to use the drain cleaner multiple times, put the bottle away.Laundry and dishwasher detergent packs can look and smell like candy, so pay extra attention to them.
Step 4: They should keep their chemicals in their original containers.
Whatever your reasoning, you can put insect killer in an empty window cleaner bottle because the nozzle on the bug spray broke, or divide a heavy bottle of bleach into two smaller bottles.It's a bad idea to store any chemical in a container other than the one it came in.You might forget what is in there, you might cause a chemical reaction with the new container, and you lose the benefits of all the warnings and information on the original container.No matter how well you label it, never use an empty food container to store chemicals.You have to make sure that kids don't associate household chemicals with food, so that there is no confusion.Add all the warnings and keep the dangerous chemicals in the original containers.A warning sticker for added effect.
Step 5: Don't use household chemicals in front of your kids.
You want kids to understand that household chemicals have specific uses, so you can explain to them that you will use the product to whiten the clothes, clean the toilets, etc.It is best to use the product when your kids are not around.Also, small children are more sensitive to chemical fumes and should be removed from the area, and make sure the room is free of fumes when using household chemicals.For a number of reasons, including their safety and your sanity, it may be best to clean the house with various chemicals.
Step 6: Look at things from a child's point of view.
You might feel a bit silly crawling around on your hands and knees in the laundry room, kitchen, or wherever else household chemicals are stored.Getting the same view of things that a small child has can help you catch weaknesses in your household chemical protection plan that you might not otherwise notice.You thought the upper cabinet was out of reach.You may be able to see the shelf that kept the bottles out of view.You can reach the mouse poison block between the cabinet and the fridge, even if you thought it was out of view.Think like a child.Does the container of laundry detergent look like a jar?Do your spray bottles remind you of the kids?
Step 7: Do not keep what you do not need.
Do you still have an old bottle of weed killer in your garage?If you have a cleaning cabinet full of old bottles, you might want to consider getting rid of them.A child cannot be injured by a household chemical that isn't there to be found, so only keep around the products that you use regularly and get rid of the rest.If you want to dispose of superfluous household chemicals, follow the instructions on the package or contact your waste disposal provider.Don't throw bottles in the trash or dump them down the drain without knowing how to properly dispose of them.
Step 8: As little as possible.
Whether you are cleaning the oven or scrubbing the tub, using less cleaner and more elbow grease can provide the same results while reducing the amount of chemical fumes in your home.If you want to get the job done, you should only use as much of a household cleaner as you need.Adding water to water-based cleaners can be beneficial, even though mixing household chemicals is always a bad idea.The cleaner works just as well and lasts much longer.A cleaner with less fumes and chemicals inside may be safer for kids.
Step 9: The area should be kept out of the way when using chemicals.
Chemicals in the air may be harmful to small children because of their smaller bodies and lungs.When applying household chemicals, make sure to open a window or use an exhaust fan because of the fumes.The fresh, clean scent created by your favorite household cleaner is usually caused by chemicals.Some kids may react negatively to fumes.It doesn't have to smell like anything.
Step 10: Less hazardous alternatives can be used.
Baking soda and vinegar are not only good for making science fair volcanoes.Lemon juice, salt, and just plain old water can be used to make a range of surprisingly effective household cleaners that are much safer to store and use around kids.Purchase natural or eco-friendly products.These products are not as hazardous as products made with harsh chemicals.It is possible to make a window cleaner every bit as effective as the ones found in stores by using equal parts of white vinegar and clean water.There are many homemade cleaning recipes online.Homemade does not automatically equal safe or healthy.Continue to store your homemade cleaners behind locked doors in containers that are clearly labeled, such as empty spray bottles you can buy at the store.Seventh Generation and Ecover are eco-friendly cleaners.Some big cleaning product companies make eco-friendly versions of their products.
Step 11: You should know your poison control and emergency services numbers.
When a child is exposed to chemicals, time is of the essence.There is no time to waste searching for the poison control hotline number.You can put it in your phone and display it near your home phone or where you store the chemicals.The poison control number in the US is 800-222-1222.The person is conscious and alert if you call this number.If the person is unconscious, call the emergency services in your country.
Step 12: Supplies and techniques are ready to use.
You should never assume that a chemical exposure incident can't happen in your home if you safeguard your household chemicals well.By learning techniques that could potentially save a child's life, you should be prepared.If you have kids, are going to have them, or watch them frequently, you should learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation for infants, children, and adults, as well as infant and child/adult versions of the Heimlich maneuver.You can refresh your knowledge by taking a class.You should have a well-stocked first aid kit in your home.
Step 13: When exposure occurs, take quick action.
When there is a hazardous chemical exposure, you should always call poison control or emergency services.Additional actions you can take can provide immediate treatment for various types of chemical exposure.If poison is swallowed, call poison control and only vomit if they tell you to.If a hazardous chemical gets in a child's eyes, they should be flushed with water for fifteen minutes.If the skin is exposed to a hazardous chemical, wash the area with soap and water.Get the person into fresh air if they have dangerous chemicals in their lungs.If necessary, drag or carry an unconscious child outside.