House cleaning is an essential chore for maintaining a hygienic and germ-free environment in a home. But thorough cleaning is not that easy; it comes with risks like dealing with dangerous and harmful cleaning solutions, the task of heavy lifting, use of ladders, moving on wet floors, and many more. Are you aware that unintentional slip-offs are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries? While cleaning, there are plenty of chances of getting injured, so ensuring safety while cleaning is important. We must learn how to stay safe while cleaning. Many times, our carelessness may cause an accident.
House Cleaning Safety Tips
As prevention is better than cure, let’s learn some house cleaning safety tips to stay safe while cleaning your sweet home.
Tip 1: Protect your Children while Cleaning Home
Children are naturally curious and don’t understand the dangers of touching cleaning chemicals. So, keep your cleaning kit locked and ensure that all cleaning products remain out of the reach of kids and pets. Do not leave children and pets alone with the cleaning products while you attend to an unexpected telephone call or the buzz of the doorbell. If you are using a bucket full of water for cleaning, remember that it can be dangerous for your kids if left unattended. Ensure that buckets are empty and are stored upside down when you have finished your work. Or you may leave the bucket in the bathroom or kitchen and lock the key outside for the time being.
Tip 2: Read the Labels of Cleaning Products
If you use any chemical cleaning products, then your first duty is to read the label on the cleaning products. Do read the instructions to ensure that you use the disinfectant for its intended purpose and in the manner specified.
Read the labels carefully, which contain the words “caution,” “warning”, “poisonous” and “use as instructed”. Such terms are more specific in nature, letting you know the clauses of prevention to be practised. Always read the directions and warnings written on a cleaning product before using it.
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Tip 3: Label the Homemade Cleaning Solution
Keep all cleaning solutions in their original containers, and label the homemade cleaning products accurately. Never fill the newly made cleaning solution in the used bottle.
Tip 4: Avoid Mixing Cleaning Chemicals while House Cleaning!
Never mix any two chemicals together. Some chemicals adversely react when combined.
Here are some combinations that you should avoid mixing:
Vinegar and Bleach: This mixture will create toxic chlorine gas.
Ammonia and Bleach: This mixture will produce chloramine vapours.
Rubbing Alcohol and Bleach: This mixture will produce chloroform.
Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide: You should use them separately on the same surface, but mixing them in one container will produce peracetic acid, which is harmful to health.
Tip 5: Do your Research before you Start Cleaning your Home
The risk of chemical allergies and the tightrope of budget have encouraged many people to clean their homes with inexpensive household materials such as baking soda, salt, lemons, soap, bleach, and white vinegar. Before you make a new cleaning mixture, it is important to do your own research.
Tip 6: Beware of Fumes when Using Readymade Products
Keep windows and doors open while cleaning home (if possible) to provide sufficient ventilation. By keeping them open, you can avoid an open flame or toxic fume, which may occur due to chemical reactions.
Tip 7: Be Careful when Walking on Wet Floor
Everybody knows how common it is to slip your feet on a wet floor. Always make sure that you take the necessary precautions, especially for kids and senior citizens, to protect yourself from sudden falls.
Tip 8: Wear Proper Protective Clothing while House Cleaning
Wear protective clothes at the time of home cleaning, and this preventive dress will protect your skin from the abrasion of cleaning chemicals. This is mandatory, even if you are using natural cleaning solutions. Protect yourself from chemical burns, rashes, and irritation. Protective clothes include long-sleeved shirts, pants, goggles, masks, gloves, and maybe more. It is important to wear rubber gloves if you are using strong household cleaners. Wear a mask while cleaning dusty things. Avoid direct contact with skin, eyes, and clothes when you are using bleach, ammonia, or any other cleaning products.
Apart from safety tips, we have written articles for other house cleaning tips. You can read the article here:
Tip 9: Proper Ventilation to Ensure Safety during Cleaning
Always use chemical cleaners in a well-ventilated area. Open the door and windows or turn on a fan to circulate the air, and it will remove as much odour as possible.
While using chemical cleaners of any type, adequate ventilation is the key to avoiding dizziness, headaches, and other serious health issues. Always keep your home’s windows open to ensure that the gases released by cleaners can safely escape from your house.
Tip 10: Use Cautions during Cleaning of Higher Places of your Home!
When cleaning some items in your home, such as washing windows, where you need to step on a ladder, be extremely cautious. Do not lean too far on the other side. As a rule of thumb, your belly button must not go beyond the sides of the ladder. Also, always have someone by your side to keep the ladder stable for you and make sure that the rungs are not slippery. Don’t forget to wear non-skid shoes before you step on them.
Tip 11: Stairway Safety
Do not carry many things while transporting items up and down stairs. Try to keep a hand free to hold onto the railing of the stairs. Take the necessary time, and take a few more trips if needed to carry things safely.
If you are planning to clean your home, then you must read the article,
Tip 12: Use Safe Cleaning Products
Using oxygen and sulfite-based cleaners is a safer option, and these cleaners are more environment-friendly than ammonia and chlorine bleach-based products. You can easily find out the name “oxide”, or “sulfites” on the labels of products at the time of purchase.
Tip 13: Use Mild Cleaning Solution
You can clean hard surfaces with mild cleaners or natural green cleaners, such as baking soda, or vinegar. Use bleach and ammonia for tough jobs where they are badly needed, and soft cleaners cannot work properly.
Tip 14: Special Care of Food Preparation Areas while Cleaning
You should take special care and extra safety when you are cleaning the food preparation area with cleaning solutions. It is important to use non-toxic cleaning chemicals for your food preparation areas or surfaces. Also, cover the area with old clothes or plastic.
Tip 15: Ensure Extra Safety while Operating Electrical Cleaning Tools
Do not operate electrical cleaning tools near an open bucket of water or any other area of water, such as the laundry tub. Do not operate them with wet hands.
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Tip 16: Bath yourself after House Cleaning
Always wash and clean your hands as well as your full body after using the cleaning chemicals.
Tip 17: Store your Cleaning Solution Safely
Keep all cleaning materials in their original containers so that you know what they are and their expiry dates. Always use clean, new containers for storing homemade cleaning solutions. Your household cleaning kit should be away from the food storage areas. Place them in a cool and dry place.
Tip 18: Properly Dispose of Home Cleaning Products
Dispose of the cleaning materials and by-products safely after you have finished your work with cleaning chemicals. Many cleaning products demand specific rules for disposal. Put empty bottles and containers in a closed garbage bag instead of placing them in an open waste-basket in your home.
Tip 19: Handle Weight Carefully
During cleaning, you may have to move heavy furniture or other objects, or you may have to lift heavy objects. Never handle more weight than you can easily handle. Over enthusiasm, overconfidence, or shortcuts may injure your back. So be careful.
Conclusion
Hence, please get your house cleaning work done very carefully, especially, when you are using any specific cleaning product. Cleaning is necessary, but safety should be your first priority as well. Follow these house cleaning safety tips to enjoy a safe and productive cleaning!
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We have also written another similar article; you may refer the following link:
Safety Tips: Childproofing Your Home!
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