Here are ten simple year-round reminders for consumers to help keep their families safe:

 

1. Take a tour of your home. Making sure your entire home is safe for children can help avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency room later on.
2. Install child-proof locks on cabinets that house cleaning supplies. Never assume a cabinet is too high for a curious, climbing toddler.
3. Keep all household products in their original packages. Packaging includes useful first aid information in the event of accidental exposure or ingestion. 
4. Read and follow the product-label directions.
5. Don’t leave cleaning buckets unattended. Even those with a small amount of liquid pose a danger to "top heavy" toddlers. If the child falls into a bucket, it may not tip over and he or she could drown.
6. Schedule cleaning during "down times" such as nap time or when children are in school, or on a play date.
7. Take out only the amount of cleaning product needed for the job at hand. Store the rest away securely so there’s no chance that small explorers will get their hands on it.
8. Immediately clean up any spillage.
9. Avoid distractions or interruptions when children are present during cleaning. If you answer the door, take the child with you. If the phone rings, let the answering machine do its job.
10. Post the Poison Control Center phone number (1-800-222-1222) by every land phone in your home and save it on your cell phone.
    

 

About SDA

The Soap and Detergent Association (www.cleaning101.com), the U.S. Home of the Cleaning Products Industry^SM, is the non-profit trade association representing manufacturers of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products; their ingredients; and finished packaging; and oleochemical producers. SDA members produce more than 90 percent of the cleaning products marketed in the U.S. The SDA is located at 1500 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005.