While families rarely ever question the effectiveness of the household chemical products they use to disinfect their homes, they often fail to consider how these products should be stored. The various cleansers, deodorants and toiletries can all be dangerous and threatening to you and your family’s health if not stored with proper consideration. This can be a result of leakage, children getting their hands on these products and misusing them or even pets pawing their way into these products. Whatever the case might be, for the sake of your family, it’s imperative to become properly educated on how to both use and store these unique products.

In order to become fully educated regarding these products, the first step is reading the label. This includes all members of the family who plan on using the product, not just parents. The label will include all chemical make-up information, it will also include proper use instructions and safety measures to take whilst using the product. Believe it or not, some of these products will also include storage instructions if they require a unique storage solution. The issue with relying too much on the label, however, is that they’re bound to fade depending on how often the products are used. Losing the information provided the label can be detrimental, which is why families are recommended to record any of the invaluable information they provide prior to fading.

Following the reading and understanding of the label, the next step that families should take is related directly to the grouping of the products in their home. Most families will have spaces that they use to store these products throughout the home. Perhaps they’re separated, with some products under the bathroom sink and others in the laundry room. Maybe another family prefers storing their products under the kitchen sink. Regardless of your family’s preference, one way to keep these products tidy is through a storage basket. Not only will this reduce clutter throughout the home, it can also limit the accessibility of these products to children or pets of the household depending on where it’s stored. Ideally, products with the harshest chemical composition should be kept in places where young children or pets are unable to reach them.

The final step of proper household chemical product storage is the disposal. While some households may take longer than others to use all of these products, disposing of them is still equally as important as the storage of them. Improperly disposing of these products can result in them still finding their way into the hands of children or lingering pets. In fact, most home chemical products aren’t meant to be thrown away in the trash with other household items. Most towns and cities offer information regarding how to properly dispose of these products. In some instances, this is a designated chemical disposal location. While your hometown may approach it in a different way, be sure to do some research before tossing them in the trash or recycling bins.

Household chemical product storage can be tricky with young ones and pets adventuring around the home. For more information on how to maintain a family’s safety around these products, be sure to check out the infographic accompanying this post. Household Chemical Storage Guide will provide a number of additional strategies.

Author bio: Lynn Place is Vice President of Marketing for SolvChem Custom Packaging Division. She has 30 years of professional experience in the manufacturing industry and specializes in consumer packaged goods, new product development and strategic planning.