Cleaning supplies are found in every household throughout the country. But how much do you know about the harms these chemicals can cause? Well, the first thing you need to know is that nearly all chemicals can be harmful in one way or another. Some pose a lot more risk to us than others, for example, blech is at the top of the spectrum and air fresheners are somewhere down at the bottom. 

 

In this blog post, we will be covering some of the most common risks involved with using the standard household chemicals. To understand how these risks apply to the chemicals located in your cupboards we recommend that you check the back of the bottom and look out for the following symbols. 

 

Explosive – Causing Metal & Plastic Damage 

 

Similar to a can of deodorant, air fresheners offer the risk of explosion. Whilst this may be very unlikely if the can or bottle of air fresher were to be left in direct sunlight for a long period on a warm summers day there is always the risk of exploding. When this happens you would expect to have the bottle explode into hundreds of small pieces which post a great risk to those in the near vicinity at the time. An example of cleaning products that may have the risk of exploding is an aerosol container and canned shoe care products. 

 

Corrosive – Causing Irroation To Skin

 

Corrosion remains one of the most unknown risks. Usually, this means that when you come in contact with the chemical with your bare hands you would expect to feel a sharp burning sensation which leads to a rash. Everyday we use a range of corrosive chemicals without even knowing about it. Corrosive chemicals can also cause a lot of harm to our throat or stomach if consumed, leading to you becoming ill. Two examples of cleaning products that are likely to be corrosive are toilet cleaner and oven cleaner. 

 

Flammable – The Risk of Catching Fire

 

Many of the chemicals that we use are highly flammable. This is something that everyone should be mindful of before applying them to their home. It may just be the case that the fumes produced by the cleaning product are highly fallible, therefore, posing a huge risk to those who make have an open fire within the house. An example of cleaning chemicals that can be flammable are cans of aerosols. Often these are the ones that are extremely flammable and pose the most risk to your home. 

 

Poison – Extreme Harm If Consumed 

 

When you think of poison you think of death or serious illness. Well, you are not wrong at all. The fact is that some of the cleaning chemicals that we use are poisonous and can causes serious harm to people if they are consumed. Usually, the poisonous chemicals are the stronger ones that we use in the bacteria-filled places in our homes. An example of a poisonous household chemical could be furniture polish. 

 

Bio-Degradable Chemicals Are The Future of Cleaning Products 

 

After spending about an hour searching the web I struggled to find any recent statistics regarding the risk involved with chemicals here in the UK. Whilst the companies who develop these products are aware of the environments where they will be used and the people they are likely to come in contact with its seems that nearly no products are completely safe. 

 

It’s for this reason that we have seen the greatest shift in cleaning products that we have ever seen in history. The one towards environmentally friendly cleaning with biodegradable chemicals. Designed to be better for the environment and safer for the home, its no surprise that so many households are deciding to make the switch.