As parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers, it’s our job to protect children from accidental poisoning. Poisoning occurs most often when children swallow household products or pesticides right in their own homes. Just because the products are for household use and you can buy them in a store, that does not mean that they can’t harm you or your children.

Household Chemicals That Can Be Poisonous

1. Drain cleaners
2. Oven cleaners
3. Paint thinner
4. Fertilizer
5. Antifreeze
6. Turpentine
7. Lighter fluid
8. Gasoline
9. Pesticides

Household Pesticides That Can Be Toxic

Household pesticides are not just the bug spray and weed killers stored in the garage. There are many other items stored in your home that you probably did not realize are classified as pesticides by EPA:

1. Bath and kitchen disinfectants, sanitizers, and antibacterial soaps
2. Bleach
3. Products used to kill mold and mildew
4. Swimming pool chemicals
5. Roach and ant sprays and baits
6. Mosquito and other insect repellents
7. Mothballs and moth crystals
8. Rat and mouse poisons
9. Weed killers
10. Flea and tick shampoos, powders, and dips

Conduct a household inventory. Revisit where you are storing these items. Can your children reach them? Are the products in original containers with child-proof packaging? Check out these Colonial blogs for details on how to poison-proof your home to protect your children.

• Is Your Home Poison-proof?
• Protect Children From Household Pesticides
• Take These Simple Steps to Prevent Poisoning in Your Home
• Use & Store Pesticides Properly to Protect Children

Photo credit: GHS-pictogram-skull  UNECE web site. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.