Keep Your Family and Home 'Clean & Safe' During National Poison Prevention Week

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Keep Your Family and Home 'Clean & Safe'

- Publication Offers Strategies for Safe, Effective Use of Cleaning Products
- Learn How to Be a Savvy Label Reader, Stock and Store Products Safely, Choose the Right Product

** National Poison Prevention Week is March 20-26, 2005 **

WASHINGTON, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A clean home can be a safe home -- if cleaning and hygiene products are used, handled and stored properly, according to a free publication from The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA).SDA -- the U.S. Home of the Cleaning Products Industry(SM) -- has updated its free, online publication, Clean and Safe in the 21st Century, a guide to the safe and effective use of cleaning products. Clean and Safe is available on SDA's website at http://www.cleaning101.com/health.

"Cleaning products are used safely by millions of consumers every single day. But it is important to understand the proper use of products -- and to always use them with safety in mind," said Nancy Bock, SDA Vice President of Education.

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With a year-round focus on responsible product usage, the Association reminds consumers about SDA's Do's and Don'ts of Poison Prevention:

* DO schedule routine cleaning around the kids' routines, such as nap
time or when they're not around.

* DON'T be distracted when you are cleaning. Children act fast and can
get hold of a product in a surprisingly short time -- be it through
accidental ingestion or bodily exposure (eye, skin, e.g.).

* DON'T ever leave cleaning buckets containing liquid unattended.
Besides the obvious dangers of spilling, slipping, and sipping,
there's the fact that toddlers are "top heavy." If they topple into a
bucket, they could drown, even in a very small amount of liquid.

* DON'T ever leave children unattended around cleaning products. If you
need to answer the doorbell or the phone, take the child with you.

* DO call 1-800-222-1222 for poison-related emergencies. It's the Poison
Control Center's nationwide toll-free hotline, open 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.

Tips for Smart Storage:

* Close cleaning product caps securely. Products with more potential
hazard, such as some oven or drain cleaners, come with child-resistant
packaging. But they don't come with someone to close the cap
properly. It's up to adults to provide a safe environment!

* Lock products up. Store them in a location that's away from children,
pets, or food. Install child-resistant locks on cabinets and doors.

* Keep cleaning products in their original containers. If a child
accidentally ingests or spills something on himself, the label
provides information concerning the product's contents and advice on
what immediate first-aid to perform.

* Carefully dispose of empty cleaning containers. To protect children,
pets, and garbage handlers, replace caps first, then discard in a
sealed recycling bin or garbage container.
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"Safe cleaning practices should be employed by everyone; however, it is of particular concern to parents, childcare providers, or anyone with adventurous children around," added SDA's Bock.

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Other Important Information for Parents & Child Care Providers:

* Knowledge. Keep a current listing of all the products you use for
immediate access, if needed.

* Safety First. Keep cleaning products in a secure location, out of the
reach of children.

* Read the label. Always follow the directions listed on each product.

* Fight Germs. Clean dry surfaces at least daily. Clean moist surfaces
(bathroom fixtures and countertops, door knobs, changing tables, etc.)
daily. Use products that are labeled as disinfectants as part of a
regular cleaning program.

* Food Sense. Always clean and disinfect food preparation or serving
surfaces before preparing or serving food.

* Quick Clean. Disposable wipes and paper towels make cleaning up
messes a snap. If you use sponges, make sure to launder them often,
as they can pick up germs from surfaces you've just cleaned.

* Close Watch. Keep children away from unattended water, such as
cleaning buckets, toilet bowls, bathtubs, pet water dishes and water
for soaking clothes.
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SDA is a longtime member of the Poison Prevention Week Council. To learn more about Poison Prevention Week, go to http://www.poisonprevention.org/.

The Soap and Detergent Association (http://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.

Source: The Soap and Detergent Association