When working with cleaning products, watch out for these reactions:
- Skin rashes or burns.
- Red, itchy eyes
- Breathing trouble (wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath)
- Headaches or dizziness.
If you notice any of these problems, STOP using the product at once, wash up, and get fresh air!
In this post on caregiver safety, we present-
- Tools as well as tips that can help both caregiver and client stay safe.
- A talk it over section with a suggestion of what you could say, for more effective communication.
- Tips on where to find help.
Tools
Use these things to make this work safer:
- Less harmful chemicals when possible. (You can make your own cleaners—see “Simple recipes for safer cleaners” below.)
- Cleaning gloves to protect your skin. Spray cleaning chemical onto sponge, not onto air.
Simple recipes for safer cleaners
These cleaners work well and are simple to make from items found at the grocery store. Important: If you store them, label them!
- General cleaners
Mix 7 drops of dish soap in a standard size
(24 ounce) spray bottle and fill with water. Cleans counters, floors, and walls.
Mix baking soda with warm water. Cleans tubs, tiles, showers, and toilet bowls.
- Drain cleaner
Pour a half cup of baking soda down the drain, then a half cup white vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes, and pour a pot of boiling water down the drain.
- Furniture cleaner and polish
Mix 1 part lemon juice with 2 parts olive or mineral oil. Use with a spray bottle and sponge or cloth.
- Oven cleaner
(Do not use on self-cleaning ovens.)
Mix 1 cup baking soda with water to make a paste. Apply to oven surfaces and let stand. Scrub with a scouring pad.
Tips
- Keep products in their original labeled containers. If you make your own solution, write the contents on the bottle.
- Read labels and follow directions.
- Keep containers closed when not in use
- Open windows and/or use a fan to get fresh air.
- Spray product on sponge rather than around the area to be cleaned.
- Don’t mix different cleaning products. NEVER MIX bleach and ammonia! The fumes can be deadly!
Talk it over
You could say this: “This cleaning product can affect our breathing and irritate our eyes, but I can make another cleaner that is safer and works just as well.”
Please check out How Caregiver and Client Should Talk to Each Other About Safety for related tips for effectively communicating your concerns to each other.
Find help
- Grocery, drug, and hardware stores may carry cleaning gloves and safer cleaning products.
- For a poison emergency, call the Poison Control Center 1–800–222–1222.
- To make good use of the above tips, we encourage you to keep track of good ideas to make your work safer and fill out your own to do list like the one below.
To do list
Supplies needed:
- Cleaning gloves
- Less harmful cleaning products
- Other: __________________________________________
Safety tips you will follow/New ways to do the tasks:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Issues you need to discuss:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
People or organizations to contact for help, tools, or information:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Building on the above to do list, you can combine them with other to do lists from the other tips in this series to create your own combined action plan for safety and keep it on hand to remind you both about staying safe.
Reference: “Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others” by Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
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