Cleaning your house should be done on a regular basis. Every home should be cleaned quite thoroughly at least once a month and should be maintained with basic cleaning every week, if not more frequently than that. There are numerous things any Toronto area homeowners can do to help keep their home clean, including dusting, vacuuming, sweeping the floors, mopping, and wiping down counters and cabinets.
From time to time you may rely on harsh chemicals to clean, especially in the bathroom around toilets, in the tub, and even in the kitchen. Those chemicals will often have some residue left behind that can pose a certain health risk to you and the rest of your family. Follow these four tips to help keep your family safe when using chemicals to clean.
1. Understand the chemical you’re using.
Just because it’s a famous brand doesn’t mean it’s something you should be using. You should know exactly what type of chemicals are in it and the risk factors associated with them. If you’re not comfortable with any potential side effects or hazards, don’t use it. There is usually a decent, healthier, and more environmentally safe product on the market.
2. Clean in small areas at a time.
It may be tempting to spray a chemical solution in the tub, on the floor, around the toilet, and then go out to the kitchen to spray some in the sink, and even though you might not have pets or anyone who’s home at the moment, it’s a good habit to only clean a small area at any given time. If you’re cleaning the tub, spray the solution in the tub, wait the designated time, then scrub it down and rinse it up thoroughly before moving onto the next project.
3. Avoid spills.
Make sure the chemical is only contained to the specific area you’re cleaning. For example, if you spray a particular cleaning solution in and around the kitchen sink, and if some of that gets onto the counter and you don’t wipe it up, that chemical is sitting out there potentially exposing food to it.
4. Make sure you clean everything up.
When you’re cleaning, make sure you scrub every area and thoroughly rinse off cabinets, counters, the toilet, the tub, floors, and everything else to get up every bit of chemical to keep your pets and family members safe.
