Protect Yourself While Cleaning

Although cleaning isn’t a particularly dangerous activity, it is possible to compromise your health or even become seriously injured without taking proper safety precautions. After all, you’re working around grimy and germy spaces, as well as working with harsh chemicals – not all of which can be used in conjunction safely. Typically, common sense will be enough to make sure nothing seriously dangerous occurs during cleaning, but sometimes – especially with chemicals – it can be easy to not realize when a mistake is made. Safety should always top your list of priorities, so here are a few helpful pieces of information so you can be sure to protect yourself while cleaning.

Protect yourself from getting hurt

Getting injured is the last thing anyone wants, so that’s why it should be the first thing you’re careful to avoid entirely. The most common way to get injured while cleaning is by mixing chemicals that don’t play nicely with one another. Bleach doesn’t mix well with more than one chemical, so always use bleach with care. Here is a short list of combinations to never use:

• Bleach and vinegar produces chlorine gas
• Bleach and ammonia produces chloramine vapors
• Bleach and rubbing alcohol produces chloroform
• Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar produces peracetic acid, but only if combined in a container – you can use them separately on a single surface

If you’re ever unsure about using multiple cleaners, it’s always safer to do a quick internet search before you start.

Sometimes, it’s not even mixing chemicals that carries the risk – it’s one chemical in its entirety that may have toxicity concerns. Familiarize yourself with these chemicals, and while that doesn’t necessarily make them bad to use, it may mean you might require special protection, or professionals like No More Dirt to use them effectively so they sanitize your space completely without putting you at risk. For example, bleach can irritate the respiratory tract – but that doesn’t make it unsafe to use in your home, it just means it should be used with care in a well-ventilated area. In fact, the reason it irritates the human body is because it’s so effective at killing microbes, which is also the reason we use it for very thorough cleaning.

Protect yourself from getting sick

When you clean your home or business, you’re intentionally exposing yourself to germs and bacteria specifically so you can get rid of them. In a way, it’s a calculated risk – disinfect while using proper cleaning materials to reduce the chance of becoming sick later. That said, there are easy ways to keep yourself protected while cleaning that will ensure you don’t get sick – not now, and not later.

Wear gloves while cleaning germy surfaces. Specifically, surfaces that are touched a lot are much more likely to have germs on them. Keep your gloved hands away from your face, and wash your hands immediately upon removing the gloves. In general, hand washing is your number one preventive measure.

Disinfect commonly touched areas before touching them, preferably after washing your hands to keep them as clean as possible. Door knobs, telephones, handles, keyboards – these are all things that should be disinfected regularly.

Wear a mask while cleaning anything that may have airborne germs and bacteria. If you’re moving dusty furniture, wearing a mask for just the few minutes can be an important preventative step to make sure you don’t inhale anything that might make you sick.