I wish I could have recorded my conversation with a woman I spoke with the other day who was educated about products by working in a vet’s office because she was saying what I have been preaching for a while …
READ THE LABEL before you buy a product! Don’t assume that if it is on the grocery shelf that it has automatically been vetted by some governement agency and is safe. A lot of products, especially cleaning products, contain solvents and strong chemicals which make them effective but unsafe…that’s why you wear gloves when using them and have rinsed away all of the solution once it has done its job.
If the label says, “ Warning! Before using product throughout your house, use in one room and wait 24 hours to ensure that no one has any physical reactions to the product.” you may want to rethink using the product in your home.
If the label says, “Caution: Prolonged skin contact may cause skin irritation” or “SKIN: Immediately rinse skin with plenty of water,” you may want to reconsider using this around your pets who tend to roll on surfaces and lick them.
Now when you do knowling use a product that is toxic, keep your pets and children away from the area until you know that they will not be affected. Remember, children (especially toddlers and younger) AND pets will crawl, roll and pick up things (or lick things) which all go into their mouths. Areas to be really careful about are:
1) Floor areas, especially carpet
2) Yard areas, especially your lawn (when you spray or fertilize)
3) Furniture, especially your couches and chairs
Just use commmon sense and remember that our pets and small children go where we often do not!
Simon and Quincy
