Household poisons

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All of the items listed below can harm your child. This checklist shows you how you can keep your child safe from these.

• In the kitchen
• In the laundry or shed
• The medicine cabinet
• In the bathroom
• In the bedroom and family area

In the kitchen

• Keep all household cleaners out of reach and out of sight all the time.
• Put a childproof lock on your storage cabinet.
• Keep cleaners in original containers, rather than pouring them into used lemonade, juice or beer bottles – otherwise children might think they're something nice to drink.
• Throw out cleaning products when you don’t need them any more.
• Try safer cleaners: a mixture of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda can clean many surfaces.
• Keep dishwashing powder and liquid sealed in childproof containers, as these can cause serious mouth burns.
• Add dishwasher liquids and powders after you’ve stacked the dishes. Close the door immediately. When emptying the machine, wipe away any remaining powder or liquid.
• Items which can poison include:
  • oven cleaner
  • detergents for the dishwasher and the sink
  • spray cleaners, such as window and bench sprays
  • cream cleaners
  • liquid cleaners, such as floor cleaners
  • ammonia
  • rat and insect poisons
  • alcohol
  • floor polish
  • kerosene
  • baby-bottle cleaners
  • disinfectants
  • rat and insect poisons
  • matches.

In the laundry or shed

• Keep paints and solvents (such as nail-polish remover or white spirits) out of reach and out of sight all the time.
• Lock your shed, garage and any storage boxes.
• Keep liquids in original containers, rather than pouring them into used lemonade, juice or beer bottles.
• Items which can poison include: 
  • washing detergents
  • shoe polish
  • paint
  • paint thinner
  • turpentine
  • acids
  • kerosene
  • epoxies and resins (adhesives, coatings, varnishes, solder mix)
  • glues
  • bleach
  • Napisan
  • stain removers and ironing aids
  • dyes
  • petrol, turpentine, kerosene
  • pesticides and snail killer
  • herbicides
  • fertilisers
  • drain cleaner
  • cement and lime
  • mag wheel cleaners and other car products.

The medicine cabinet

• Keep all medicines out of reach and out of sight all the time.
• Put a childproof lock on your medicine cabinet.
• Don’t tell children that pills are 'special lollies' – they might be tempted to try them.
• Keep measuring cups and droppers for use with medicine only – using them as toys is dangerous because only a tiny amount of medicine can be harmful.
• Measure your child’s medicine – read the label and use the recommended amount at the recommended times – as a tiny overdose can really hurt your child.
• While dosing one child, watch for siblings who might try to sample the medicine too.
• Put the medicine away as soon as you have finished with it.
• Read more about medicines that can poison.

In the bathroom

• Put the following items out of reach or in a bathroom cabinet that you can lock, as these can all be harmful to your child:
  
  • spray cleaners
  • toilet cleaners – fluid and ‘cake’
  • shampoos and soaps, especially those with food smells
  • moisturisers and gels
  • shaving foams
  • toners and astringents
  • perfumes and aftershaves
  • lipsticks and other make-up, including nail-polish remover
  • mouthwashes, which can have a high percentage of alcohol.

In the bedroom and family area

• Children might try to eat cigarette butts – check that your cigarette is completely out and then throw it in the bin, rather than on the ground or in an ashtray.
• Keep perfumes and beauty products out of reach.
• When family and friends visit, ask them to put handbags up out of reach.
• Old houses and furniture may have been painted with lead-based paint, which is poisonous. You can buy a lead-test kit at hardware stores to check whether there is lead-based paint in your house.
• Items which can poison include:
  
  • paints
  • glues
  • pencils and crayons
  • pet food
  • kitty litter
  • cigarettes
  • bubble-blowing solution
  • tape-head cleaner and CD and DVD cleaner
  • air freshener
  • mothballs
  • pot pourri
  • incense
  • essential oils.

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