Over the past four years, we’ve heard how cleaning and disinfecting is a good precaution to lower the risk of spreading viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. But if not used properly, chemicals found in cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products can harm our health.
Children are particularly vulnerable because they’re more sensitive to harmful chemicals. Their brains are still developing and their bodies are still growing. They also tend to put their hands in their mouths, play on the ground, drink more water, and breathe more air for their size. These activities could potentially expose them to harmful chemicals which could disrupt development, learning and behavior. It could also contribute to diseases later in life.
To help keep children safe from chemicals while cleaning and disinfecting, follow these quick steps:
- Choose safe cleaning and disinfecting products while shopping. Use this shopping card to help you choose.
- Always follow instructions on cleaning product labels and use cleaning and infecting best practices.
- If you are making a bleach solution at home, follow these safety tips, which include a recipe for making bleach solution.
Resources to share with parents, care givers and childcare providers
- Our printable resources are free and available in 12 different languages.
- Safe Cleaning and Disinfecting toolkit helps you share information online! Images, captions, videos, and hashtags are ready for you to use!
- Bleach Disinfecting Spray fact sheet includes a safe homemade bleach recipe.
- OHA’s childcare provider checklist helps caregivers recognize environmental hazards so that children are not exposed to harmful chemicals during their care. This list can be used for family homes, too!