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Tips for Your Agency > Restroom
Cleaning Products
Cleaning and maintenance activities may expose employees to products
containing ingredients that are toxic, flammable, or harmful to
health and the environment. Follow these tips to reduce waste and
use these products more safely:
- Prevent waste by buying products in bulk, and choose
concentrates where possible. Alternative delivery systems may
eliminate the need for handling and discarding individual bottles,
jugs, or drums of a product used in large quantities.
- Identify product hazards and choose the least toxic product
to do the job. Read the labels and look for the signal words
— CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER, POISON.
Carefully read and follow the instructions on how to use any product.
More is not better — you won’t get twice the results
by using twice as much.
- Use and discard properly. Improper use or long-term
exposure to some of these products can cause skin irritation,
respiratory problems, or allergic reactions. There may be wider
environmental impacts if these products are discarded down the
drain or released improperly into the air.
- Educate employees about possible hazards. Under New
York State Labor Law, manufacturers are required to submit a Material
Safety Data Sheet for any product containing a toxic substance.
Make sure your employees are familiar with the properties of the
products they use.
- Purchase environmentally friendly alternative products
such as citrus-based cleaners, but also read the labels on these
products for usage cautions.
- Use pump sprays instead of aerosol cans, or use liquid or
paste forms of cleaning and maintenance products. Pressurized
aerosol products emit unnecessary volatile organic chemicals and
produce a fine mist that can be easily inhaled and absorbed into
the lungs and bloodstream. Many of the propellants used with aerosol
products, such as butane or propane, are flammable and can cause
an explosion if the container is punctured or stored at temperatures
above 110°F.
Visit reducing toxics to learn about
the toxic substances you might be using, their potential
health effects, and possible alternatives. Or click on the specific
item below:
 aerosol
cans
air
freshener/deodorizer
glass
and window cleaner
disinfectant
graffiti
remover
kitchen
degreasers
metal
polish/cleaner
toilet
bowl/urinal cleaner
floor
cleaner/stripper
floor
wax/polish
solvents
ALSO SEE resources for
additional information on buying alternative or “green” cleaning products.
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