Where to store home-cleaning products: a question of convenience and safety

Cleaning the house is essential not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for our health and well-being. And to clean up, we obviously need the right equipment: brooms, a vacuum cleaner, floor brushes, detergents, rags and more.

We all have this equipment at home, but where do we store these items? If the answer is "all over the place", you probably need to sort this out.

Why is it important to keep detergents orderly?

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The first thing to sort out are all the detergent bottles/products. There are those who keep these detergents next to/on the bathroom fixtures, under the kitchen sink, in the garage or in a "nearby" closet. But this is not an optimum strategy.

Leaving bottles lying around is unsightly and inconvenient. It's easy to forget where we've last put a specific detergent when we're looking for it. And we may have left a toxic detergent (like bleach, for example) in a place where little hands could get hold of it. It goes without saying that we should avoid this risk.

So, where to store these items, then?

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Recognizing it's not good to leave detergents just laying around, where's best to store them?

• Dedicated storage area: Choose a dedicated area to store your detergents in. Nominate a wardrobe, a drawer, a closet or an area (like the garage). Try to use an area which will be convenient for you.
  
  
• Ordering: Divide up the detergents according to their use. Make a clear distinction and division between detergents used for the bathroom, those for the kitchen and so on.
  
  
• Dividers: If there isn't much space, you can divide these products up using baskets or other containers. Additionally, you can use free vertical space to hang up products using hooks.
  
  
• The back of doors: If you don't have a lot of space left in a storage cupboard, think about using the backs of doors for extra storage room.

A few more tips...

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Here's a few more tips to consider when doing this "tidying up" chore:

• As you sort out the detergents, make sure to throw away any empty containers (or decant small, leftover amounts into new/smaller containers) to get more space;
  
  
• Keep the detergents you use every day to the front of the storage area for easy access;
  
  
• Do not store detergents in areas that are too humid or where their fumes could contaminate food.

Sorting out your cleaning equipment will not only make your life easier, but will improve the overall safety of your home.