Keeping your home clean is challenging enough. When facing that task, it is easy to forget that you need to keep your cleaning supplies themselves neat and orderly. However, failure in storing your cleaning products properly is not just disorderly, it can also be dangerous.
If you’re looking for a guide that walks you through storing cleaning products in your kitchen, then look no further. This guide will show you some practical tips for effectively storing your cleaning supplies.
You might also like our post on storing cleaning supplies in the garage.
Pay Attention To Labels
One of the ways to figure out where to store your products is based on the storage label. Some cleaning supplies contain chemicals that are reactive to scorching or freezing environments. If you have a cleaning product that contains chemicals that are reactive to heat, then it’s probably best to store the product away from areas that naturally get hotter.
Here are some guidelines for storing your more hazardous cleaning materials:
- Store chemicals in a cool dry place: Some cleaning chemicals can have hazardous reactions when they experience extreme temperatures.
- Know where your cleaning products are at all times: Even if you run out of cabinet space, never leave cleaning chemicals on the floor and risk stepping on them.
- Do not overcrowd shelves: Make sure the containers are evenly spaced out to avoid falling containers.
- Keep supplies in reach: You don’t want to store your cleaning supplies too high to where you can’t reach them. It might be tempting to get on your tippy-toes and try to reach for the cleaning product, but you don’t want to risk the bottle falling over and spilling on you.
Carefully reading labels is just the first step in storing your cleaning products. Read on to learn more ways to complete this chore safely.
Keep Chemicals Away From Children And Pets
Labels are great for preventing misuse of cleaning products. But they can only be so effective. For instance, since pets and young children cannot read, labels become meaningless. This leads to the risk that a child or pet could accidentally ingest something harmful.
It’s common to find cleaning products that look very similar to sugar beverages like Gatorade. A child could be looking for something to drink and accidentally drink a bottle of pine sol.
Cleaning supplies are known to contain ingredients that cause irritation, harm, or even burn the skin and eyes of humans and pets. If we aren’t careful, chemicals in cleaning products can pose a risk to our health as well. It’s best to keep your cleaning supplies out of sight and out of reach from children and pets alike.
Here are some things you can do to protect children and pets from dangerous chemicals:
- Place your cleaning supplies in cabinets the children cannot reach.
- Use a child-safe lock on cabinet doors that has cleaning supplies.
- Never leave your cleaning supplies unattended with kids around.
- When you finish cleaning, make sure to put the cleaning supply back in its designated cabinet or bin.
Use Storage Containers Like A Storage Caddy
Using a storage caddy is an excellent way for you to store your cleaning products and maintain organization. They come in different shapes, but generally, they can hold multiple cleaning supplies at once. They are easy to carry and don’t take up a lot of space.
You can store items like dish soap, Clorox spray, glass cleaner, scrub sponge, comet, and a roll of paper towels. With a caddy, you won’t need to go from cabinet to cabinet looking for a particular cleaning product. Instead, everything will be neat and tidy in one location.
Best Options for Storing Your Cleaning Products
One of the best ways to get organized is by having a designated place for everything you use to clean. For small items like sponges, fiber clothes, towels, soap, sprays, bleach, etc., you can store them in a caddy.
When storing these small items in a caddy or other small containers, it’s helpful to label the containers. This helps prevent confusion about which group of cleaning supplies goes where.
For much larger cleaning items like a vacuum, mop, broom, and large cleaning buckets, it’s best to store them in a closet or laundry room
Besides using a storage caddy, there are many other ways to get organized when storing kitchen products. Read through the following sections to learn more about the many storage methods you can use.
Storage Bins Or Small Buckets
Storage bins are a great way for you to stay organized. But make sure your storage bin has a lid. This will make it much harder for pets and children to gain access.
Like storage bins, buckets you use to hold art supplies, mops, or mechanic tools are useful for storing cleaning supplies.
The great thing about storage bins and buckets is that you most likely already have these things at home. If you have an extra storage bin lying around somewhere, then why not repurpose it to hold your cleaning supplies?
Storage Cart
Storage carts allow you to stay organized while also moving your cleaning supplies where you need them most.
Most storage carts don’t have safety measures to prevent children from getting into your cleaning supplies. However, some high-end storage carts come with cabinets that can be safely locked.
Pantry Rack On The Back Of A Closet Door
When you run out of bins and cabinet space, attaching a pantry rack on the back of a closet or laundry door can help provide that much-needed room for the rest of your cleaning supplies.
A pantry rack on the back of your closet door also prevents children and pets from getting into your cleaning supplies due to how high it is above ground.
Wall Rack
Another great storage option is having a rack hanging from the wall. You can store anything from sponges, detergents, dish soap, etc. Wall racks can be very large which allows you to store brooms, mops, and even some smaller vacuums.
Like a pantry rack, a wall rack prevents children and pets from getting into your cleaning supplies due to how high it is above ground.
Spice Rack
Spice racks that stick to cabinets or walls can also store cleaning supplies. You can store sponges, small brushes, fiber clothes, and other small items inside these spice racks.
If you need some inspiration, this video shows one way to use your spice rack as a storage system. Spice racks are typically smaller than other wall racks, so they won’t hold as many cleaning supplies.
Tension Rod In Cabinet
One of the most efficient ways to store cleaning supplies is by using a tension rod. Placing a tension rod inside a cabinet allows you to make use of your entire cabinet space.
A great use for a tension rod is to hang any of your cleaning products that come in a spray bottle. It is easy to hang these bottles while still having cabinet space below.
If you are concerned about children, you can always hang the rod in a place that is out of their reach. Again, safety for you and those around you is the most important part of storing your cleaning supplies.
Conclusion
There are various ways to store your cleaning supplies. Regardless of the method you choose, safety is always your priority. Besides the safety precautions mentioned above, in general, how you store these cleaning supplies comes down to personal preference. Now that you know how to store your cleaning supplies, all that is left to do is get to work.
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