If you search online for “how to dispose of household cleaning products”, you are likely to come across numerous answers from different websites. While many of those answers may contain 1 or 2 helpful tips some times, they may not do full justice to the topic as we have done here.
Household cleaning products need to be carefully disposed of. The moment they are no longer needed at home, the best thing to do is to think of a safe way to dispose of.
Disposing Household Chemical Cleaning Products
Speaking of that, there are several ways to properly dispose of. In this article, we look at the best methods to use for that. Read on to learn more about them.
When we have dirt, stains, unpleasant odor, etc, we use cleaning products to get rid of them. But what happens when we want to get rid of some of these products, how do we that?
Before we discuss in detail the best ways to dispose of household cleaning products, let’s answer a few questions you may have along with the topic.
Why Is It Necessary To Dispose Of Household Cleaning Products With Caution?
There are lots of reasons you should be careful about the way you dispose of household cleaning products.
The first is the fact that many of these cleaning products are often made with different chemicals. Some of these chemicals can be very harmful to the environment, pets and people of all ages, especially kids.
If handled carelessly, they may end up getting to the wrong hands, thereby exposing everyone to the health risks associated with them.
Disposing of household cleaning products properly is also very necessary when it comes to avoiding wastages. Especially solid household cleaning products like sticks, cans, spray bottles and so on.
Best Ways To Properly Dispose Of Household Cleaning Products
Here are some of the best ways you can properly dispose of household cleaning products:
- Use Up The Products
It is not always great to throw a household cleaning product like a cleaner into the trash with the content still inside the bottle.
One of the best things you can do is use up the content before disposing of it. If you have places around the house you can clean with it, you go ahead and do it. Once the content is exhausted, you can then continue with the disposal plans.
- Give Them Out
This option comes in as an alternative to the one above. If you cannot use up the products probably because you have already finished all the cleaning you need to do, you can give the remaining household cleaning products to someone.
If you check around you, you are likely going to find a friend, a neighbor, etc, who would greatly appreciate the offer. You can even give it out as a donation to your local religious center or charity organizations that will need it.
- Dilute And Pour Them Down The Drain
This works for most liquid household cleaning products. It also works for the gel and powdered types too. Provided they are water-soluble, you can dispose of down the drain.
There are two main ways you can do this, the first is by mixing the cleaners with much water in a container and pouring them down the drain.
The second method is by pouring the contents down the drain directly with running water. That way, they won’t clog or cause any form of damage to the drain.
It’s important you choose from these two methods if you plan on disposing of the household cleaning products down the drain. Do not just pour them down there without mixing them first with much water or using running water on them.
The reason is that some cleaners, especially those in powder form, can clog the drain and from there, other smaller problems may start arising.
- Dispose Of In The Trash
This method is mainly for solid cleaning products e.g sticks, soap scouring pads, and many others. You can wrap or put them in plastic bags and place them in the trash. Then ensure that the trash can is well covered.
- Recycle The Containers
Lots of household cleaning products usually come in containers that be recycled easily. As soon as you have used up the contents, you can recycle them.
Examples of cleaning product containers that you can easily recycle include Aerosols which are mainly used for glass cleaners, disinfectants, and so on. They mainly serve as spray bottles for such cleaners.
Another easy to recycle container type is paper types. Mainly those used for holding laundry detergents and other household cleaning products in powder form.
If the container that came along with your household cleaning product falls into the category of plastic 1 and 2 (PET & HDPE), you can easily recycle it in your curbside bin without any hassle.
When it comes to recycling such products though, you need to follow the rules of the local recycling service in your area. This is because what is allowed in my location may not be the same for yours. So you need to ensure that you are abiding the recycling rules of your local recycling service.
- Check The Label For The Disposal Advice By The Manufacturers
Who else knows exactly the best way of disposing of a product better than its manufacturers?
When you don’t know the right way to dispose of a household cleaning product you bought, the best thing to do is to check the manufacturer’s instructions on the label. You are likely to find relevant information there that will be of great help to you.
In case you don’t find much information on the product label that addresses the disposal methods to use for it, you can copy the manufacturer’s customer service phone lines from there and call them. I’m sure they will be more than willing to offer you such information at no extra cost.
Once you have the information you are looking for, ensure you follow it exactly as you were told by the manufacturers.
Important Tips For Household Cleaning Products Disposal
The following are helpful tips you should have at the back of your mind when disposing of household cleaning products.
- Some household cleaning product containers are easier to recycle than others. For instance Aerosols, Cardboard boxes and plastic 1 and 2. When purchasing cleaning products to use at home, consider buying those with this easy to recycle containers. It will help save you a lot of time, energy and resources you put when it comes to disposing of.
- Since household cleaning products are often made with chemicals that can irritate the skin, you should consider wearing the right protective gear when disposing of. Hand gloves, facemasks, etc, are some of the protective gear that is always very necessary.
- Ensure that kids and pets are not allowed to go near the household cleaning products at all times. This will help minimize the risk of ingestion and inhalation of the chemicals.
- Always confirm from the household cleaning product manufacturer the right way to dispose of the products especially when it is not clearly stated on the product label.
- Recycling laws differ from place to place. You will be doing yourself a lot of good if you learn about the ones guide your area from your local recycling service. This will help keep you from fines and other legal actions.
- If you are going to dispose of the household cleaning products down the drain, remember to always follow it up by running water down the drain to prevent clogging and other things that may arise from there.
- Before recycling the product containers, ensure that you have used up the contents. If you do not need them anymore, consider giving it out to someone. It’s always best to recycle the cans when they are empty.
- When you cannot reach the manufacturers to get information on how you should dispose of the household cleaning products from them, you can check for such information on credible sources online.
In Summary
We have in this article discussed how to dispose of household cleaning products. Here, we revealed why it is important you dispose of such products safely, the practical ways to dispose of and what to bear in mind when doing that.
Household cleaning products are not just like any other products out there. They must be carefully disposed of. Both the contents and the containers require you to treat them with care.
Are you searching for how to properly dispose of household cleaning products? Check out some of the best and safest methods we have revealed in this guide and choose the one that suits your needs.
Irrespective of the method you choose, it’s important you follow the instructions in this guide exactly the way they are.
I hope you find this piece of information useful.
