Home cleaning supplies can quickly turn into hazardous waste material if they are disposed of improperly by being poured down the drain or thrown into the trash. Improperly disposed of household chemicals can contaminate the soil as well as the water supply and can ruin plumbing and septic systems.
Such products as bleaches, cleansers and detergents, whether stored in bottles, cans, spray cans or dispensers, can corrode pipes, cause illness or poisoning, catch on fire, or react with the air or other substances to cause explosions when not properly discarded.
Throwing discarded cleaning supplies into the garbage, pouring liquids down the kitchen drain or flushing them down the toilet, burning discarded supplies in the backyard, pouring discarded cleaning chemicals into a storm drain or sewer system, or dumping them onto a compost pile or burying discarded cleaners underground are all very unsafe ways to dispose of no longer wanted home cleaning supplies.
The best and safest method of disposing of unwanted, expired or no longer needed home or floor cleaning supplies in either liquid, spray can or powder form is to gather them into a cardboard box, keeping each cleaner in its original container and tightly sealed. Make sure that there are no holes in any of the containers that would cause them to leak or spill out.
Put this box out of the reach of children and pets, away from any source of heat, and contact your local city government office of sanitation to find out if there is a drop-off location that collects unwanted chemical cleaners for proper disposal. In some areas of the country, community colleges advertise quarterly round-ups of household chemical cleaners and are happy to accept your collected discards on an appointed day. In some regions of the country, the local sanitation department will direct consumers to a local landfill that does accept hazardous wastes such as old or used household cleaning supplies.
Knowing the risks of using cleaning supplies that contain chemicals, try to purchase biodegradable or non-toxic supplies after you have discarded old cleaning supplies containing harmful chemicals.
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