Storing household chemicals safely and understanding warning symbols

In short: Cleaning products, descalers, lamp oil or drain cleaners can cause poisoning, chemical burns or fires if they are stored incorrectly. Knowing the warning symbols and storing products properly greatly reduces the risk.

In more detail: In the EU, hazardous products carry standard hazard pictograms: black symbols on a white background inside a red-bordered diamond. In addition, the label has a signal word and short hazard and safety statements.

In detail

• Signal words: The word Danger stands for more serious hazards, the word Warning for less serious ones; both mean the label should be read before use.
• Key pictograms: A corroded hand and surface means corrosive, a flame means flammable, an exclamation mark means irritant or harmful, a dead tree with a fish means hazardous to the environment, and a skull and crossbones means toxic.
• Original packaging: Always keep chemicals in their original container and never decant them into drinks bottles or food jars, because this easily leads to mix-ups.
• Out of children’s reach: Store products high up or in a lockable cupboard, not under the sink at child height; child-resistant caps only slow down opening, they do not reliably prevent it.
• Away from food: Do not keep cleaners and food on the same shelf, and keep pets away as well.
• Never mix: Never pour different cleaning products together; in particular, chlorine-based products and acids such as descalers can form toxic chlorine gas together.
• Colourful capsules and tablets: Liquid detergent capsules and dishwasher tablets often look like sweets to small children, so they need to be locked away especially securely.
• Disposing of leftovers: Larger leftovers of hazardous products do not belong down the drain but at the local hazardous waste collection point; if poisoning is suspected, the poison control centre can advise, and in an emergency call 112 (vergiftungen-im-haushalt-erste-schritte, putzplan-und-reinigungsmittel).