As the weather begins to warm up and the last of winter’s chill fades away, it’s natural to start thinking about spring cleaning. After all, clearing out old junk leaves room for the new beginnings symbolized by the season. If you have children, your household mess is likely to require more attention in terms of cleaning, and the kids themselves will need to be kept safe from all those household chemicals. These tips can help you keep your brood safe and entertained while you’re cleaning the house for spring.

Realize That Your Cleaning Solutions are Probably Poison

There’s nothing wrong with scrubbing your counters until they gleam, but the chemicals that you use have the potential to be very dangerous to little ones. Even products that are advertised as “all natural” or “environmentally friendly” are likely to cause very serious issues if they’re ingested, so make sure that you keep all of your cleaning fluids well out of your kids’ reach. Remember that cleaners can also wreak havoc with sensitive skin, cause very serious damage to eyes and other body parts or be lethal if inhaled.

Never Mix Cleaning Chemicals

Chemical reactions between the contents of two separate cleaning products can create very dangerous fumes, so be sure that you never combine different cleaners to complete spring cleaning. Not only do you run the risk of causing your child to be ill, you could also end up making yourself faint. An unattended, frightened child that just witnessed such an episode is certainly not a safe one, so eliminate the chances of such a panic by practicing common sense when you’re using cleaning products.

Make Sure Mop Buckets Are Carefully Guarded

A toddler can very easily drown in even a small bucket of water or fluids, so be sure that you never turn your back on a mop bucket. The slippery surface of a newly-mopped floor can cause your toddler to lose his balance as he peers into the bucket with his inexhaustible toddler curiosity, potentially leading to tragedy.

Dispose of Medications Properly

A deep cleaning of the bathroom generally includes a purge of the medicine cabinets, but those brightly-colored pills can easily be mistaken for candy by a little one with a sweet tooth. Tossing medications into the garbage leaves them easily accessible to questing little hands, and childproof caps aren’t always reliable. Rather than chucking old medicine bottles into the trash can, check with your local pharmacy for responsible and safe disposal methods.

Never Turn Your Back On a Ladder

Cleaning the dust and cobwebs that have accumulated since your last spring cleaning off of high surfaces will often require a ladder, especially if you have vaulted ceilings or towering shelves. Kids love to climb things, and may imitate you by scaling a ladder you’ve left unattended, which could easily lead to a very messy fall. If at all possible, opt for cleaning tools that have telescoping handles to ensure that you never even have to pull that old ladder out of the garage. If you simply must use a ladder to reach the surfaces that need cleaning, make sure that you fold it up and tuck it away as soon as you’re finished. Even a quick trip to the restroom or into another room to grab cleaning supplies you’ve forgotten can give adventurous kids enough time to make their way up a ladder.

Don’t Neglect Your Detectors

It’s recommended that you change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year, a chore that most remember by coordinating those changes with clock adjustments for Daylight Savings Time. Those detectors are your family’s first line of defense when it comes to avoiding smoke inhalation, fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Remember that what you do during your spring cleaning is just as important as what you don’t do when it comes to such tasks. After all, keeping your kids safe requires that you’re able to arm yourself against such tragedies.

If your children are old enough to pitch in with spring cleaning tasks, be sure that the duties you assign to them are age-appropriate. Trying to complete a task that’s beyond his ability or developmental level can also put your child in danger, so think carefully as you create and dole out cleaning lists.

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