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Toilet Bowl Cleaners

Shopping and Usage Tips

Avoid unsubstantiated and vague claims, such as "ecologically friendly" or "non-toxic." The term "biodegradable" is meaningless on cleaning products, as most substances will eventually break down given enough time and the right environmental conditions.

Choose products whose claims are more specific, such as "No ammonia," "TEA-Free" and "No sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate," and specific explanations, such as "biodegrades 90 percent in 7 days."

Although most cleaners don't list ingredients, you can learn something about a product's hazards by reading its label. Defined by the CPSC, the warning labels "Danger," and "Poison" indicate that a product is corrosive, flammable or combustible, irritating or a strong sensitizer, and that they have the potential to cause serious personal injury or illness during, or as a result of, normal use.

Products labeled "Danger" or "Poison" are typically most hazardous, while those bearing a "Warning" or "Caution" label are moderately hazardous.

Beside the signal word is usually a phrase that describes the nature of the hazard, such as "may cause skin irritation," "flammable," "vapors harmful" or "may cause burns on contact."

If you can find them, choose products that contain least-toxic ingredients and require none of the signal words above on their label.

To reduce packaging waste, choose cleaners in the largest container sizes available and seek out bulk sizes. Even better, choose concentrated formulas, which require less packaging and shipping fuel.

Usage Tips

Eco-friendly or not, all cleaners should be used with basic common-sense measures:

Keep the room well ventilated.

Keep all cleaners out of reach of children and pets, and store them in childproof cabinets.

Read and closely follow all directions on the product label.

Leave all products in the original packaging, which should provide instructions for use and any cautionary and first-aid information.

If ever a mess requires heavy-duty, potentially hazardous cleaners, certain safety precautions should be followed, particularly when children or pregnant women are present:

Minimize harsh fumes by placing a fan in the doorway facing out of the room during cleaning.

Immediately clean any spills.