How To Store Hazardous Products

The following is the third part in an Earth 911 week-long series on household hazardous waste.

Part 1 - What Makes Things Hazardous?
Part 2 - How to Monitor Hazardous Products
Part 3 - How to Store Hazardous Products
Part 4 - How to Properly Dispose of HHW

How to store HHW:

Given all the possible harm HHW can cause, it is important to make sure your hazardous products are safely stored. If improperly stored, these chemicals could cause a fire if left too close to a pilot light or seriously injure your curious puppy who couldn’t keep his mouth off of that bright, colored bottle.

Here are some tips for properly storing HHW:

• First and foremost, follow any storage directions given on the label. For example, if a product is volatile, the label will tell you to keep the product in a well-ventilated area. Also, pay attention to storage temperatures that may be indicated on labels. Flammable products’ containers will bulge if left in too high of temperatures, and liquid materials will expand if they freeze, which can cause the containers to burst.

• Like most labels will tell you, keep HHW out of the reach of children and animals! That warning is there for a reason, don’t ignore it! Keep your local poison control phone number handy, though, just in case any accidents happen. It is a good idea to keep the number by the phone or on the refrigerator, so that anyone in the family can easily find it, if need be.

• Make sure the containers are childproof and all lids and caps are tightly secured.

• Do not transfer the contents of an HHW out of its original container with its original labels. If you absolutely must put it into a new container because the old one was corroding, for example, do not store it in any food or beverage containers, and make sure the new container is clearly labeled.

• Do not store any products where you store your food, as leaks or vapors can contaminate the food.

• Store incompatible products separately; for example, keep corrosive products away from flammable ones.

• Do not store products, especially flammable products or aerosol cans, near any sources of heat, spark, flame or ignition. Similarly, take special care when storing rags that you’ve used with flammable products, such as paint stripper or wood stain, because they can spontaneously burst into flames. To handle these rags, first see if the product has any instructions for disposal or storage on its label. If you don’t see any instructions, store the rags in an airtight, sealed metal container away from anything else. You can also try to volatilize the solvent by hanging the rags outside, away from your home and any sources of sparks. Steinwachs recommends contacting your local fire marshal if you have any questions about how to store these rags.

• Keep containers dry to prevent corrosion. If you do notice that a product’s container has begun to corrode, place the product in a large plastic container with a lid and pack a non-flammable absorbent around it. Make sure the plastic container is clearly labeled with its contents and any warnings regarding the contents.

• Know the whereabouts of any flammable contents in your home, and know how to extinguish them if need be.

• Do not try to save space by combining different products in one container. It is NEVER a good idea to mix chemicals, especially ones with which you are unfamiliar. Do not pour the contents of one product into an empty container of another product, either. Even if a container is empty, there can still be residue from the original product in the bottle; mixing even small amounts of chemicals can have disastrous results.