Safe Home, Clean Earth

News Releases and Articles
on Household Hazardous Products

Newspaper and Radio News Releases:

For Session # 1:


An Introduction to Household Hazardous Products

"Safe Home, Clean Earth," an educational program, will be held on (date/time/location), by (organization). Come learn to identify household hazardous products and where they are located in your home. Also gain an understanding of how these products may affect your family's health, the environment, and your pocketbook. Call (organization) at (phone number) to register for this free program.

For Session # 2:


Selecting Household Hazardous Products

"Safe Home, Clean Earth," an educational program, will be held on (date/time/location), by (organization). Learn what household hazardous products are and how to purchase the safest products for your home and the environment. Learn the important tool of reading labels to protect your family's health, the environment, and your pocketbook. Call (organization) at (phone number) to register for this free program.

For Session # 3:


Buying, Using, Storing, and Disposing of Household Hazardous Products

"Safe Home, Clean Earth," an educational program, will be held on (date/time/location), by (organization). Learn what household hazardous products are and how to properly buy, use, store, and dispose of these products to protect your family's health, the environment, and your pocketbook. Call (organization) at (phone number) to register for this free program.

For a presentation using all three sessions:


Educational Program On Household Hazardous Products

Come learn how to better protect your family's health and the environment, while saving money doing it. "Safe Home, Clean Earth", an educational program, will be held on (date/time/location), by (organization). The program focuses on ways to properly manage household hazardous products such as some household cleaners, automotive products, pesticides, and paints. Learn how to properly purchase, use, store, and dispose of these products in a way that benefits the environment as well as your family's health and pocketbook. Call (organization) at (phone number) to register for this free program.

Short Articles on Household Hazardous Products:

Household Hazardous Products and Your Money

The next time you paint a room or clean the kitchen you could save money. Money is often wasted by improperly buying, using, storing, and disposing of household hazardous products, like paint, some household cleaners, automotive products, and pesticides. If you want to save money, here are a few things to remember...
  • Buy only the amount of product you need for a job. That way you won't have leftovers that may go to waste.
  • Store latex paints, latex driveway sealer, liquid pesticides, or any water-based product where they won't freeze. If they freeze, they can become unusable.
  • Buy one general-purpose cleaner rather than several specific cleaners.
  • Store paints upside down so the lid is sealed and won't dry out.
  • Use up existing products before you buy new ones.
  • Borrow leftover products from a neighbor or friend.
  • Use only the recommended amount for a project. More is not always better.
  • Dispose of household hazardous products properly. Improper disposal can cause expensive cleanups for communities.
  • Use up as many products as you can instead of taking them to a household hazardous waste collection site. Collection sites are great for products you can't use up, but expensive for those that could easily be used up at home. Check with your local county solid waste officer if you have questions about the proper use and disposal of banned or restricted products.
For more information on household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

Household Hazardous Products and Personal Safety

Poisonings, chemical burns, headaches from product fumes. These are just some of the human health problems caused by improper use, storage, or disposal of household hazardous products. Many household products, such as paints, cleaners, pesticides, and automotive products, are used everyday to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Taking some simple safety precautions can help make their use safer for you and your family....
  • Buy the least hazardous product to do a job.
  • Use smaller amounts of the same product.
  • Read and follow safety precautions on all labels.
  • Use products in well-ventilated areas. Keep lids on as much as possible.
  • Use protective goggles, gloves, etc. if recommended on the label.
  • Store chemicals out of reach of children and pets.
  • Store products in their original container with labels intact.
  • Keep all products away from sources of heat or flame.
  • Never mix products together.
  • Use hot water and "elbow grease" instead of a chemical product, whenever possible.
For more information on household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

Household Hazardous Products and the Environment

Clean water and air. It's something we all want. It's something we can all work toward. How you manage the household hazardous products in your home can affect the quality of the environment. Household hazardous products, such as paints, motor oil, pesticides, and some cleaners, if not properly used, stored, and disposed of, can pollute our water and air. The environment we pollute today may harm us tomorrow. Here are some simple steps to take to protect the earth...
  • Ask yourself if you really need a product before you buy it.
  • Use the least hazardous product to do the job.
  • Use only the recommended amount of a product for a job. More is not always better.
  • Use "elbow grease" whenever possible. Not every job requires a chemical.
  • Use all of the product up according to the label directions, whenever possible.
  • Share usable leftover products with others (neighbors, local businesses, etc.)
  • Recycle hazardous products whenever possible (e.g., motor oil, antifreeze) at appropriate recycling centers .
  • Take unusable household hazardous products to a collection site for disposal.
For more information on household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

Storing and Using Household Hazardous Products

We use household hazardous products every day in cleaning and repairing our homes, working on our cars, and tending our lawns. Most of these products are helpful to us, but if they are not used and stored properly, they can cause a real hazard to our health and the environment. It can also affect our pocketbooks. Here are some simple steps you can take to properly use and store household hazardous products, such as paints, cleaners, automotive products, and pesticides.
  • Use products out of reach of children and pets.
  • Read and follow safety precautions on all labels.
  • Use products in well-ventilated areas. Keep lids on as much as possible.
  • Use only the recommended amount of product for the job.
  • Store products out of reach of children and pets. Store products on a high shelf or in a locked cabinet.
  • Store products in their original containers with labels intact.
  • Never mix products together.
  • Keep all products away from sources of heat or flame.
  • Store products in a dry place (moisture makes containers rust and leak).
  • Store products that warn of fumes in well-ventilated areas.
For more information on household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Leftover Pesticides

Unless your leftover pesticides are restricted, damaged or unlabeled, the best way to dispose of them is to use them up! Follow label instructions and do not over-apply pesticides.

Some pesticides have become restricted since originally sold. To find out if a pesticide is restricted, contact your county solid waste officer or the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. If you have restricted pesticides or pesticide containers that are damaged or unlabeled, bring them to your community household hazardous waste collection site. There is no other disposal option at this time. Keep the pesticide in its original container and seal it in a metal or plastic container. Label the container and store in a dry area away from children and pets until you can take it to a collection site.

For more information on disposal of these or any other household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Leftover or Dirty Paint Thinner

The best way to get rid of paint thinner and solvents is to use them up. If the thinner is contaminated with paint, store it in a sealed and labeled container for about a month until the paint settles to the bottom. In a well-ventilated area, pour the clean thinner off the top and reuse it. Let the paint in the bottom of the container dry and place it in the trash. Be sure to keep children and pets away from this area. To avoid having leftover solvents, buy only the amount needed and use up old solvents before buying more.

For more information on disposal of these or any other household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Leftover Gasoline

The best way to get rid of gasoline is to use it up. If the gasoline is more than four months old it should be re-blended before it is used. Mix one part old gasoline with five parts new gasoline. Use this mixed gasoline in cars that use regular gasoline and two-cycle engines, such as snow blowers and lawn mowers.

Before storing a lawn mower at the end of the summer, run it until the tank is empty. This will help avoid problems with leftover gasoline in the spring. For more information on disposing of gas contaminated with water, oil, rust, or other substances, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Old Aerosol Containers

Aerosol containers should be completely empty and depressurized (unless they contain chlorofluorocarbons--CFCs) before they are thrown in the trash. If thrown in the trash, they can explode and injure trash collectors and equipment. The best way to empty an aerosol container is to use up the remaining product by depressing the nozzle until you no longer hear air releasing from the container. If an aerosol container with a large quantity of product has a clogged nozzle, it should be taken to a household hazardous waste collection site.

Each time after using an aerosol container, hold it upside down and spray for several seconds to prevent the nozzle plugging up. To avoid aerosol container disposal problems, buy pump sprays instead.

For more information on disposal methods for aerosol containers, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Leftover Paint

Leftover paint is a household hazardous product that may contain solvents, metals, and other chemicals that can harm people, pets, and livestock. You can avoid having leftover paint by buying only the amount you need and using up the extra by applying another coat of paint. Use up leftover paint first when you start a new project and buy colors that will be used again.

If you can't use your leftover paint, give it to someone who can, such as neighbors, community service groups, theater groups, or recreation departments. For more information on disposal of paint or any other household hazardous product, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

Are There Hazardous Products in Your Home?

Many common household products, including paint, used motor oil, chemical solvents, and pesticides, contain toxic chemicals that can contaminate lakes, streams, and other drinking water supplies if they are thrown in the trash, on the ground, or down a drain or storm sewer.

Many household hazardous products have labels warning that the products are flammable, combustible, corrosive, explosive, or a skin or eye irritant. Household hazardous products can be avoided by replacing these products with less hazardous alternatives. If you must buy a hazardous product, buy only what you need and use up leftovers instead of throwing them away. For more information on household hazardous products and alternatives, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Used Motor Oil and Oil Filters

Recycle your used motor oil and filters. Oil is a valuable resource that can be cleaned and reused. Place your used motor oil in a container and take it to an oil recycling site. All places that sell motor oil must either accept used motor oil or post a sign indicating the location of the nearest collection site. Oil filters need to be recycled as well. They can be taken to some service stations or other collection programs.

Putting used motor oil in the trash, on the ground, or down a drain or storm sewer pollutes lakes, streams, and groundwater and is illegal in Minnesota. For more information on used motor oil and other household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

What to Do with Used Antifreeze

In some Minnesota counties, it is illegal to dispose of antifreeze down a drain. In other counties until the end of 1996, residents can legally dispose of antifreeze down a drain, if the drain leads to a sanitary sewer system. Check with your county solid waste office for your local rules.

The toxic chemicals in antifreeze are broken down at the wastewater treatment plant. Since large quantities of antifreeze overwhelm sewage treatment systems, only two or three gallons should be poured down a drain at once. Flush the antifreeze with large quantities of water. If your drain is not connected to a sanitary sewer system, find someone connected with such a system to dispose of your antifreeze for you. After 1996, state law will require that all kinds of antifreeze be recycled in an appropriate recycling program.

Antifreeze should not be poured down a storm drain or on the ground. If this is done, the antifreeze could pollute local lakes, rivers, and water supplies. Antifreeze, whether new or used, is a household hazardous product and should be used and stored properly. Keep antifreeze away from children and pets. For more information on disposal of antifreeze and other household hazardous products, contact:

(Place your organization's name and phone number here.)

Table of Contents | Introduction and Credits | Background Information | Presentation Outlines
What is a Household Hazardous Product? | Does your house hold hazardous products? | Product Labels
Home Inventory | News Releases and Articles | Radio PSA's | Education Resource List

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