The selection for use, application, handling and storage of chemical cleaners are matters of grave concern, as they involve not only the surfaces being cleaned, but also the safety of the public, the cleaners and the building or house itself. Indiscriminate mixing of cleaning chemicals has taken place in the past, and still does in some areas, with damaging results to the surface and sometimes fatal results to the person involved. Such practices are extremely hazardous with great variety of powerful and volatile cleaning chemicals available.

The use of chemicals requires the proper selection of those which most effectively meet specific job requirements. The type of chemicals in a product should be known to the user with some degree of accuracy. The product label which the manufacturer supplies should be read and understood by personnel who are to handle these chemical materials. If the cleaner cannot understand the label, or if no label is on the container, he should have contents explained to him by the supplier or person in charge of the building maintenance.

Application directions, supplied by the manufacturer, should be followed as closely as possible. Safety precautions are extremely vital in the mixing and use of cleaning chemicals. The cleaning agent selected must have no damaging effects to the surface to be cleaned. There must be adequate ventilation when mixing and applying the chemicals. This need for adequate ventilation cannot be stressed too much as this helps to reduce the possibility of unsafe concentrations of toxic vapours, no matter how low the toxicity of a chemical product may be. It also improves the drying time when applied to a surface.

Rubber gloves should be used when handling products of a corrosive or skin irritant nature and rubber boots or special footwear when these products are used on floors. When spraying or fogging operations are undertaken, face masks may be necessary to protect against inhaling the fine mist. If strong solutions such as acids or alkalies are splashed onto the skin, they must be flushed off immediately and reported to the first-aid department.

Chemicals must be stored neatly in a clean, dry, cool area, the containers clearly labelled and firmly stoppered. Leaking cans and containers must be removed and replaced, and any spills wiped up and cleaned away. Never leave a container under a drum with the tap on if you are called away or wish to complete another task since as has to often occurred, the entire contents of large drums have run onto the floor, when something else happened or came up. This is an extremely dangerous procedure when handling, corrosive, highly volatile chemicals.