As fun as backyard gardening is, it can also be quite a toxic place. Usually, when people think of backyard gardening, the image of tilling the soil and planting amazing crops, as well as enjoying all the greenery and shrubbery come to mind.
After a stressful week dealing with problems and people, it’s nice to get connected to yourself once again as you connect with nature. It’s also nice to look forward to your harvest if you have a vegetable garden.
There’s something inspiring about taking a break from your day-to-day schedule and just enjoying Mother Nature by rolling up your sleeves and doing some gardening work. This is one kind of activity where you not only look forward to toiling and sweating, but you actually have a good time at it. Sounds awesome so far, right?
Well, the problem is, depending on how you choose to manage your front lawn or backyard, you might actually be introducing all sorts of toxic dangers to your household. Whether you have pets or small children, any kind of toxic chemical can post a serious threat to your loved ones’ health and wellbeing.
This is why it’s crucial to be properly aware of the risk of lawn weed killers, herbicides, fungicides and of course, pesticides. Depending on your garden management philosophy in these items may be absolute necessities or potentially risky options that you’d rather do without.
Regardless the particular school of thought you subscribe to in this debate between organic and conventional backyard management, it’s a good idea to be aware of the risk of lawn weed killer products and the kinds of proactive steps you need to take to ensure maximum safety—both for yourself, your family and your pets.
Be aware of the risks
What could possibly go wrong with the typical lawn weed killer product? Well, actually a lot could go wrong. There’s a tremendous amount of toxic components in the typical conventional weedkiller formulation. You may not be totally aware of it because after all, its ingredients are mostly chemicals you haven’t read somewhere else and you are not familiar with. These chemicals are meant to kill weeds, but sometimes people and pets could also be put to risks.
There’s no point in convincing yourself otherwise, while a lot of these manufacturers go the extra mile in trying to convince anybody who would listen that their products are 100% safe, don’t let it fool you. These are still chemicals, and they can be quite toxic, given their concentration. If a child were to ingest them, they can even prove to be quite fatal.
The risks are there, and the stakes are very high, and this is why it’s a good idea to think in worst-case scenarios. Because if you think that these lawn care items are just fairly innocuous and aren’t going to harm you, you might be putting yourself in a situation where you might find out in the worst way possible just how toxic they could be.
So, the key here is to be fully prepared. And by going through the steps below, you can at least minimize the chances of you or any of your loved ones accidentally ingesting lawn weeding killer products as well as any other lawn or backyard-related chemicals.
Set up a Special Storage Area
When storing any kind of toxic chemical, it’s always a good idea to segregate these materials. This lets you know that these materials are risky; they can be quite toxic; they have to have their own special storage place. Keeping them in one place makes it a lot easier.
It’s not just an open area that you cordon off or just an area that you remember to pack all these items in. No. This has to be a special storage area with a door or some sort of lock, so only you and other people you trust can have access to these materials.
You don’t want harmful chemicals to be lying around or within reach of children and pets. Keeping chemicals locked away and out of sight makes sure that curiosity won’t kill the cat. However, you shouldn’t place them higher than your eye level or on top of cabinets. You don’t want accidents to happen when you’re reaching for them.
Label Packages to Mark Usage Dates
To ensure that you don’t overuse weed killer packages or pesticide products, actively label them as to when you last used them. This way, you can track how much you’re using and plan ahead.
Completely Wrap up Open Packages
Since lawn weed killer chemicals do leak out or can evaporate into the air, creating possibly noxious fumes, make sure you completely wrap up packages that you have open. Maybe you’ve used them partially or even if you have almost used them up, make sure they’re still wrapped up, so you don’t have to hassle with any kind of spillage or evaporation.
Keep in a cool, dry and dark place
By storing potentially toxic chemicals in cool and dark areas of your specially marked out or reserved storage area, you reduce the chances of them spilling, as well as emitting all sorts of potentially noxious fumes.
Ensure Proper Ventilation
The biggest danger with any kind of chemical is the gas that it produces. Obviously, you can’t see it. You really can’t rely on your nose, because oftentimes, it’s too late when you can smell the gas.
So, to proactively neutralize any kind of risk from these toxic chemicals, make sure you store them in an area where there’s free-flowing air. This helps cut down on the build-up of fumes and helps keep everybody safe who has access to that special storage area.
Proper Disposal
After you’ve finished up using a bottle of chemical, make sure to properly dispose of it. You should not just leave it just because the bottle is already empty. And in case you want to dispose of some remaining weed killers for some reason, you should never attempt to flush it down the drain or in the toilet. It’s best to find the nearest household waste site.
1 thought on “Safe Storage of Weed Killers”
Great post! Thanks for all of the helpful tips!