Housecleaning During Pregnancy

Wouldn't it be great to hear that you should not get on your knees and scrub anything during your pregnancy? The truth is that the majority of cleaning products really can't hurt your baby. Still, it's smart to be cautious about using the toxic chemicals in some cleaners:

• Wear gloves when you clean so the cleanser can't be absorbed through your skin.
• Your nose knows. If the smell of the cleanser is very strong, avoid inhaling it and open a few windows when you clean.
• Use pump spray cleaners rather than aerosol sprays; they are not so easily inhaled.
• Do not mix a product that contains ammonia with a product that is chlorine-based. This is a toxic combination that can be deadly. In other words, don't mix bleach with an ammonia cleanser, or an abrasive cleanser that contains bleach (Comet or Ajax, for example) with a tub cleaner that contains ammonia. Read labels and be very careful.
• Avoid products with toxic fumes, such as oven cleansers and some tub and tile cleaners. (At least that's one job you don't have to do for a while.)

Using household cleansers safely requires no more than common sense. If the fumes are strong, or if they make you queasy, stay away.