One silly mistake with cleaning products

[OneSillyMistake]

A warning, or plea, to everyone to be extra careful with caustic cleaning products such as oven cleaners like Mr Muscle, Oven Pride etc.

My young cousin, mid 20s was cleaning her oven with these types of products, she was very careful with long gloves but didnt realise some had dripped onto her slippers until it started to feel tingly and she then immediately washed off.

Long story short she has spent a lot of time on the burns unit over the last 6 months, she has had repeated failed skin grafts, tendons removed from her foot. It started to look as though her foot was healing and grafts finally taking when she got another infection and has now recently had to have toes amputated.

I personally won't be having those types of products in my home again. If you do use be aware it is not just your hands/arms you need to protect.

I used that stuff once, was freaking the whole time. I now use Cif which I believe is less strong.

What sort of shoes do you wear? Do you change them just for the kitchen? 🤔

I wear ballet slippers from M &S as my indoor shoes. They have a proper sole and a tough velvet-type covering. I think that's adequate for a domestic setting. Wellies for gardening!

Lesson learned' is probably a bit harsh.

I'm trained in handling dangerous substances and used the acid based cleaner once - never again. Utterly, utterly dangerous, and most unfair to use and dispose of on everybody else into the environment.

Depends on what I'm doing - if it's just stuff like vacuuming or washing the windows, I'll wear trainers as they cover the top of my feet and provide good grip/stability. If it's something like DIY or using stronger chemicals, I'll put on an old pair of workboots I bought when I was a sound engineer/roadie and saw too many men people drop cab units or flight cases and sustain nasty fractures.

It's not any real effort to do, I just walk to the rack and put my feet in them.

I've also given first aid to somebody who stuck a garden fork through their wellies so there's another pair of old steelies from conservation work by the back door

Not particularly feminine, I'll agree, but neither is sitting in A&E.

Shit, thank you for the warning. I had no idea this could happen, just ended up done a bit of a rabbit hole reading about it. I would probably be really blasé about using something like that with no protection so I am v grateful you posted this!!

Jeez, that's terrible. I'm so sorry for your cousin. I had no idea these products could be so bloody dangerous. Thanks for posting.

That's terrible I too had no idea- I wouldn't have been anywhere near careful enough. I'll definitely never use them now.

I am really pleased that this thread has prompted some people to think about being extra careful with these products.

Even if you do wear heavy work books every time you enter your kitchen, unless you are in a full hazmat suit you are not protected from splashes on your clothes. Still I don’t think the products should be removed from sale, but they could be better packaged to clearly differentiate between them and every day cleaners as soon as you pick the pack up.

Packaging them with flimsy gloves that barely cover your wrist gives the impression those gloves are adequate for the job and they are not. I would like to see cigarette style warnings on them to drive home how potentially dangerous and life changing they can be, maybe a picture of a chemical burn on a leg/foot (or @HashtagShitShop ‘s boob 😲).

Terrifying. Thank you for the warning.

That is really shocking. I don’t think this type of product should be sold. It isn’t necessary to use this kind of stuff to clean an oven, but the packaging and the fact the stuff is in supermarkets makes it seem like a good choice. Also, online, oven cleaner is used for all sorts of purposes - I’ve seen people clean filthy sinks and floors with it

That's absolutely shocking to read, OP, and your poor cousin. How awful for her.

I'm not a big cleaner of ovens, but would have merrily picked up a bottle of something like this from the shelf and thought it was just like any other cleaning product.

Thank you for posting and wish your cousin well.

I will take this as a gold star for being slovenly. Happily for me cleaning a oven is not something I have ever considered.

Really sorry to hear about your family member, and it is good to warn people. I have also seen the mix cleaning fluids online and it is v scary.

How awful. Thanks for letting people know. The only reason I discovered how effective vinegar & bicarb are as an oven cleaner was because I'd run out of the Mr Muscle stuff.

Definitely won't be having products like that in my house again. Especially with little kids about.

I've seen lots of posts on Facebook recently with people asking for pre Christmas oven cleans.

Just bumping this old thread to remind everyone to be very careful and take all precautions (hands, arms, feet, legs, face, and in some cases boobs!) if doing it yourself with caustic chemicals.

Have a Safe and Merry Christmas.

Thank You for posting OP and hoping your cousin gets better soon

This is great to raise awareness as I think the a lot of youngsters are following cleaning influencers who are using an insane amount of chemicals

That's terrible - I had no idea they were so dangerous. Thank you for posting (and making me feel better about my dirty oven).

I have some old stuff in the back of the cupboard that i haven't used for ages, should have got rid of it but now sure how? Is it safe to put stuff like that in the bin? Down the drain? Never sure what to do with it, so i just leave it there.

What sort of stuff is is?

I'd chuck a bit down the loo every time I went - it'll go off to be treated with already existing waste rather than potentially leaking and contaminating stuff.

Thanks op. Def won't be buying these products ever again. Ashamed to admit I didn't realise they were so dangerous,despite the package clearly displaying a corrosive warning. I was never very careful with it. Very lucky