How to choose a toy: check the documents
Products for children are subject to mandatory certification, and it is this certification that confirms that the product is safe for humans. If it has passed tests and received a certificate of compliance with the technical regulations of the Customs Union on the safety of toys, then the EAC mark will be on the label. It looks like a black square with these three white letters. You can buy such a toy for a child. It is better to leave a product that does not have a label on it on the counter.
If you still have doubts about the quality of the product, do not hesitate to ask the store employees for a copy of the certificate of conformity. The absence of a document or refusal should alert you.
Evaluate the appearance of the product
If possible, check that all parts are in place. There should be no cracks, scuffs or sharp chips on the toy. Touch the painted elements: if the paint remains on the skin, this is a bad sign. It is better to turn on sound toys in the store. If you are choosing a product for small children and for use at home, then they should be quiet. Louder options are acceptable for the street.
Parents should be alerted to the sharp unpleasant smell of plastic or wood. This may be a sign of the use of caustic chemicals in production. But for some toys, for example, rubber baby dolls, a slight smell is acceptable. There should be a separate notice about this on the label. Such products must be removed from the packaging and then ventilated or washed.
Make sure the product is suitable for your child
First of all, it must be age appropriate. According to law, the manufacturer must add the following markings to the label: “0+” indicates that the product is intended for children under 3 years of age, “3+” – older. Products for children under 3 years old undergo additional tests for quality and safety. Therefore, you should not give toys intended for preschoolers to very young children. In addition, the brand may indicate its own recommended age depending on the purpose of the toy, for example “8+” or “12+”.
Please refer to the packaging for additional warnings. Read the storage conditions and also check the expiration date. For example, it can be found in kits for soap bubbles or slimes. Plastic or soft toys have a service life indicated on them.
In order not to stumble upon a bad or dangerous toy, it is important to go to trusted stores. Products purchased from unreliable or random sellers may not have the necessary certificates or may be counterfeit. IN Fix Price the range meets all safety requirements, and this is confirmed by documents. The chain regularly conducts audits of its suppliers, sends products for research to laboratories and takes into account the opinions and comments of customers.
How to choose household chemicals: pay attention to the composition
Household chemicals can be alkaline, acidic or neutral. Alkaline gels can get rid of organic contaminants: fat, oil, soot and soot. Acidic compounds are designed to combat rust, lime and salt deposits, so they are most often used for cleaning plumbing fixtures. Neutral products are the weakest – these are, for example, sprays for removing dust or dirt from glass.
For the balance of acid and alkali indicates pH indicator. If it is from 0 to 7, then you have an acidic composition, from 7 to 14 – alkaline. In a neutral product, the pH is close to 7. Acidic and alkaline chemicals must be wiped off the surface with a damp cloth.
Gels with a maximum concentration of the active substance are usually found in the segment of professional household chemicals, which are used for cleaning in factories and public places. But they may also be needed in ordinary apartments – for example, for general cleaning after renovation. Thus, strongly acidic agents can cope even with hardened cement. They are always diluted with water, and sometimes during use you need to wear not only gloves, but also a mask.
Look for a product for a specific room
In general, no one is stopping you from keeping one jar of funds for all occasions. But the specifications on the label “For the kitchen” or “For the bathroom and toilet” are not just a marketing ploy. As a rule, such gels already contain the required type of active substance in the required concentration.
So, kitchen cleaning products will be more gentle. And toilet gel can have a very caustic composition. You should not use it in the kitchen: firstly, it is intended for other types of pollution, and secondly, an incorrectly selected product can ruin the countertop and PVC furniture.
You also need to pay attention to the smell. When cleaning the bathroom, it is better to choose products without a strong aroma – this room is usually small, it has high humidity, so during cleaning there is a risk of toxic fumes.
Read the labeling on the packaging
The safety of detergents is determined by certificates and declarations, which are issued after inspections and laboratory tests. On the packaging of a quality product there is a sign of the national Russian standard – STR. In addition, it must indicate the rules of use and precautions. For example, some products can come into contact with the skin without harm, while others need to be used only with gloves.
How to choose dishes: remember convenience
The design of kitchen utensils should not be at the expense of functionality: a teapot whose lid always falls out, a large flat plate – all this is not only inconvenient, but also unsafe. Because of such dishes, you can easily burn yourself with boiling water or spill the contents on yourself. Especially if children use it.
The material is also important. Teapots, coffee pots, and milk jugs made of thin metal heat up quickly. Because of this, they are almost impossible to use. The same problems can occur with thin porcelain and plastic.
When choosing cookware, make sure that the handles of pots, pans and stewpans fit comfortably in your brush or are lined with silicone. In the kitchen, you often have to grab a pan with wet hands, and you need to prevent it from slipping out of them.
Inquire about the type of material
This is especially important when choosing cookware that must withstand high temperatures. Safe options include cast iron, stainless steel, ceramic, porcelain and glass.
It is not necessary to completely abandon plastic and silicone. The main thing is to make sure that they are food grade. This can be found out from the information on the label. For example, silicone products for the kitchen must indicate the operating temperature. Safe silicone does not smell like rubber, and the baking temperature does not exceed 220 °C.
Food-grade plastic is also easy to distinguish from regular plastic by its markings. If you see a glass and fork icon on the label, feel free to take it: you can eat hot foods from such a container, and it is also suitable for storage in the refrigerator and freezer. The “PP 5” sign (number 5 in a triangle) means that the dishes can be put in the microwave and can also be washed in the dishwasher.
The safety of goods is confirmed by certificates of conformity and quality. The buyer can ask they are available from the seller in any store, and he is obliged to provide them. IN Fix Price you can be sure that all products have documents and, if necessary, they will be shown to the visitor. In addition, there is always a wide range of household goods at low prices: toys, dishes, cosmetics, household chemicals, food, as well as various useful things for the garden.