• 88% of Americans Say Cleaning Products They Buy Are Safe When Used as Directed• 80% Say They’ve Read a Product Label at Least Once• Safety Reminders Highlighted During Poison Prevention Week (March 14-20)• SDA Offers No-Cost Safety Materials for Parents at www.cleaning101.com

Newswise — Consumer confidence in the cleaning products they use every day remains strong, according to a survey from The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA).

Eighty-eight percent of adults believe that the cleaning products they buy are either safe or very safe when used as directed, survey results show. Echo Research questioned 1,008 Americans via telephone February 25-28, 2010 for SDA (www.cleaning101.com).

This is up from a 2008 SDA survey that showed 85% of Americans believed their cleaning products were safe or very safe when used as directed.

The Importance of Reading the Label

The 2010 survey also shows that while 80 percent of respondents have read a cleaning product label at least once, only eight percent always read the label.

The annual observance of National Poison Prevention Week (March 14-20, 2010) is a proper time to remember the significance of the information contained on the product label.

“The safety and usage information is the most important information on the cleaning product label,” said Nancy Bock, SDA Vice President of Education. “Additionally, consumers are finding more information than ever about what is in the product on the label and through company websites and toll-free hotlines.”

Consumers can log-on to SDA’s Ingredient Central webpage to find where and how companies are providing information about the specific ingredients in their cleaning products: www.cleaning101.com/IngredientCentral.

Home Safe Home for Your Little Explorer

For families with young children, SDA has helpful household hints you can download at no-cost to post conveniently throughout your home.

Home Safe Home for Your Little Explorer contains an accident-prevention checklist and a convenient space to list all of your important emergency contact numbers. You can download the pamphlet at www.cleaning101.com/health.

For valuable information on preventing accidents around the home, visit www.poisonprevention.org.

About the survey

The survey questions were asked of 1,008 American adults (500 men and 508 women). The independent consumer research study was completed February 25-28, 2010 on behalf of The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) by Echo Research. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.

A complete summary of the survey statistics will be available at www.cleaning101.com/newsroom/surveys/.

The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA – www.cleaning101.com), the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry®, represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market. SDA members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleochemical producers. SDA and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.

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