Monday 16 June 2008

Living in a COMAH site

I was uncluttering in the kitchen the other day and worked around to the back of the cupboard where Bill had stuck some cleaning supplies I’d not seen before. Thinking there were similar items under the kitchen sink, an area I managed to avoid going for years when I was working, I pulled those out. I knew there were other cleaning and polishing supplies in the bureau and still more in another cupboard.


The collection covered the whole kitchen table. We had products I never knew existed and wouldn’t have considered buying, never mind using. Bill explained that it was the accumulation of products from his mother’s two moves, to a flat near us, then into a residential home; but I think he has a cleaning product fetish, I do. I grouped them by use and put one of each commonly used products under the kitchen sink; the remaining lifetime supply is in another cupboard from which we can ‘shop’ when we run out.

We have on hand the following miracle products:

  • kettle de-scaler
  • uPVC frame & furniture cleaneran
  • dish soap
  • carpet mousse/shampoo stain remover
  • crème cleaner for enamel, porcelain and fiberglass
  • laundry products, including liquid detergent, 2 types of soap for delicate items, 6 stain removers, fabric softener, water repellent spray and colour run remover
  • 4 kinds of glass cleaner
  • oven degreaser and caustic oven cleaner
  • 3 cans and 1 gel for air freshening
  • 4 types of metal or jewelry cleaner
  • 3 types of furniture polish & sugar soap (whatever that does)
  • all purpose cleaners, one lemon scented and one that kills MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus)
  • plug hole / pipe cleaner
  • freezer defroster
  • mystery bottle (went in the bin, which was probably illegal)
  • all purpose cloths - a lifetime supply
  • silver cleaning cloths


Collected all together I worrie we were in danger of being regulated under the Control of Major Accident and Hazard (COMAH) legislation. I’m trying to remember who will be visiting us first: the Environment Agency, the Health & Safety Executive or the Local Authority. Better get out my yellow safety tabard and hard hat then.

1 comment:

Rick Stone said...

This is not a problem while living in an RV. There is not enough room for all of that. We had the same problem when we moved my folks into the assisted living. Mom would buy something, use it once and put it away, in a different place each time. She would forget about it and then buy another.