Careful With What You Leave Out in the Sun
It’s a sad but true fact that your home is full of hidden dangers. Perfectly ordinary household items can become toxic and dangerous when exposed to too much heat or sunlight. But you can mitigate the risks just by knowing what those items are. Here’s a list of 35 things that you need to keep out of the way of heat and sun.
Inhalers
Inhalers are vitally important to asthma suffers, and they know the risks of keeping them in direct sunlight. Inhalers stored in hot, sunny areas may rupture or lose potency, putting them at risk during emergencies. When outside on a summer’s day with an inhaler, it needs to be in a bag.
Canned Foods
Canned goods can spoil if stored above 100°F, especially in garages or sheds. The heat speeds up chemical reactions inside, ruining the taste and most definitely compromising the safety. Canned food should always be stored in a cool, dark place like a pantry.
Sunscreen
Ironically, sunscreen left in heat can break down and lose its protective qualities, leading to skin damage. Always keep sunscreen in a beach bag or cooler when relaxing on the beach. If you accidentally did leave your sunscreen in the sun and you’re concerned, check to see if the sunscreen smells funny.
Plastic Water Bottles
So many people leave their plastic water bottles in a hot car and then drink from them, and that’s incredibly dangerous. Heat causes chemicals like BPA to leach from plastic bottles into water, especially in direct sunlight.
Medications
Medications should never, ever be stored somewhere that’s vulnerable to heat and sunlight. They’re just too important to neglect. You see, heat can degrade prescription and over-the-counter medications, reducing the effectiveness. That’s really bad for your ongoing health.
Cleaning Supplies
You need to be careful with cleaning supplies, and a lot of people unfortunately aren’t. Heat can cause chemical reactions in cleaners like bleach or ammonia, releasing toxic fumes around you. Never ever store them in a hot garage or shed.
Perfumes and Colognes
Perfumes and colognes smell nice, but they can easily turn toxic. You see, heat breaks down the compounds within them, altering the scent and potentially producing chemicals that will irritate the skin. If you’re unsure, don’t use the product.
Batteries
Exposure to a lot of heat and sun can cause batteries - especially lithium-ion batteries - to swell, leak, or explode. Never leave them in hot cars, near windows, or in outdoor sheds. Instead, store in a dry, room-temperature place.
Aerosol Cans
Aerosol cans are used in all sorts of ways, but people often aren’t careful about storing them. When left in the sun or a hot car, aerosol cans can overheat and explode. The pressure inside builds up quickly, turning them into dangerous projectiles.
Essential Oils
Some people swear by essential oils, but they don’t know how risky it can be to store them in sunlight. Sunlight and heat make essential oils less effective and, worse, irritating to skin. Don’t ever store them near windows, keep them in a cool dry place.
Deodorant
Deodorant suffers from the same problem as essential oils. While it doesn’t get overly dangerous if exposed to heat and sunlight, it can still end up irritating your skin. If you’ve been feeling itchy recently, your sun-damaged deodorant might be why.
Electronics
Electronics left out in the heat can overheat dangerously and burn your skin, or even start fires. To mitigate the risks, keep devices out of direct sunlight and use UV-blocking screen protectors. And never charge a device that feels too hot.
Paint
Dry paint can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, which can have bad effects on your health. Never store paint in an outdoor shed, instead keep it in a cool, dry place away from any windows.
Makeup
So many people store makeup in direct sunlight and not realize that causes the chemicals within it to react. Sometimes, using the makeup after it’s been sun damaged leads to skin irritation. So always store your makeup in a drawer or something else out of the sun.
Car Interiors
Here’s one you probably never knew about. So many chemicals go into making your car interior, and plenty of them are activated in the sun. If you ever feel unwell after driving your car in the heat of summer, that’s probably why.
Bug Spray
You want bug spray to hurt the bugs, you don’t want it to hurt you. But if you leave it exposed to heat and sunlight, that’s exactly what will happen. Extreme heat can make bug spray canisters leak or even explode, sending toxic chemicals everywhere.
Meat
Leaving meat in the sun is extremely dangerous. The warmer it gets in the sun, the more and more bacteria grow within it, and if you eat it after that you could get seriously ill. Always store meat in a fridge or freezer before cooking.
Plastic Food Containers
Heat can cause plastic containers to release harmful chemicals like phthalates and BPA into your food. Avoid storing them in sunlight, and also make sure you don’t microwave them. Plastic and food really don’t mix.
Strollers
What harm could a stroller do? You’d be surprised. Apparently, some strollers are made from materials that release toxins when in high heat. Always do a lot of research before buying a stroller and find out exactly what’s used in the making of it.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer may emit dangerous fumes when heated up, and that’s not good. Always keep fertilizers and pesticides in original containers in a well-ventilated, shaded area, and also make sure you keep them well away from children and pets.
Candles
Candles can warp in the heat, but that might be the least of your worries. If left out in the heat and sun too long they can also release chemicals into the air. You should store your candles in a house, away from window, and preferably in a cool dry space.
Nail Polish
If you think it would be a good idea to bring your nail polish outside and do your nails in the sun… it’s not. High temperatures can cause nail polish to emit toxic fumes, plus there’s the smaller issue that leaving a bottle of it in the sun will cause it to thicken.
DVDs
You wouldn’t have thought a DVD could be harmful, would you? But if you leave one in a hot car, not only will you ruin it but you’ll also cause it to emit toxic fumes. That’s just how it is with plastics, unfortunately.
Garden Hoses
Garden hoses are another thing made with plastic that gets dangerous when the sun is out. When it gets too hot, the chemicals from that plastic are released into the water running through it. That’s one of the reasons why you should never drink from a hose.
Fire Extinguishers
Ironically, fire extinguishers can be dangerous. Excessive heat can cause them to explode, so you should never leave them in direct sunlight and certainly never leave them in a car or shed. Keep your one in a cool area at all times.
Chewing Gum
Here’s one you probably never thought of. In high heat, gum breaks down and some people think that continuing to chew it once it’s been left out in the sun can cause toxic chemicals to enter your system.
Hairspray
All hairdressers know to never leave hairspray in the window on a hot day. Heat messes with its chemical structure and causes the fumes to become slightly toxic. Never, ever keep hairspray in a hot car or a shed, or even too near the window in your bathroom.
Non-Stick Cookware
Non-stick cookware, especially Teflon, can be dangerous if left exposed to heat and sun. Doing this causes it to off-gas toxic fumes, especially if it's scratched or damaged. Never leave pans on sunny counters or grills, store them in safe cabinets instead.
Eggs
Eggs have the same problem as meat: if you leave them out in the sun too long bacteria will grow on them, and that bacteria will make you sick. If you accidentally leave an egg-based dish exposed to heat or sun for too long, it’s best to just throw it away.
Eyeglasses
You probably never thought of this before, but it’s dangerous to leave your eyeglasses out in the sun. The heat will warp the prescription lenses and make them unsafe to wear. So definitely never leave them in a hot car – always put them in a case and carry them with you.
Fish
Like meat and eggs, fish is something that should never be left out in the sun. Bacteria will grow on them and make you sick, and yes, many people have died this way. Always store fish in the freezer or fridge and follow all food safety rules, like the washing of cutting boards.
Adhesives and Glues
Many people store adhesives and glues in their shed, but this is a very bad idea. When exposed to extreme heat and sunlight, glues will start to emit toxic fumes. You should store them in a cool, dry location, preferably in a sealed container, and well away from where children can get their hands on them.
Soda in Plastic Bottles
Soda bottles can leak in extreme heat, but the biggest problem is that the bottles are plastic. As was the case with water bottles, chemicals can end up in your drink if you’re not careful. Never leave soda bottles in a hot car, choose instead to store them in the fridge.
Art Supplies
Things like paint pens and glue sticks may emit toxic fumes if left out in the sun. Some other things, like markers, can dry out and get ruined in the sun as well. You should always store your art supplies indoors, away from the windows, and try to avoid using them outdoors when the heat is really intense.
Pet Food
Lots of people store their pet food in the shed, exposed to the elements, and in open bags. This is a very bad idea. Heat and sunlight will make bacteria grow in the food, and that’s terrible for your pet. Always keep pet food in a cool, dry space, and make sure it’s all used up within a few weeks.
