Your cupboards and closets contain dozens of everyday cleaning, polishing and painting products hazardous to the coastal bays and the groundwater that flows to them. Under the sink lurk the drain openers, oven and tile cleaners and air fresheners. In the laundry room loiter the chlorine bleaches and spot removers and down in the basement workshop, the glues, paints, and wood preservatives lie in wait. These and other household items add up to a considerable source of pollution as they find their way from homes into drains, toilets and the local landfill. Some 40 percent of all estuaries nationwide have fishing and swimming restrictions largely as a result of unacceptable chemical levels. Keep in mind the water mixing with these chemicals is a scarce commodity so think about what you drink, where you fish and what you're swimming in.

• Store kitchen and garden chemicals carefully in labeled, air-tight containers. If you spill something, do not wash down the area. Contain or absorb the spill with sawdust or kitty litter and place the used absorbent in a strong plastic bag in the trash. If it is a large spill, take the used absorbent to a household hazardous waste collection center or event.
• Read labels before buying household cleaners and other products. Become an environmentally friendly consumer by avoiding products containing certain ingredients. Products labeled "caution" are usually the least toxic. "Warning" indicates moderate toxicity and "danger" or "poison" mean extremely toxic.
• Use safe substitutes. Most cleaning challenges can be met with baking soda, salt, borax, vinegar or elbow grease in one combination or another. See alternatives here.
• Buy only as much of a household chemical as you need. Why pay extra and let some chemical sit around the house for years? Use cleaners, paints and other chemicals sparingly and minimize waste and spills. Store leftovers in sturdy, airtight, labeled containers. Use things up or give them to friends.
• Do not pour paints, preservatives, brush cleaners, or solvents down the sink, toilet, or storm drain. Clean up brushes and buckets at the sink, not the gutter.
• Dispose of unwanted chemicals and paints properly. Worcester County sponsors an annual hazardous waste collection day with more on the way. Ace Hardware, Black &Decker, WalMart, Radio Shack, and Target accept used batteries for safe disposal. (1-800-492-9188- chemicals)
• Choose water-based paints over oil-based ones. Look for the words "latex" or "clean up with water" on the label. Don't use paints more than 20 years old. They usually contain toxic lead levels.
• Reuse paint thinner. Set aside used thinner in a closed jar to settle out paint particles, then pour off clear liquid for future use.
• Care for your drains so you can keep your system free of clogs without using chemical drain openers. Tp prevent clogs use a kitchen sink strainer. Periodically flush the drain with boiling water. Use a plumber's snake on tough clogs.
• Use phosphate-free soap, detergents and shampoos.
• Use rechargeable alkaline batteries. Most household batteries are highly toxic.