Clear windows, unclear warnings

Glass cleaners make it easier to see through windows, but you might strain your eyes to read their warnings about children and pets.

Glass-cleaner manufacturers aren't required to put such information on the outside of the container, but some provide it voluntarily. Unfortunately, some companies place the warnings on the back of the front label, making you peer through colored liquid to read them. You might also have to read around the bar-code sticker.

Although some glass cleaners are roughly 90 percent water, others include isopropanol, ammonia, or other chemicals that can be irritating if ingested or inhaled in sufficient quantities. Mixing an ammonia-based product with chlorine bleach creates poisonous gas. What's more, the bright colors of some cleaners can attract children: Glass cleaners accounted for 9,418 calls to poison-control centers during a recent year.

Why are there two-sided labels? According to Stuart Feen, president of Plastic Bottle Corp., an industry supplier, a single label's see-through effect shows off the product but is also the result of a bottom-line decision: "One label simply costs less than two."

Cost hasn't stopped some glass-cleaner manufacturers, including Earth Friendly and Seventh Generation, from putting the safety information on the back of their bottles, where the info is easily read.

Bottom line

Companies whose products have a safety warning should print it clearly on the outside of the container.