What's under your sink?

According to a recent report issued by MSNBC.com, many of the usual household items you keep in your cabinet under your kitchen sink may not be as safe or as helpful as you originally thought. Taking a page from the report, which can be found at MSNBC.com, and adding a few tips of our own, here’s the essentials you need to stock or toss to get the most out of your under the sink storage space:

Keep: All-purpose cleaners
Pick ones with an EPA Design for the Environment label, which indicates that the ingredients are as safe as possible for the environment and you.

Keep: Rubber gloves
They protect your hands from hot water and cleaners that can irritate or dry out your skin. Choose ones that reach at least halfway up your forearm like these Latex Gloves from ToiletPaperWorld.com.

Toss: Oven cleaner
The chemicals in it can burn skin on contact, and the fumes hurt airways. Instead, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda in a cool oven and spray with a mix of water and some liquid soap to dampen. Scrub with fine steel wool.

Keep: Disinfectants
Use these to clean a counter top where you’ve worked with raw meat or poultry. ToiletPaperWorld.com stocks several varieties, including Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Spray to sterilize your counters or appliances before, after, and during food prep.

Toss: Sponges
Germs breed fast on these when wet, so be sure to store in a separate area. Also, “antibacterial” sponges aren’t a good option either. They’re likely treated with triclosan, an antimicrobial that might irritate sensitive skin and may harm the environment.