Abstract Background: Household cleaning products, when misused, are a common cause of acute poisoning and can lead to severe health issues. Objective: To assess the levels of awareness, knowledge, and attitude in the population of Saudi Arabia regarding the safe use and potential dangers of household cleaning products. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, adults (aged 18–60 years) from Saudi Arabia were invited through various social media networks between September and October 2024, to complete an online survey. The questionnaire elicited information regarding demographics, real-life experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and safe handling practices. Results: A total of 791 participants completed the survey, of which most were females (64.5%), aged 18–25 years (73.2%), Saudi nationals (89.4%), single (79.3%), and had a Bachelor’s degree as their highest education (65.1%). Almost all participants (97.3%) recognized that household cleaners may contain harmful chemicals; however, only 19.0% and 20.6% of the participants recognized sterilizers and disinfectants, respectively, as potentially harmful. In addition, 87% mistakenly believed it was safe to use cleaning products in unventilated spaces, and 77.7% incorrectly believed that inducing vomiting was necessary if these products are ingested. The level of awareness did not vary based on any studied variables. In terms of knowledge, non-Saudis and married participants had significantly higher knowledge ( P = 0.002 and 0.029, respectively), while those from the Northern region had significantly positive attitude ( P = 0.038). Conclusion: This study found that in Saudi Arabia, there is a high level of general awareness regarding toxicity of household cleaning products, yet significant knowledge gaps and misconceptions exist regarding its safe use and emergency responses in case of poisoning. These findings indicate the need for targeted educational interventions and public health campaigns to improve actionable knowledge.
Aljumaan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.