Spot Removers Or Cleaning Fluids
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Home Workshop Tools & Equipment · CPSC Code 977
Down 45% over 5 years
The verdict
Spot Removers Or Cleaning Fluids carry a danger score of 27/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 654 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 45% over the last five years.
- 27/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 654
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 977 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 27/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for spot removers or cleaning fluids - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume654 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-45%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Spot Removers Or Cleaning Fluids (CPSC product code 977, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 654 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 13,088 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 27/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 45% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2014 (1,114 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2024 (229 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for spot removers or cleaning fluids is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,774 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by derma/conjunct to the eyeball (1,779 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 4,443 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 5 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how spot removers or cleaning fluids fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 2,878 | 1,565 | |
| 5-14 | 642 | 253 | |
| 15-24 | 624 | 1,034 | |
| 25-34 | 435 | 704 | |
| 35-44 | 511 | 1,048 | |
| 45-54 | 780 | 812 | |
| 55-64 | 407 | 463 | |
| 65-74 | 305 | 341 | |
| 75+ | 145 | 146 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Pubic Region | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Derma/conjunct | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Upper Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| All Parts Body | Derma/conjunct | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
66 YOF SPRAYED CLEANING SOLUTION ON HER SHOES WITH SOME GOING ONTO THE FLOOR. WHEN SHE WENT TO WALK AWAY, SHE SLIPPED ON THE CLEANING SOLUTION ON THE FLOOR AND FELL ONTO HER RIGHT SIDE. DX: DISPLACED FRACTURE OF STYLOID PROCESS OF RIGHT ULNA, INTRA-ARTICULAR FRACTURE OF DISTAL END OF RIGHT RADIUS, FOOT FRACTURE RIGHT.
33 YOF WAS SPLASHED WITH *** AND STAIN CARPET CLEANER WHICH FELL OFF OF A SHELF. DX: CHEMICAL EXPOSURE OF EYE.
48 YOM WAS USING *** STAIN REMOVER ON A CEILING IN A HOUSE WITH POOR VENTILATION AND WAS EXPOSED TO THE FUMES. DX: IRRITATION OF BOTH EYES, CHEMICAL FUMES EXPOSURE OF EYES
19YOF PRESENTS TO THE ED WITH EYE IRRITATION AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH AFTER CLEANING FLOORS WITH BLEACH. REPORTS WAS CLEANING HER FLOORS WITH BLEACH AND THE CONTAINER WITH THE BLEACH FELL OVER AND THE BLEACH COME OUT. SHE IS NOT SURE IF THE BLEACH SPLASHED HER EYES. ED DX: ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURE TO BLEACH; WHEEZING
39YOF PRESENTS WITH GETTING *** SPRAY SOLUTION IN HER LEFT EYE. DX: EYE IRRITATION
22MOM WAS AT STORE WITH FAMILY AND THEY NOTED THAT A BOX OF GARBAGE DISPOSAL *** CLEANING PODS CALLED *** WAS OPEN AND THAT HE HAD ONE IN HIS MOUTH. HE WAS COUGHING AND GAGGING AND DAD DID A FINGER SWEEP AND GOT THE PLASTIC PORTION OUT OF HIS MOUTH. DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
7MOF OLDER SISTER SPRAYED PET STAIN AND ODOR REMOVER INTO PATIENT'S EYES DX: EYE INJURY
17MOM WITH AN INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE. MOM STATES THAT AROUND 1945 SHE WAS IN THE KITCHEN CLEANING WITH AN OPEN BOTTLE OF *** WHEN SHE TURNED AROUND AND DID NOT HEAR PATIENT WALK IN. SHE NOTES THAT SHORTLY AFTER SHE HEARD HIM YELLING WHEN SHE TURNED AROUND AND SAW HE HAD POURED THE BOTTLE OVER HIS HEAD. SHE IS NOT SURE IF HE INGESTED ANY.
18MOM WITH A CHEMICAL EXPOSURE TO HIS EYEBALL AFTER SPRAYING BLEACH-FREE ALL-PURPOSE CLEANING SOLUTION IN HIS RIGHT EYE.
14MOM WITH FACIAL SWELLING. MOM WAS CLEANING AND LOOKED DOWN AND FOUND HIM PLAYING IN SOME TYPE OF CHEMICAL, PER MOM HE DID NOT DRINK IT BUT MAY HAVE RUBBED IT ON HIS FACE.
8YOF WITH OTALGIA. SHE HAS RIGHT EAR PAIN AFTER SHE WAS CLEANING WITH HER COUSIN AND HER RIGHT EAR WAS SPRAYED WITH *** WATER PROOFER SPRAY.
30 YOF C/O ACUTE COUGH, WHEEZING, AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH AFTER EXPOSURE TO CLEANING FLUIDS AT HOME. DX: ASTHMA ATTACK
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Product - Woolite - OXY Deep 2X Spot and Stain Carpet Cleaner 14 oz spray can. Product exploded. The bottom of the can exploded off. The product was new, in its original wrapping with another can, sitting on the shelf in an air conditioned pantry with other foods, paper products and cooking equipment. No one was injured but could have been. The pantry had to be completely emptied, food thrown out and everything cleaned. VERY DANGEROUS PRODUCT - LOUD EXPLODED FOR NO REASON!!
Product sprayed in my eyes UPDATED ON 6/23/2025: [I feel the nozzle has a faulty design. It should not be able to rotate. Because its able to rotate, once you have it attached to the hose, when you pick up the product by the handle, the nozzle will rotate towards you. As a result of this design, the product was splashed directly into my eyes when I picked it up by the handle after I had accidentally dropped it. I went to the ER, where my eyes were rinsed out by placing these plastic disks in my eyes. After a visit to the Eye Dr, I was told my cornea on my right eye was 90% chemically burned. I have been receiving medical care for my eyes and missed a week of work. My vision on the right is blurry and will remain blurry until the cornea repairs itself which can take weeks. The whole experience was very traumatic. ]
I used Swiffer Wet Jet Wood formulation on my oak hardwood floors, including our stairs. It left them so slippery, I fell. My feet, in socks, came out from underneath me. I landed on my rear end and back. Luckily, I did not break any bones, injure my spine or hit my head. However, I am in pain and have deep bruising that is going to take months to heal. My entire house is now like an ice skating rink. This product is not safe.
On 9/2/18, my fiance and I purchased two 1-gallon containers of Zep brand "Mold Stain & Mildew Stain Remover" from a local store. These containers were placed in the trunk of the car for transit home. Once at home and parked in the driveway, we began to smell a very strong bleach smell and noticed that from the back right corner of the car, a clearish liquid was steadily dripping to the ground and forming a foamy puddle. When we opened the trunk, we discovered that one of the bottles had fallen on its side and the cap was lying a few inches away from the bottle. Half or more of the contents had spilled from the bottle. Despite trying to soak up as much of the product as we could, the car maintained a noxious bleach smell for over a week--it was impossible to drive it due to the fumes (which irritated our nasal passages, throats, and eyes), unless the windows were rolled down (in 80-90 degree weather). The most disturbing part of all this is that when we tested the white cap on the other bottle, WHICH WAS LABELED AS BEING "CHILD-PROOF," we found out that the cap was not at all child-proof and could be easily unscrewed (or easily popped off, as it did in the back of our trunk). In addition, when we turned over the second container (which did not fall over in the trunk) to look for serial/model numbers days later, liquid steadily leaked out from the cap. So the major issue here is the fact that this product is being sold with supposedly-child-proof caps that are NOT AT ALL child-proof. We pointed this out to the manager at the store where we bought it (when we took the bottle that spilled back for a replacement), and he said he would pass it along to the company so that they could address it. However, I have reason to believe they have not addressed it, and that is why I am filing this report.
While using Xtreme Reach Wet & Forget Outdoor 48 oz that I bought from Amazon, and following the directions, the water blew the blue nozzle off, the force of the water ricocheted off the house and knocked my eyewear off, resulting in chemical burns to both my eyes, and a trip to the ER with follow up eye appts. This product looks identical to the recalled Xrteme Reach Wet & Forget Outdoor 48 oz products having a similar UPC code.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to spot removers or cleaning fluids on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are spot removers or cleaning fluids?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, spot removers or cleaning fluids have a danger score of 27/100 (low risk). An estimated 654 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from spot removers or cleaning fluids?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,774 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from spot removers or cleaning fluids increasing or decreasing?
Down 45% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for spot removers or cleaning fluids injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 4,443 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by spot removers or cleaning fluids?
Of all ER visits involving spot removers or cleaning fluids, approximately 1.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with spot removers or cleaning fluids?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Home Workshop Tools & Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 27/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 0-4 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.