Home / Shop / Chemical Storage in the Shop

Chemical Storage in the Shop

A shop can hold more chemicals than a small factory: solvents, degreasers, paints, pesticides, acids, fertilizers and fuels. Storage decisions keep them from mixing, spilling or reaching children.

Why does chemical storage need a plan?

Products that are safe alone can react badly when they leak and mix, and some give off vapors that irritate lungs or ignite. Spills contaminate soil and water, and children and animals can reach products stored at the wrong height. A plan prevents most of this before it starts.

The label and the manufacturer's safety data sheet are your starting point. They describe hazards, handling and storage for that product, and you should keep both where workers can find them.

Keep children, visitors and anyone untrained away from the chemical area, and make sure workers know what to do if a container leaks while nobody is watching.

What do labels and safety data sheets tell me?

Labels use words such as Danger, Warning and Caution along with pictures and handling instructions. Safety data sheets are longer documents with sections on hazards, first aid, fire response, storage and disposal. Read them before the first use and when conditions change.

Keep a binder or folder with a sheet for every product, and a list of what you store. Ask the seller for a sheet if you do not have one. Never use an unlabeled container, and never put chemicals in food or drink bottles.

Record the date you receive and open each product, which helps you decide when old stock should be disposed of, since some products degrade or become more hazardous with age.

• Keep the original container and label.
• Label any transfer container with name and hazard.
• Keep a current inventory.
• Read the storage section of each safety data sheet.

How do I keep incompatible products apart?

Some products should not be stored together, such as certain acids and bases, oxidizers and fuels or chlorine products and ammonia products. The safety data sheet lists incompatibilities, and the details depend on the product. Do not guess from memory or from a neighbor's habit.

Separate storage areas, shelves with lips and secondary containment such as trays can reduce the damage from a leak. Ask your supplier or your extension office for advice on arrangement.

Keep containers upright with tight lids and check for corrosion, bulging and leaking, particularly on metal shelves where drips can eat through packaging.

Where should chemicals be kept?

Choose a dry, ventilated spot away from heat, sparks, direct sun and freezing temperatures, if the label warns against them. Keep heavy containers low and liquids below dry products so a spill does not run onto other items. Keep the area locked and out of reach of children and unauthorized people.

Pesticides have storage rules on the label and in state law, and the EPA and your state agency can tell you what applies. Fire codes may limit how much of certain products you may keep, so ask your local fire marshal.

Think about floods, freezing and heat when choosing the spot, since storms and weather can damage containers and spread contents.

How should I handle spills and exposure?

Keep the supplies named in the safety data sheet for cleanup, and know where eye wash and first aid supplies are. If a person is exposed to a chemical, call 911 or poison control, and follow the instructions on the label and the sheet. Poison control in the US is reachable through the national poison help line listed on official health sites.

Do not mix cleanup products. Ventilate if it is safe and keep people away until the spill is dealt with. Report significant spills to the agency that requires it.

Report and document spills of reportable size as your state or federal rules require, and ask your state agency when in doubt.

How do I dispose of old chemicals?

Do not pour chemicals down a drain, on the ground or into a ditch. Many counties run household or farm hazardous waste collections, and some run special pesticide disposal programs. Ask your county solid waste office or state department of agriculture.

Buy only what you will use in a reasonable time to reduce leftovers, and rotate stock so that older containers are used first.

What training and habits help?

Everyone who handles chemicals needs to know the hazards and the protective measures that go with them. Required training, personal protective equipment and recordkeeping depend on the product and the work. Ask OSHA, your state agency or your extension office what applies to your farm.

Walk the storage area monthly, look for leaks, damaged containers, faded labels and clutter, and fix what you find.

Write a short chemical emergency plan with the products you hold, the phone number for poison control and your address, and post it with the safety data sheets.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.