Why You Should Never Mix Bleach And Vinegar
The two common cleaning agents can produce a dangerous gas when mixed.
You likely have a collection of household cleaners under your kitchen sink. Bleach may be your go-to cleaner for home disinfecting or whiter laundry. Vinegar might also be in your cleaning supplies if you want a non-toxic option that can cut through grime and grease, wash the floors, or clean windows. For some tough jobs, you may think that combining household cleaners will speed up the job and make it easier. But you'd be wrong.
Can You Mix Bleach and Vinegar?
Although bleach and vinegar are both effective household cleaners, you never want to combine these two products or clean with them at the same time. If you do, you risk being exposed to potent and harmful gas. Even if you're not actually mixing the two cleaners, even cleaning with these two products in the same area could be dangerous to your help. For example, you wouldn't want to use a vinegar and baking soda mixture to scrub down the shower and then move the bathroom floors with bleach in the same cleaning session.
What Happens When You Mix Bleach and Vinegar
When bleach and vinegar are mixed, it creates a harmful chlorine gas. Chlorine gas can affect the respiratory system and provoke breathing difficulties, coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest as well as watery eyes, nausea, and vomiting. This gas can also create a burning sensation in the nose, eyes, and throat. Symptoms are typically noticeable soon after exposure to chlorine gas but will depend on the amount breathed in. The good news is the majority of people who are in contact with small quantities of chlorine gas recover. However, sometimes when you're exposed to low concentrations of the gas over time, you may not notice it, but you can still be affected. Exposure to high concentrations of chlorine gas could lead to death.
What to Do If Bleach and Vinegar Mix
If you've accidentally mixed bleach and vinegar or used these products separately but in the same room, be vigilant to strong odor. Notice a noxious smell? Immediately move away from the area. Better yet, go outside and get fresh air if you can. You'll also want to take off any clothing that has been exposed to the chlorine gas. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise removing as many layers as possible, and if clothing must be pulled over your head, make sure to keep your eyes and mouth closed to minimize breathing chlorine gas or getting it in your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Other Cleaning Agents to Keep Separate
Using bleach requires caution to minimize any harm. Similar to producing toxic fumes when mixed with vinegar, bleach shouldn't be mixed with most household cleaners because it produces harmful gasses. To keep yourself and your household members safe, before using any cleaning products, always read the label to ensure you know what ingredients are in each product. Bleach can go by different names and is often in many household cleaners, including disinfectants, mildew removers, multi-purpose cleaners, and toilet bowl cleaners. Check the label for the word bleach as well as for other names, such as sodium hypochlorite or chlorine bleach. Oxygen bleach is another name for non-chlorine bleach or color-safe bleach, which might be in your laundry room and can produce dangerous fumes just like when regular bleach is mixed with certain chemicals or household cleaners.
Two additional examples of cleaning chemicals you shouldn't combine with bleach are hydrogen peroxide and ammonia.
Bleach combined with ammonia produces chloramine gas and is poisonous when it's breathed in. Symptoms, such as coughing, chest pain, nausea, watery eyes, wheezing, or shortness of breath can appear within minutes and can last for up to 24 hours. It can be fatal if exposed to high concentrations of the gas.
Bleach combined with hydrogen peroxide creates peracetic acid, which can lead to dangerous fumes. Peracetic acid causes eye irritation, and respiratory issues, including damaging the lungs in high doses, and can also burn skin.
How to Safely Clean With Bleach or Vinegar
When cleaning with bleach, always wear gloves to protect your skin from directly touching this disinfectant. Open windows so there's airflow and ventilation, especially when cleaning in a small space. To avoid bleach and vinegar coming into contact with each other and being exposed to toxic fumes, clean with one type of cleaner and finish before using another one. For example, if you bleach trash containers and sanitize cutting boards with bleach, wait till they are dry and bleach fumes aren't present before wiping down the counters with vinegar. Separating tasks may seem to take more time but will reduce the chances of accidentally mixing products and creating unwanted chemical reactions in your home.
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