Household Hazards: Common Cleaning Products You Should Never Mix

Household Hazards: Common Cleaning Products You Should Never Mix

When you’re battling a stain, getting frustrated is quite easy. And oftentimes, you may try being creative just to finish the job. Combining several cleaning products can sometimes get you the result you’re targeting. However, there are times when it leads to the creation of toxic chemicals that can harm your health. Luckily, that won’t happen to you. This text highlights common cleaning products you should never mix. Let’s have a look at them:

1. Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide

While you can use these products to combat tough stains, it pays not to mix them. Therefore, you must use one after the other to prevent unnecessary risks. Mixing vinegar with hydrogen peroxide creates a corrosive chemical product known as peracetic acid. This chemical will not only damage the surface you’re cleaning, but also your eyes, skin, and lungs.

2. Different Brands – the same product

You might be tempted to try different brands of the same product to discover which option is better. While that’s not a bad idea, combining the two products to experience their effect is. As you know, manufacturers of the same type of product use different ingredients to create a product with the same purpose. Therefore, mixing the same product from different brands may lead to the creation of toxic solutions or fumes. Therefore, you should avoid this approach.

3. Rubbing Alcohol plus Bleach

When you combine these potent cleaning products, the final product is chloroform. If you dint know, chloroform produces toxic fumes that evoke nausea and dizziness. Also, it’s the same product that criminals leverage to knock out their victims.

Exposure to low levels of chloroform has minor effects that don’t include passing out. But even so, it can still damage your nervous system, eyes, lungs, and skin. On the other hand, if you’re in a room with a high concentration of chloroform, the impact can be deadly.

4. Vinegar plus Bleach

Vinegar plus Bleach equals chlorine gas. And this is a gas you don’t want to hale because of its poisonous nature. Common symptoms from inhaling chlorine gas include nose and eye irritation. Also, you will experience difficulty breathing. Further, exposure to a higher concentration of chlorine gas is even more deadly. The symptoms include pneumonia, vomiting, or chest pain.

5. Vinegar and Baking Soda

If you’re looking for cheap but effective cleaning products to battle various household stains, Vinegar and Baking Soda will do. However, they work effectively when they’re independent. But when you combine these two, the result will not be toxic. Instead, it will ineffective when it comes to cleaning. And that’s because vinegar is acid while baking soda is base. So, when you combine the two and the result is water and salt.

6. Lemon Juice with Bleach

It’s just lemon juice, right? Well, as harmless as it may seem, combining lemon juice with bleach leads to the production of deadly gas. When these two react during mixing, they produce chlorine gas, a toxic fume with devastating effects. Therefore, avoid mixing these two at all costs even if you need them both during cleaning.

7. Toilet bowl cleaner plus Bleach

There are toilet stains that can get on your nerve. Regardless of the product you use, they persist, thus ruining the visual appeal of your toilet. While being crafty can help eliminate certain stubborn stains, some combinations just don’t work. In this case, Toilet bowl cleaner plus bleach will just create toxic gas instead of a powerful cleaning solution.

8. Using Various Drain Cleaners

Watching the drain cleaner working its magic in a clogged drain is satisfying undoubtedly. However, the result is not always what we expect. There are times when the cleaner takes time to do the same job. But due to our impatient nature, rushing to the store to get an alternative may seem right.

However, don’t do that. If you’re going for more drain cleaners, buy the same brand you used earlier. Mixing different drain cleaners may lead to the production of chlorine gas. As we’ve mentioned earlier, the impact of this toxic gas can be fatal.

9. Bleach with Mildew Stain Remover

Mildew is very annoying, especially the stain it leaves behind. As you combat it with mildew stain remover you may wish to speed up the process. And this is where chlorine pops into your mind. What if you combine two stain removers, the effect will be more thorough. However, that will not be the case. Instead, these two will combine and release chlorine gas. In some cases, the reaction may be violent enough to cause an explosion.

10. Ammonia and Bleach

You’ll realize many household products either contain bleach or ammonia. And it’s not a surprise, because these products are reliable when it comes to spotless cleaning. For starters, bleach is a reliable choice for surface disinfection. It can eliminate mold, bacteria, and germs. Also, you can use it to eliminate tough stains on fabric, general sanitization, and whiten clothes.

On the other hand, Ammonia is also resourceful for household applications. For instance, you can use it as a degreaser, eliminating oil stains and cleaning ovens with grease buildup. You will find it as an ingredient in glass cleaners because of the spot cleaning it guarantees.

However, when you combine Ammonia with Bleach, the result is a toxic gas known as chloramines. The effects include burning your eyes, and respiratory damage. Since Ammonia is a common ingredient in various cleaning products, ensure you don’t mix those products with bleach.

Getting Started

Finally, where you have to use one chemical after the other, rinse out the first thoroughly. This will prevent the possibility of creating toxic fumes or chemical residue. Also, do you want to try the green cleaning technique in your New Jersey home? Well, contact Equinox Cleaning.

With their expertise in this field, they’ll clean your home perfectly. Most importantly, they’re aware of the above household hazards. Therefore, you can rest assured your home will not en