Dangers of Mixing Household Products

If you’re tackling an especially gruesome household cleanup – maybe a pet had an accident, or you’re cleaning up after a sick family member – you might be inclined to throw every single household cleaner at the mess. After all, more products mean less mess – right? Wrong. While it might be tempting to mix multiple household cleaners to get your home sparkling, this can cause a variety of dangerous chemical reactions. Keep your family safe by learning more about the dangers of mixing household products.

Dangers of Mixing Household Products

Combining household cleaning products can be toxic and, in some cases, even lethal. While cleaning products like bleach, ammonia, and vinegar are great on their own, mixing them can create highly toxic gases. These gases can cause sneezing, itching, respiratory problems, or burns to your skin, eyes, throat, nose, and lungs. Some of these toxic gases can also damage your nervous system, liver, and kidneys. Below, we’ll explore several common toxic combinations as highlighted by the U.S. Fire Administration, a branch of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Bleach and Ammonia

Bleach and ammonia are an extremely common combination, since many household cleaning products contain ammonia. However, mixing ammonia and bleach results in chlorine gas. Large enough amounts of chlorine gas can cause chest pain, coughing, and excessive tearing. Chlorine gas can also be fatal in large quantities. In fact, the gas was used as a chemical weapon in World War I. Keep in mind that combining bleach and vinegar can also result in chlorine gas.

Bleach and Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol can be an effective germ-killing agent, but the highly alcoholic compound can be dangerous if accidentally mixed with bleach. Bleach and rubbing alcohol combine to create chloroform, a highly toxic compound you’ve probably seen used as an immediate sedative in thriller films. Chloroform can also be highly explosive if mixed with additional chemicals.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar

Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar are two of the most common household cleaning agents, but combining them can be deadly. Mixing hydrogen peroxide and vinegar creates a highly corrosive acid called peracetic, or peroxyacetic, acid. This acid is corrosive to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.

Avoiding Toxic Combinations

Household product reactions can be extremely dangerous. Fortunately, they’re also fairly easy to avoid. When in doubt, stick to using just one household cleaner at a time per surface, and make sure to wipe down freshly cleaned surfaces with water before you use another product. Unless you know the exact chemical makeup inside a cleaning product bottle, it’s crucial to use one product at a time. You should also wear protective gloves to safeguard your skin when you clean, and ventilate your space by opening windows. Finally, make sure to be especially careful with reactive substances like bleach. Bleach’s high reactivity makes it especially volatile in the face of other chemicals.

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The dangers of mixing household products are certainly alarming. Fortunately, you can avoid these hazards by choosing cleaning products that stand alone – like the SafeSpace Disinfecting & Deodorizing Mist.

If you need some help finding household cleaning products you can trust, look at what SafeSpace Company® has to offer. Disinfecting your home thoroughly, efficiently, and conveniently can be easily done with the SafeSpace Disinfecting & Deodorizing Mist. It kills 99 percent of the germs responsible for colds, flu, staph, MRSA and covid. The Easy Misting Handle allows you to reach overlooked areas including: bathroom corners, knobs and handles, light switches, door frames, baseboards, and more. So, if you know that someone ill was recently in your home, pull out your SafeSpace D&D Mist and disinfect the space before you come into contact with any lingering germs that carry the virus. One can treats an area the size of an average home, offering approximately 1,200 square feet of disinfectant mist.

If you would like to purchase the SafeSpace Disinfecting & Deodorizing Mist today, please visit the SafeSpace® website. For more information, please give us a call today at 1-800-735-2506.

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