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8.8

Cleaners you must never mix

Use one cleaning product at a time, and never mix bleach with ammonia or with acids.

A minimalist display of cleaning products on a shelf.
Photo: Ron Lach / Pexels
Area: HomeFrom age 14Time to learn: 10 minutes

You will be able to name the two most dangerous cleaner combinations, explain why, and know what to do after an exposure.

SafetyIf someone is exposed and has trouble breathing, call 911. For other exposures, call Poison Control (US 1-800-222-1222; Canada 1-844-764-7669, or 1-800-463-5060 in Québec) and read them the product label. Call even if the person feels fine at first, because symptoms can appear later. If eyes are burning, rinse them with lukewarm water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Why it matters

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) mixed with ammonia, found in many glass cleaners, releases toxic chloramine gases. Bleach mixed with acids, such as vinegar, many toilet bowl cleaners and rust removers, releases chlorine gas. Both burn the eyes, throat and lungs. A strong exposure can cause breathing problems right away; a weaker one can cause symptoms later.

From January to March 2020, during the early COVID-19 pandemic, US poison centers received 45,550 exposure calls about cleaners and disinfectants, 20.4% more than in the same months of 2019.
Source: CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 69, No. 16, 2020.Measured

How to do it

  1. Learn the two dangerous pairs. Bleach + ammonia (glass and window cleaners, some multi-surface sprays). Bleach + acids (vinegar, toilet bowl cleaners, rust and lime removers).
  2. Read every label before use. Look for 'bleach', 'sodium hypochlorite', 'ammonia' or 'acid' in the ingredients and warnings.
  3. Use one product, rinse the surface with water, and let it dry before using a different product on the same spot.
  4. Never pour two products into the same bucket, sink or toilet bowl.
  5. If you dilute bleach, use room-temperature water and pour the bleach into the water. For 5% bleach, Health Canada's ratio is 5 mL (1 teaspoon) per 250 mL (1 cup) of water. Make only what you need and do not store it.
  6. Open windows or run a fan while you clean.
  7. Keep products in their original containers. Never reuse a bottle for a different chemical.
  8. If you smell a sharp chlorine odour, start coughing, or your eyes burn, leave the area right away and get fresh air. Open windows and doors if you can, and stay out until the gas has cleared.
  9. Call Poison Control: US 1-800-222-1222; Canada 1-844-POISON-X (1-844-764-7669), or 1-800-463-5060 in Québec. In Nunavut, call your local health centre. Call 911 if someone has trouble breathing.
  10. Store all cleaners up high, out of reach of children and pets.

Common mistakes

  • Adding vinegar to bleach to make it stronger.
  • Pouring bleach into a toilet that still has toilet bowl cleaner in it.
  • Mixing cleaners in an unlabelled spray bottle.
  • Diluting bleach with hot water.
You can do this when …you can name the two dangerous pairs, bleach with ammonia and bleach with acids such as vinegar, and point to each of those products in your own home.

Sources

  1. Health Canada: Household chemical safety
  2. CDC: Chlorine chemical fact sheet
  3. CDC MMWR: Cleaning and Disinfectant Chemical Exposures, January–March 2020
  4. Canadian Association for Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology
  5. HRSA Poison Help (US)

Sources and numbers last checked . How we check

Topic: Cleaning and laundry

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  14. 1.14Reading a prescription label
  15. 1.15Booking a doctor's appointment and describing symptoms
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  3. 3.3Apologising properly
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  12. 3.12Resigning from a job in writing
  13. 3.13Answering interview questions with the STAR method
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  8. 8.8Cleaners you must never mix · You are here
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