Cleaning the house can take a lot of time, especially when you've been pushing it aside for too long. It's hard to find the time to accomplish this when there are so many others things that need to get done in the day. I'm not a huge fan of tiding up the house, but I know I have to push myself to do it because I want to live in a clean environment.
When faced with a dirty kitchen, bathroom or living room, it can feel natural to reach for the strongest cleaning supplies tucked away in the cabinet. After all, you want your home to be clean and germ free, right? Well, that is true but you have to be careful.
Some household cleaning agents are mainly effective on their own, but when certain ones combine, it can lead to much worse. Combining certain cleaning products can cause dangerous chemical reactions that are harmful to your health. Take a look at these cleaning supplies combos so you can safely clean the house.
1. Bleach and Rubbing Alcohol
We are all familiar with household bleach and how strong it is, but when you combine it with rubbing alcohol, watch out. This combination creates chloroform, which is a gas that can damage the nervous system, liver, kidneys, lungs, eyes, and skin if you breathe in high levels. Exposure to chloroform can also cause dizziness and nausea. This combo also produces hydrochloric acid which can give you chemical burns.
2. Bleach and Ammonia
Cleaning agents like bleach and ammonia are two that should never be together. They release Chloramine vapors, which can lead to damage in the respiratory system as well as throat burns.
If you're unsure if two cleaning products are safe to combine, don't do it! It's better to be safe.
3. Bleach and Vinegar
Vinegar is a cleaning supply that's basically a household essential. You can fill a spray bottle with vinegar, water, and essential oils to create your own natural all purpose cleaner.
Vinegar is personal favorite of mine, however don't combine it with bleach (bleach is getting pretty bad rap here!). Sure they're great disinfectants, but together it creates a toxic chlorine gas, which can cause serious lung damage and eye burns.
Better off sticking to the Clorox disinfecting wipes or natural all purpose cleaner!
4. Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar
Combining these two cleaning supplies creates peracetic acid, which can irritate and harm your eyes, skin, throat, nose, and lungs.
5. Too Much Drain Cleaner
It might seem like the only solution when the drain is clogged- more drain cleaner! That's actually not the case though and can actually be harmful, especially when you combine drain cleaners that are different brands.
They're all made with a strong base, but some brands contain different chemicals that shouldn't be combined. Combining drain cleaners can release chlorine gas or even lead to an explosion.
