Cleaning products can be expensive, and it’s not always feasible to go to the store and buy several different cleaning items.
A popular alternative to cleaning products is using a mix of baking soda and bleach. But does this method work, and is it safe?
We’ll cover whether bleach and baking soda work as a cleaning method, as well as the possible jobs the mixture might work well at cleaning.
We’ll also list some common household items that should never be mixed with bleach, so that you can remain safe while cleaning your home.
Is It Dangerous To Combine Baking Soda And Bleach?
No, it isn’t dangerous to mix bleach and baking soda. This is a safe mixture that many individuals use to clean their homes.
While these items individually work great at cleaning, their cleaning power is amplified once they are mixed.
You might use bleach for many bathroom tasks, but it can clean even better with a little extra baking soda.
People tend to be concerned about whether baking soda and bleach can be mixed, as there are many risks involved with working with bleach.
If bleach is combined with other household items, it can create a toxic and possibly lethal gas.
One of these dangerous examples is vinegar and bleach. If these two items are mixed, they can produce chlorine gas.
If these gas levels build up in large amounts, this can lead to circumstances, so you should always avoid mixing these two products.
Fortunately, these poisonous gases won’t be produced if bleach and baking soda come into contact with each other.
You can use the mixture to make your cleaning tasks easier.
Bleach and baking soda work well individually and together at several jobs, which we’ll get into below.
Laundering Clothes
You can add a little baking soda or bleach to your laundry for extra cleaning power.
For instance, if you are washing white bed sheets or towels, a small amount of bleach can keep them gleaming and white.
You can also add around ½ a cup of baking soda to the load for a visible difference. Your garments will look newer and cleaner than they did previously.
Laundry tasks are some of the most popular uses of baking soda and bleach.
You can use this useful mixture to remove stains from white garments, or keep your white towels sparkling and clean.
Baking soda and bleach can do amazing things for your dirty clothes. If you want to give your everyday laundry jobs an extra boost, try using baking soda and bleach.
Avoiding Mold And Cleaning Walls
You can also use bleach and baking soda mixture to clean your walls. Walls can get dirty quickly, so they’ll need to be scrubbed clean.
Make a paste of bleach and baking soda, then use this to wash your walls. People also use this mixture to prevent mold from forming.
If there are rooms in the house that have mold issues, you can use bleach to remove the mold. Do this by creating a paste by mixing baking soda and bleach in a bowl.
Remember, bleach is dangerous, so always do this in a well-ventilated room. Keep the doors and windows open. Wear safety goggles, rubber gloves, and a vented mask to keep safe.
Once you have mixed the two substances, apply the paste to the moldy walls, then use a brush to scrub the area. Remember to wear gloves!
This method works well at killing mold spores and keeping your walls clean.
This method is used often to remove mold, so provided that you work in a well-ventilated area, you shouldn’t encounter many issues later.
Things That Should Never Be Mixed With Bleach
While it is safe to mix bleach and baking soda, there are many items that should never be mixed with bleach.
Vinegar And Bleach
As mentioned above, bleach and vinegar should never, under any circumstances, be mixed together.
These items shouldn’t even be stored near each other, especially in a non-ventilated space.
Bleach and vinegar are both potent disinfectants, so it is easy to believe that mixing the two of them results in a stronger disinfectant.
However, mixing the two will generate chlorine gas, which is very harmful in large amounts.
Even if the chlorine gas gathers in smaller quantities, it can lead to stinging eyes, coughing, and minor breathing difficulties.
Bleach And Ammonia
Bleach and ammonia should never be mixed together. Like vinegar, you should store ammonia products well away from your bleach ones.
Ammonia and bleach combine to make chloramine. This is a poisonous gas that can lead to respiratory difficulties.
Ammonia is in a lot of cleaning products, which is why you shouldn’t mix bleach with anything, except baking soda.
To avoid chloramine forming and causing health issues, never mix bleach with any commercial cleaning product (such as Pine-Sol).
Rubbing Alcohol And Bleach
Rubbing alcohol and bleach combine to create chloroform. This substance is well known, as abductors use chloroform to make people unconscious.
Chloroform might not make you pass out at once, but it can be poisonous and act as an irritant in large quantities.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner And Bleach
Toilet cleaners are full of chemicals that can react poorly with bleach. These include alcohol, ammonia, acids, and various other ingredients.
Only choose one product to clean your toilet, either bleach or a toilet bowl cleaner (it should never be used for the shower).
If you’d prefer to use both, use bleach on the toilet first, then once you flush it away, leave it alone for 15 minutes. Flush the toilet again, then use a toilet bowl cleaner as the last step.
Whether you use bleach or a toilet bowl cleaner, remember to keep your bathroom well-ventilated during the process.
Safety Guidelines For Cleaning Equipment
Here are some safety tips for managing your cleaning supplies.
Always ensure that your cleaning products are sealed properly when they aren’t needed. It’s best to store chemical products in a well-ventilated area or proper storage, as this keeps them at room temperature.
Make sure that cleaning containers and supplies are well out of reach for pets and children.
Read the labels on your cleaning supplies and store them as recommended on the label. You may need to keep the products in a specific temperature range or away from other supplies.
Keep wearing gloves while you handle chemical products.
If you do accidentally mix ingredients that shouldn’t be mixed, open all of the windows, doors, and other ventilation spaces. Leave the environment at once and allow the gasses to diminish.
If you notice any side effects, no matter how small, go to an emergency room ASAP.
The Bottom Line
Bleach and baking soda are perfectly safe to use together, provided that you wear gloves, work in a ventilated area, and safely dispose of the bleach afterwards.
The ingredients work great individually in your laundry, and also together to stop mold from forming on your walls.
However, you need to avoid mixing bleach with other household items.
Ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol, can all create toxic substances when mixed with bleach.
Always keep bleach well away from any other cleaning products and seek medical help at once if you suspect any of these substances have mixed with bleach.
Hi, my name is Shauna Stone and I love improving my home to make it perfect. Researching new cleaning techniques is one of my favorite things to do - have you ever fallen into the rabbit hole that is cleaning TikToks?
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