Most household products are safe on their own and dangerous in combination. The combinations are not obvious from the labels, because the labels use brand language rather than chemistry. This is the list worth knowing by heart.
Never mix these
- Bleach and any acid. That means vinegar, lemon juice, and most limescale and toilet
descalers, which are acids under a friendlier name. It releases chlorine gas.
- Bleach and ammonia. Ammonia is in many glass cleaners and some multi-surface sprays.
It releases chloramine gas.
- Bleach and rubbing alcohol, which produces chloroform among other things.
- Two different drain unblockers. One is often strongly alkaline and the other strongly
acidic. In a confined pipe that reaction is violent and can spit the contents back at you.
- Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, which makes peracetic acid, corrosive to skin and lungs.
The pattern underneath all of it: bleach is the common ingredient in nearly every dangerous combination. If you use bleach, use it on its own, rinse before anything else goes near the surface, and never decant it into an unlabelled bottle.
What the labels actually mean
- Antibacterial is not the same as antiviral, and neither is the same as clean.
- Contact time is the number that makes disinfectant work, and it is on the back of the
bottle. Most people wipe it off well before it. A disinfectant wiped away after ten seconds has essentially been used as a cloth.
- Fragrance-free does not mean it contains no irritants.
- Natural has no legal definition in cleaning products. Vinegar is natural and will still
The sensible minimum
Keep the bottles in their original containers, keep them out of reach of children, and keep bleach separate from everything else. If the job genuinely needs a strong product, ventilate before you start rather than when it gets unpleasant.
If something is swallowed, do not induce vomiting. Corrosives do as much damage coming back up. Ring 111, or 999 if the person is struggling to breathe, and have the bottle in your hand so you can read them the ingredients.