Never Mix These!

Okay, I knew that I had done something wrong as soon as I did it. I could hardly breathe and I have problems in that arena already. I opened the window and turned the water on and was out the door in less that 5 seconds!  I had mixed two cleaners accidentally trying to clean the sink. The first bottle had ran out and just got a little bit in the sink, so I yanked out the new bottle with a different label, but I thought they were the same. Not so. A few days later I researched and saw why this had happened, and the list below.  Print it off if necessary and tape it on the inside of the cleaning cupboard door.

Courtesy of homesessive.com

Cleaning products often contain harsh chemicals. Certain types of chemicals found in typical household products can actually become dangerous when combined. It’s important to be mindful of what you intend to mix – and what you should absolutely avoid mixing. Incredibly basic items like bleach can have potentially violent reactions with acidic products like vinegar.

It’s important to recognize which common cleaning agents can create dangerous vapors or other terrible side effects. We’ve rounded up 10 of the most dangerous chemical mixes that can occur around the house.

1. Fungicides And Acids

Mixing acids with certain fungicides like pesticides, dandruff shampoos, or other products with sulfur or sulfates can release hydrogen sulfide gas, which can be very dangerous. Inhaling small quantities can cause eye irritation, coughing, headache, nausea or dizziness. Being exposed to large quantities of hydrogen sulfide can result in seizures, tracheobronchitis and even death.

2. Rubbing Alcohol And Bleach

Typical household bleach contains a compound called sodium hypochlorite, which can react badly with ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, creating chloroform, hydrochloric acid or other undesirable combinations. Chloroform can damage the nervous system, lung or kidneys and cause dizziness or nausea. Exposure to very high levels of chloroform can be lethal.

3. Two Types Of Drain Cleaner

Mixing two types two different types of drain cleaner can lead to very bad results if one contains hydrochloric acid and the other one contains bleach. This combination can result chlorine gas, which was used during World War I.

4. Bleach And Ammonia

Combining bleach and ammonia can lead to potentially dangerous chloramine vapors, which can result in coughing, nausea, shortness of breath and even chest pain.

5. Bleach And Vinegar

Combing a weak acid to bleach creates chloramine vapors, which can cause bad chemical burns in the eyes and lungs.

6. Hydrogen Peroxide And Vinegar

Mixing together hydrogen peroxide and vinegar can produce a corrosive acid. In high concentrations this combination can lead to irritation in the skin, eyes, nose or throat and even permanently scar the skin, cornea or throat!

7. Bleach And Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Mixing bleach with toilet bowl cleaners can create potentially deadly fumes.

8. Different Brands Of One Product

Mixing different cleaners together can potentially cause bad reactions. They might produce toxins or cancel each other out and not function properly. This is what I did, but I got the bad reaction.

9. Different Types of Batteries

Battery brands can differ in voltage and contain different chemical compounds. When one battery dies the other still release electricity and cause the batteries to leak. This is potentially harmful to sensitive electronic devices.

10. Baking Soda And Vinegar

One their own, baking soda and vinegar are great cleaning products, but when combined they cancel each other out and leave you with mostly water. Well, at least this is not going to hurt us.

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