Learn what cleaning product you should never mix. And uncover the hazards behind chemical combinations to ensure a safe and effective approach to your cleaning routine.
I love making homemade cleaners and using simple cleaning ingredients is a great way to be more frugal and live a vintage homemaker life however, I often see people mixing cleaning ingredients that at best make them less effective and at worse make them dangerous.
There has even been a growing trend on social media of people mixing cleaners because they are pretty and they think they will work really well. I watch so many of these in horror because they are often mixing dangerous things together and not properly handling the chemicals they are using.
Not only should you be sure to read this information and use caution when mixing chemicals, make sure if you have kids to teach this as well. With these trends being on Tiktok and Instagram they may come across them and not know it’s a dangerous thing to do.
What Cleaning Product You Should Never Mix
Household cleaning products often contain a variety of chemicals designed to target specific types of dirt, stains, or germs. Mixing certain products can result in chemical reactions that release harmful gases, cause irritation, or even lead to more severe consequences. It’s essential to be aware of these potential risks to create a safe and effective cleaning environment.
- Bleach and Ammonia: Mixing bleach with ammonia can produce toxic chloramine vapors, leading to respiratory issues, chest pain, and eye irritation. Never combine these two powerful cleaners.
- Bleach and Vinegar: Combining bleach with vinegar creates chlorine gas, which can cause coughing, breathing difficulties, and potential damage to the respiratory system. Keep these two apart when cleaning.
- Lemon Juice and Bleach: This is another combination that can create chlorine gas. Also on their own they do similar things so always use them on their own.
- Bleach and Rubbing Alcohol: The combination of bleach and rubbing alcohol produces chloroform and hydrochloric acid, both harmful substances that can cause dizziness, nausea, and irritation. Avoid this mixture at all costs.
- Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar: Combining hydrogen peroxide with vinegar creates peracetic/peroxyacetic acid. Peroxyacetic acid is highly corrosive. Contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes leading to eye damage. Breathing peroxyacetic ccid can irritate the nose and throat. Skip any advice that tells you to mix these.
- Vinegar and Baking Soda: This combination is not dangerous but it is useless unless you are trying to clear a drain. When you mix these items you are creating a salt (sodium acetate) and water, as well as carbon dioxide gas. None of this is very useful for cleaning or disinfecting.
- Castile Soap and Vinegar: Castile soap is another item I love to clean with, you may know it as Dr. Bronner’s. I often see people suggest using these items together but this is another one where they aren’t unsafe but they are ineffective together. Vinegar is an acid and castile soap is a base. When they react directly they basically cancel each other out. The vinegar takes the soap back to its original oils and makes it gross and curdled.
- Different Cleaning Products: Unless you are 100% sure what the ingredients are in everything you are mixing do not do it. For example, glass cleaner and toilet cleaner could create chloramine vapors because glass cleaner often contains ammonia and toilet cleaner often contains bleach. It’s best to use each product on their own and rinse well between different products.
Cleaning Safety Precautions and Alternatives:
To ensure a safe cleaning environment, follow these precautions:
- Read Labels: Carefully read and understand the labels on cleaning products to identify potential hazards and compatibility issues.
- Research Before Mixing: If you are making your own cleaners be sure to research if the ingredients are safe and effective when mixed. When in doubt as a professional or just skip.
- Ventilation: Use cleaning products in well-ventilated areas to minimize inhalation risks.
- Wear Protective Gear: When dealing with strong chemicals, wear protective gear such as gloves and masks to prevent skin contact and inhalation.
The alternative to these ineffective or harmful cleaner combinations is to stick to single products. Even when it comes to cleaning with natural, homemade products a lot of time hot water and soap is perfectly fine. Mix as few things as possible, you don’t need a cleaner that calls for 10 different things, even if the internet told you that you do. Simple products are usually best.
Maintaining a clean home is vital, but it’s equally crucial to prioritize safety. Knowing which cleaning products should never be mixed is a fundamental step in creating a secure cleaning routine. By staying informed and following recommended safety guidelines, you can keep your living space both clean and hazard-free.
Sara says
I knew you couldn’t put them together but wasn’t exactly sure why! Your picture and info helps me understand. I usually wash with castile soap and use vingear after like you suggested! I’ll be pinning this to help others! Thanks.
Lisa Sharp says
Isn’t it gross? haha
Brenna says
I actually never realized this until a while back when Lisa Bronner actually addressed this herself a while back and people started talking about it. Of course, from a chemical standpoint it makes perfect sense. Hopefully people realize if they want a clean house to not mix the two!
Lisa Sharp says
Yeah I still see recipes using both together all the time. They are great but not together ha.
Elizabeth says
Thanks for posting this!! I see recipes online that mix Castile soap and vinegar all the time,
Anna@Green Talk says
I wouldn’t think of putting them together but thanks for explaining why not to. Sharing.
Lori Popkewitz Alper says
Very interesting Lisa! I have both and use them for everything, but not together. Now I’ll make sure that never happens!
Carol says
Actually the reaction of milk + vinegar is a different one – not an acid/base reaction but rather the acid coagulates the proteins. Still a reaction, but not the SAME reaction 🙂
Lisa Sharp says
Right, I wasn’t clear, I meant it looks similar haha.
Lindsay says
I have mixed Dr. Bronner’s with vinegar before, and have a recipe on my site I should change. Thanks Lisa!
Anne says
Anybody notice that Bronner’s Sal Suds, created only for cleaning, works fine this way? The scientists here can explain why…discuss…
Lisa Sharp says
It’s a synthetic detergent, not a soap. 🙂
Melissa says
Can the Sal Suds be mixed with the castile soap? I want to try making my own dish soap but have to admit I like the look and feel of some suds in the dishwater. I will miss them if they’re not there.
Lisa Sharp says
Why not just use Sal Suds?
Leiha Noriega says
Sal Suds has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is objectionable to many and has been linked to health issues.
Andre' Walker - Dr. Bronner's says
Hey Leiha, We appreciate your concern about SLS. There are a few points we would like to address on the topic.
The first issue is that many have confused SLS with SLES. The two chemicals are often conflated to be equally toxic, but that is not the case. SLS is sodium lauryl sulfate, and SLES is sodium laureth sulfate. SLES is ethoxylated with ethylene oxide and is thus contaminated with trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a documented carcinogen. SLS is not.
But to focus on the safety of SLS: the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database gives SLS a safety rating of 1–2, indicating that it is of very low risk. Studies have consistently shown that it is safe to use in low concentrations and in products that are meant to be rinsed off (both are true of Sal Suds). No risk of cancer has been found, as some websites purport. Research conducted by reputable sources such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the American Cancer Society supports that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is not a carcinogen.
The biggest risk associated with SLS is that for some people it is a skin irritant. We have done our best to minimize this risk, combining it with coco-betaine in a well-balanced formula that reduces the chance of irritation.
We understand if after reading this you still do not want to use a product that contains SLS. This is a decision that we respect, and for those who want to clean completely organically, we offer our line of Pure-Castile Soaps. However, for truly tough grease-cutting jobs, we have found that nothing is quite as effective as the combination of surfactants in Sal Suds (coco betaine, sodium lauryl sulfate, decyl glucoside). These surfactants are all made using simple chemistry and come from agricultural (not petrochemical) feedstock. We believe that they are very safe.
Hope this helps! ~Andre’
Laura says
What about mixing something like lemon essential oil with soap (since it’s acidic)? Do you think it would have the same effect?
Lisa Sharp says
No it shouldn’t. Dr. Bronner’s even has a citrus scented soap.
Joanna says
I use castile soap all of the time, this is good information to know!
Peg says
So, I just mopped with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint and added vinegar. Not loving the feel on the floor, I searched online to see if I need to rinse. Apparently I need to rinse with vinegar water and then not mix to mop in future. (Feeling dumb, but less dumb than while I was moping with both!)
Lisa Sharp says
It’s a common mistake and now you know. 🙂