With the rampant way germ-causing diseases are affecting many people these days, home disinfecting is a top concern.
Home cleaning and disinfecting are excellent ways of preventing most diseases. However, if one works well, then you feel mixing two will double the effect.
You may use more than one household cleaning product to disinfect your homes. Although acceptable cleaning agents get used, you shouldn’t combine some of these products.
Such wrong combinations prove very deadly. In this article, we’ll look at the combination of Lysol and bleach and how it affects us.
It would be best not to mix Lysol and bleach as this combination is hazardous. The bleach oxidizes the alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride in Lysol, which results in different dangerous and toxic compounds. Bleach is a strong chemical that should only mix with water. A mixture of it with any other chemical is volatile.
What Happens If You Mix Lysol And Bleach?
Any safe chemical combination requires two compatible products. We all know how strong bleach is; this makes it toxic and incompatible with other cleaning products.
If you accidentally mix Lysol and bleach, it’s a potential danger as their mixture is lethal.
Various Lysol products contain different compounds, which determine the reaction they’ll produce when mixed with bleach.
Most Lysol products contain the compound ammonia. Therefore, when you mix Lysol with bleach, the ammonia mix produces chloramine gas.
This chloramine gas is very toxic and irritates the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract. Prolonged exposure to this gas will permanently scar your airways and lungs.
Some Lysol products contain ethanol (alcohol). If ethanol gets mixed with bleach, it produces the chemical chloroform as a by-product.
Chloroform is a popular sedative for surgery. When bleach and Lysol are mixed and produced, it’ll knock you out.
Prolonged exposure to a mixture of these two chemicals without medical attention can lead to death.
In addition, the mixture releases gases that cause difficulties in breathing because it attacks your airways.
What Do You Do When You Mix Lysol And Bleach?
There are cases of ignorance where you may decide to mix Lysol and bleach to get a better cleaning result.
If this should happen, there are specific steps you must take to keep yourself from getting harmed.
If the mixed quantity isn’t high, you may not notice the effect immediately until you start experiencing specific symptoms.
The first symptoms of exposure to this toxic mixture will be headaches and dizziness. Once you notice this, you should vacate the room and get fresh air.
If you experience burning in your chest or eyes and coughing, you must get medical help immediately. In such situations, it’s also good to contact a poison control center.
When you notice these symptoms, don’t panic or ignore them but remain calm. Calmly follow the necessary steps to prevent further health risks.
Leave the area where these chemicals have been mixed to a safer place with fresh air before taking further precautions.
What to Do If We Accidentally Mixed Lysol And Bleach?
In a situation where you’re cleaning and accidentally mixing Lysol and bleach, you may panic for fear of the dangerous outcome.
You might not notice the mistake until you experience certain symptoms. However, you must follow specific steps to ensure your safety.
Immediately you begin to experience headaches or feel dizzy, you must leave the area.
Get medical help if the symptoms have gotten severe. Do not attempt to remove the chemicals yourself, as this may prove fatal.
If your symptoms aren’t that severe and eventually reduce because of your exposure to fresh air, you can go back inside.
But, first, you must go inside and ventilate the affected area. This ventilation is done by opening windows and turning fans to let toxic vapors out and let in the fresh air.
This ventilation method will help reduce the effect and smell of the chemicals. Take the container that contains the mixture outside to an open area.
Carefully do this and ensure it’s far from people and animals. You’ll have to dilute this mixture with water to neutralize its toxic effect.
If the chemicals get accidentally mixed in your toilet bowl, close the lid and flush it. Flush it several times to completely neutralize the toxins.
You have to throw out any cleaning items such as rags, brushes, or bowls that have come in contact with the Lysol and bleach mixture.
Ensure you do not use the contaminated cleaning tools; they will endanger anything they come.
Contact poison control in a situation where you mix a large amount of the chemicals. Don’t enter the area when unsure how to deal with such an occurrence.
Wait for emergency services. There are quick reply emergency services for such toxic gas situations.
Follow the cleanup instructions from the poison control center, and you’ll be fine. It would help if you also took a shower to clean yourself up.
Then, clean all your clothes to eliminate residual particles of this dangerous mixture.
Table Showing the Result, Symptoms, and Solution to a Mixture of Lysol and Bleach:
| Result Of Mixture | Symptoms | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Chloroform | Dizziness or loss of consciousness | Go to an area with fresh air |
| Chloramine | Burning sensation in the throat, eyes, and chest | Contact an emergency poison control center |
| Chloramine | Nausea and vomiting | Seek immediate medical attention |
| Chloroform | Coughing, wheezing, or difficulty in breathing | Vacate the contaminated area and get medical help |
Is It Safe to Mix Lysol And Bleach?
It is not in any way safe to mix Lysol and bleach. This mixture is highly volatile and unsafe for both people and animals.
In addition, anyone who inhales the fumes from the toxic gas will get exposed to health problems.
The essential thing to do is, be extra careful when dealing with either of these cleaning products.
Follow the instructions and warnings on the chemical cleaning label. For example, you should only mix bleach with water.
The resulting mixture of Lysol and bleach is a poisonous gas (chloramine) that can induce a coma. Inhaling this chloramine gas in high concentrations can lead to death.
In addition, contact with this mixture can cause nausea, breathing difficulty, throat and lung irritation, and other toxin-related issues.
Is It Dangerous to Use Bleach And Lysol All-purpose Cleaner On The Same Stain?
Household cleaning products are effective on their own and do not require mixing.
It is dangerous to use bleach and Lysol on the same stain—these two, when mixed, give off poisonous gases that are lethal to health. The chloramine gas formed can cause disorientation and choke.
Bleach is mainly a disinfectant; therefore, you should use it for sanitizing. The Lysol all-purpose cleaner can efficiently remove stains.
Mixing these two products will produce toxic gases and potentially create an exothermic reaction resulting in a fire. Inhaling these fumes can cause permanent damage to your lungs.
When dealing with a stubborn stain, be patient and choose a particular method and product to tackle it.
It may be tempting to immediately try out a different cleaning product on the same spot when the first doesn’t work.
For safety, please don’t ever play chemist and experiment with Lysol and bleach on the same stain.
When Lysol and bleach mix, whether in small or large quantities, they form chloramine or chloroform.
Therefore if you use one in cleaning a stain, then use the other, it may not be enough to cause a reaction, but it is still unsafe. You should throw out the rags and other items you’ve used.
Carefully wipe the surface with water, ventilate the room, and clean yourself up.
To prevent the mistake of wrong mixtures, read the labels on any product before using it. If you must use two products on a particular spot, ensure to rinse and dry the surface before using another product.
Each cleaning product should have its cleaning cloth that shouldn’t get mixed up.
Final Thoughts
Please resist experimenting with household cleaning products. Each product has a label warning how you shouldn’t use it that you must follow.
If you accidentally mix Lysol and bleach, follow the necessary precautions and contact medical services. To be safe, you can also opt for natural cleaning products.
