Can You Mix Bleach and Ammonia? 6 Cleaning Questions Answered
Mixing bleach and ammonia in the same mop bucket is extremely dangerous. We look at this and five other common cleaning questions using the facts, including the popular trick of boiling your kitchen sponge.
Bleach and ammonia: a dangerous combination
When the two come together, the hypochlorite in bleach reacts with ammonia to form chloramines. These gases attack the eyes, throat and airways.
Symptoms include coughing and a feeling of breathlessness. In a small, closed bathroom, they can even cause pulmonary edema. If you have already mixed them, open the window and leave the room. If you are struggling to breathe, call 112.
Chloramines also explain the strong smell of some swimming pools. That smell is not chlorine, but chlorine that has reacted with swimmers' sweat and urine. A pool with a strong smell doesn't have more chlorine: it has more chloramines.
Bleach and vinegar: releases chlorine gas
This combination looks harmless, but it isn't. Vinegar lowers the pH, and as it does, the hypochlorite releases chlorine gas. It is the same gas the German army released at Ypres in April 1915.
The same thing happens with hydrochloric acid and with many bathroom limescale removers, because they are acidic too. That is why bleach should be used on its own and with cold water.
Does vinegar disinfect?
The short answer is: a little, and slowly. Supermarket vinegar contains between 5 and 6% acetic acid.
Given a long contact time, it slows down some bacteria, but not all of them. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not register it as a disinfectant.
Where it really is useful is against limescale. If you leave it on a tap or shower screen for a while, it dissolves the white carbonate deposits.
Does bleach expire?
Yes, though not in the same way food does. Hypochlorite gradually breaks down into common salt and other compounds that no longer disinfect. Heat and light speed up this process.
That is why, in Spain, the label shows the manufacturing date. A bottle forgotten for years under the sink disinfects less than it claims. Diluting it in very hot water also speeds up this loss.
How often should you wash your sheets?
There is no official rule. However, microbiologists such as Philip Tierno of New York University recommend washing them once a week.
Every night we leave sweat, oils and skin flakes on them, which feed dust mites. If you have allergies, sleep with your pet or sweat a lot, it is best to wash them more often. Pillowcases deserve special attention, because that is where you rest your face.
Does boiling a sponge get it clean?
In 2017, a team from Furtwangen University in Germany analysed fourteen used kitchen sponges. They found up to 54 billion bacteria per cubic centimetre, a density comparable to that of faeces. The pores, the warm moisture and food residue all encourage their growth.
A common claim online is that all you need to do is boil the sponge or put it in the microwave for a minute. But in that study, the sponges whose owners said they cleaned them this way did not have fewer bacteria. They had a higher proportion of certain potentially pathogenic species, such as Moraxella osloensis, which is linked to the musty smell of damp laundry.
In the lab, heat kills almost all bacteria instantly. According to the authors, the most likely explanation is that the hardiest ones survive and recolonise the sponge. The sample was small, but they recommend replacing the sponge every week rather than boiling it.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if I have mixed bleach and ammonia?
Open the window and leave the room. If you are struggling to breathe, call 112.
Why shouldn't you mix bleach with vinegar or hydrochloric acid?
Because they are acidic, and when they lower the pH, the hypochlorite in bleach releases chlorine gas.
Can vinegar be used to disinfect?
Only a little, and slowly: it slows down just some bacteria given a long contact time, and the EPA does not register it as a disinfectant. It is, however, effective against limescale.
How often should you replace your kitchen sponge?
The authors of the Furtwangen University study recommend replacing it every week rather than boiling it.
Informative article written with the help of AI tools from the verified script of the video. The video is in Spanish.