Can Spring Cleaning Mistakes Endanger Your Safety?
If you plan to do some spring cleaning in the next few weeks, it is essential to avoid mistakes that could endanger your safety. When cleaning products are misused, chemical reactions can occur. Some of these chemical reactions may result in serious injury or death. The following examples are common spring cleaning mistakes people make with these products.
Never Mix Bleach with Other Cleaning Products
Bleach is effective at what it is designed to do: clean and sterilize surfaces. However, it can cause hazardous chemical reactions when combined with other products. Chlorine gas is produced when bleach is mixed with acidic products. This is a common mistake people make when cleaning toilet bowls. They will purchase a toilet bowl cleaner containing acid and then mix it with bleach. Another common mistake is to mix drain cleaners from different brands. Mixed, this may also create chlorine gas. Chlorine gas irritates the mucus membranes. Low levels of exposure can cause coughing, breathing problems, and watery eyes. High levels of exposure can lead to vomiting, chemical burns, severe chest pain, pneumonia, and death. Acidic cleaning products include vinegar, drain cleaners, window cleaners (some but not all) and drain cleaners. Chloramines are produced when bleach is mixed with ammonia. These are toxic vapors that cause coughing fits, nausea, wheezing, shortness of breath, and pneumonia. If you are cleaning with rubbing alcohol, do not also clean with bleach. Rubbing alcohol and bleach react to form chloroform and hydrochloric acid when mixed. In large enough quantities, chloroform vapors can cause dizziness and irritation. Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive substance that may cause chemical burns. The Centers for Disease Control recommends avoiding bleach products in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces. Only mix bleach products with water and your own hard work ethic.
Are There Other Dangerous Cleaning Products?
It is essential to keep cleaning products out of reach of children. If you plan to do some spring cleaning, be sure to keep these products out of reach. For example, drain cleaners containing sulfuric acid can cause severe chemical burns and disfigurement when they come into contact with soft tissue. Many of these products are uniformly fatal when ingested. Although some websites claim these products should be kept on a high shelf, that is hogwash. Keep these products in a high area in a locked cabinet or large toolbox. Children can climb counters, and they may not understand why these products are dangerous. Make sure your children can not see how you unlock these cabinets or toolboxes. Never leave cleaning products unattended. The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC are committed to serving the community by promoting safety.