“There are two types of cleaning products: bleach and things that should never be mixed with bleach”. To what extent is this true? And why?

Question

u/shaneoffood posted this comment in a discussion about unscented laundry detergents.

I’m familiar with the fact that ammonia and bleach creating something like chlorine gas, and I get that mixing different elements can cause them to react.

But is the original comment a good rule of thumb? Are there exceptions? And why do they make “the best” cleaning products?

In: 491

Answer 1

The “other chemicals” you shouldn’t mix with bleach cleaners are cleaning products containing acid. These acids react with bleach to form toxic chlorine products, from mustard gas to chloroform and straight chlorine gas. Acids are commonly used to clean mineral deposits and rust, so any cleaner containing acids (even boring vinegar) should not be mixed with bleach.

The exceptions to this rule are cleaners that don’t contain any acids such as unscented laundry detergent which is why you can add bleach to a washing load to disinfect/remove stains