“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

Bleach is a powerful sanitizer that is highly reactive with other chemicals. Obviously ammonia is the most commonly known since that episode of king of the hill, but bleach and vinegar will also make chlorine gas. Bleach and rubbing alcohol makes chloroform.

Rather than memorizing everything bleach can’t be safely mixed with, better to just use it separately.