Toilet cleaning: Dangerous mixtures to avoid when cleaning your toilet
TOILET cleaning is among people's least favourite chores, given the proximity to bacteria and harsh chemicals. When mixed, some of these chemicals can produce potentially dangerous effects.
Lynsey Queen Of Clean tries ‘power-foaming’ toilet cleaner
Toilet bleaching is one of the dirtiest jobs in the house, which most people will ultimately choose to avoid. But leaving the toilet to accumulate filth leads to excessive grime buildup, which over time becomes harder to remove. Most of the best cleaning products include harsh chemicals, which can become harmful if incorrectly used.
Which toilet cleaners should you avoid mixing?
Toilet cleaners include abrasive chemicals which are harmful on their own.
For example, bleach can irritate the skin, lungs and eyes, and cause a litany of other health problems.
Together with other products, they pose even more danger and can create new states of matter.
READ MORE: How to clean a leather handbag
Bleach and ammonia
Mixing bleach and ammonia-based cleaners poses the gravest health risks.
They brew gases named chloramines which burn the eyes, nose, throat and airway.
Chloramine gas can cause teary eyes, sore throats, coughing and even death.
Acid-based cleaners and bleach
Mixing bleach with acid-based cleaners creates a similar concoction.
Once again, the two chemicals produce a gas, in this case, known as chlorine gas.
The gas can also kill in high concentrations, but effects are often longer-lasting and may require hospital treatment.
DON'T MISS
How to clean shower head: Why NOT to use bleach - EXPLAINER
10 things you should never clean with washing up liquid - ANALYSIS
How to clean a dishwasher - INSIGHT
People may recognise the gas from their history lessons, as it killed thousands of soldiers when used by the Germans during the First World War.
Acid-based cleaning products include:
- Drain openers
- Toilet bowl cleaners
- Oven cleaners
- Vinegar
Drain cleaners
While most people are more likely to use them on their sink rather than their toilet, drain cleaners can also be dangerous.
On their own, they can cause rashes or burns on the skin, and their fumes are also dangerous to inhale.
Mixing them can release chlorine gas and other harmful byproducts.