Is It Safe to Mix Bleach and Baking Soda?

If you love making homemade cleaning solutions you’ll be familiar with bleach and baking soda and how versatile and powerful they are for cleaning.

If you’re thinking about mixing these two ingredients, or any other ingredients with baking soda, however, you’re right to do a little research first.

This is exactly what I did when I wanted to know, is it safe to mix bleach and baking soda?

Here is everything you need to know about mixing these two compounds from safety to applications:

Is It Bad to Mix Bleach and Baking Soda?

It’s not bad, no. There isn’t going to be an explosion or a dangerous chemical reaction, so you have nothing like that to worry about.

The general opinion is that the cleaning properties of both bleach and baking soda are improved when combined. Which is awesome, because I use bleach to clean almost everything, and baking soda shifts dirt and grease like nothing else.

Should You Mix Baking Soda and Bleach?

Both of these cleaning agents serve different purposes. Bleach is great for killing germs and ensuring surfaces are cleaner than the naked eye can see. While baking soda is able to scrub dirt and debris off surfaces as it forms a mildly abrasive scouring powder.

So, if you have both to hand and are looking for a more powerful cleaning solution – why not give it a try.

You end up with a solution that has some serious cleaning power, and the powder gives it a little more oomph when it comes to scrubbing dirt, grease, and so on off a surface.

It’s important to remember a couple of things though;

The first is to always try mixing a small amount first to see what happens. This was the most valuable lesson I ever learned in chemistry lessons at school. As I already pointed out, there should be nothing to worry about. But it’s always sensible to er on the side of caution.

The second thing is to always water down bleach, you don’t need to use it in concentrated form. You only need a little bleach, I start off with a small amount and see what consistency the paste is at the end.

Tips When Cleaning With Bleach

If you’re more familiar with baking soda than you are bleach. I want to take this opportunity to share some tips to be aware of when cleaning with bleach to ensure you’re staying safe:

• Don’t mix bleach with hot water. This releases chlorine gas which can be harmful.
• Never mix bleach with vinegar. Vinegar is another awesome cleaning agent but mixing it with bleach it potentially very dangerous.
• Always dilute bleach with water. I keep seeing and hearing about people using bleach neat out of the bottle, this is quite dangerous. Mix a maximum of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
• Ventilate your home when you’re using bleach. Breathing in the fumes can cause irritation ad breathing difficulties.
• Bleach can also irritate your skin. Wear protective items such as gloves and an apron, it’s not something to take risks with.

Remember, Bleach Is a Disinfectant Foremost

We keep talking about bleach as a cleaning agent. It’s actually a good disinfectant, a really good one. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which is the active ingredient that viruses, bacterias, and so on fear.

Technically speaking, it’s not great at “cleaning”.

What I mean by this is that bleach is awesome at killing germs. But if you’ve used it a lot, you’ll know it’s not that great at lifting dirt and stains from surfaces.

Which is why I decided to write up this article. Because baking soda is great at lifting dirt and stains, and not as effective at killing germs and bacteria.

So, it’s a marriage made in cleaning heaven really. You just need to know how to act responsibly and use them together.

How Safe Is It to Use Bleach Around the Home?

I grew up in a home where the smell of bleach was commonplace on a Sunday after my mom had done a good clean of the bathrooms.

We do have to keep an open mind, however, there are always new discoveries coming to light about the use of powerful chemicals.

I still use bleach to clean, but I’m very careful about how I use it and I dilute it heavily. There isn’t any evidence to suggest it’s dangerous when used correctly, so I’m happy to keep doing so.

It’s just incredbily important to remember not to let it come into contact with your skin. Not to breathe the fumes in more than is absolutely necessary, and not to let children and pets come into contact with it.

Cats, in particular, are drawn to the smell of chlorine and bleach by the way. So, if you have cats in your home, pay extra attention to what they’re up too while you have the bleach out. It’s not just kids you need to keep this chemical out of harms way from.

A Reminder – Don’t Mix Bleach and Vinegar

While we’re on the topic of mixing cleaning agents, I wanted to remind you not to mix bleach with vinegar.

Vinegar is also a really powerful cleaning agent. But vinegar is acidic, and when mixed with bleach the acid in vinegar releases a toxic gas that can cause chemical burns to your eyes and lungs.

It’s a firm no-no. Just don’t do it, not in any way, shape or form.

There, I’ve given you a safety lecture on the topic. Please act responsibly.

What Are Your Thoughts and Experiences?

I’d love to hear what your thoughts and experiences are with mixing bleach and baking soda. Or any other household chemicals for the purpose of making a cleaning agent.

I’ve mixed a few different essential oils with baking soda and vinegar too and made some sweet-smelling powerful cleaning concoctions. Orange essential oil is one of the best for this in my experience.

Anyway, if you have any recipes or combinations to share, just drop the community a note below. Much appreciated. Here’s to happy and safe cleaning!