Baking soda has a lot of applications for cleaning, from polishing marble to cleaning laminate floors, but can you mix bleach with baking soda?
There are no problems with mixing bleach and baking soda together, and the resulting mixture has many uses around the home such as for laundry or even cleaning mold off walls.
Let’s dive right into the benefits of mixing bleach and baking soda together, and the applications that the mixture has.
Benefits Of Mixing Bleach And Baking Soda
You may be wondering why you would ever want to mix bleach and baking soda together in the first place, but it makes sense when you think about the different properties that they have.
Bleach is great for disinfecting and killing bacteria and germs, while baking soda is amazing at removing smells and absorbing oils. When mixed together the baking soda will help minimize the strong bleach smell whilst enhancing its cleaning properties.
Another reason is that bleach does not mix well with the majority of other cleaning agents, and baking soda is one of very few that it can actually work with. This is because bleach can release harmful gases when mixed with the wrong things, such as vinegar.
Not only does baking soda mix well with bleach, but it also forms a paste due to the consistency of each component which is easy to apply to surfaces.
Applications Of Bleach And Baking Soda
So, what exactly can a mixture of bleach and baking soda be used for, and what proportions should it be mixed in?
We highly recommend wearing a face mask and rubber gloves when handling bleach.
Laundry
Probably the most well-known application for bleach and baking soda is for laundry when washing white clothes or towels. The bleach will sanitize and whiten, while the baking soda will neutralize any odors and soften the water to make your clothes feel softer.
Simply add equal amounts of bleach and baking soda as required to your next load of washing and the two will work together to whiten and clean your clothes thoroughly.
Mold
Another application for bleach and baking soda is for removing mold, specifically mold on walls or hard surfaces. Remember that when dealing with mold you should wear the necessary safety gear and keep the area well ventilated.
To apply this method, mix equal parts of baking soda and bleach in a container until a paste is formed. Apply the paste to the mold using a scrubber or cloth and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes, and then remove it by scrubbing.
The area can then be wiped down with a damp cloth and allowed to dry fully.
General Cleaning
If you dilute the bleach with water and then add baking soda this will create a general-purpose cleaning agent that can be used for generals stains and scuffs.
To create this mixture, add equal amounts of water and bleach in a container with a few teaspoons of baking soda to create your desired consistency. This can then be applied with a cloth or scrubber and left for a couple of minutes, and then wiped away afterwards.
Keep in mind that bleach can stain certain surfaces, so don’t use this mixture on any surface that you wouldn’t use bleach on by itself.
Things You Shouldn’t Mix With Bleach
Whilst on the topic of mixing things with bleach, there are a few things that you should never mix with bleach.
Vinegar
Bleach and vinegar form chlorine gas when mixed together which can be lethal in some cases.
If you have accidentally mixed the two together, ventilate the area as soon as possible and get out of the way. In small doses, you should be able to recover properly, but monitor your symptoms to see if you need to visit a hospital.
It’s more common than you would expect to mix these two together given how both are usually found in every household, so it’s important to know how they react together.
Rubbing Alcohol
Bleach and rubbing alcohol mix together to create chloroform.
This usually occurs in very small amounts, but it is still not recommended to mix these two together, especially as it has no benefits with great risk.
Ammonia
Ammonia and bleach form chloramine vapor when mixed together, which can be harmful when exposed to in a home setting.
The issue here is that ammonia is used in many common household cleaners, so it might not always be obvious that you are mixing the two together unless you check the label carefully.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide reacts with bleach to form excessive oxygen gas.
If you accidentally mix the two make sure to ventilate the area and leave it alone for a while. You should also keep any naked flames well away as this could potentially cause an explosion – although this is very unlikely in cleaning applications.
Final Thoughts
Baking soda is one of the very few things that can be mixed with bleach safely, whilst also enhancing the cleaning properties of the bleach itself.
We recommend extreme caution when working with bleach, and as a general rule of thumb, you should never mix anything with it at home.