Can You Mix Bleach and Baking Soda

If you’re wondering, can you mix bleach and baking soda? Yes, you can do it. Well, it’s an all-time favorite for most people.

Do you know what bleach is? You’re probably asking what kind of silly question is that? But, of course, I know what bleach is. I am not a dumb head. But wait, what I am asking is, do you know what bleach comprises?  What chemicals does bleach constitute?

It’s essentially a chemical or mixture of chemicals, primarily sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and can constitute either hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or calcium hypochlorite (CaOCl2) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). 

Can You Mix Bleach and Baking Soda?

You can! This works like a charm for cleaning stains. It’s a creative way to remove those big stains.

Bleach is flammable and susceptible to fumes. Mixing it with any chemical can turn it into a toxic mixture. So, take extra care before you try to add it to anything. But baking soda is an exception.

It can be safely mixed with bleach. The active component in bleach is chlorine which has cleansing properties but bleach itself helps contain the chlorine. It is a mechanism to hold chlorine so that it reacts only when needed. When baking soda is mixed with bleach, it enhances the cleansing property.

Baking soda is chemically sodium hydrogen bicarbonate. When mixed with bleach, it adds to the decoloring and disinfectant effect. This, in turn, can help to get rid of tough stains. This can work well for laundry purposes and even your kitchen needs.

How To Mix Baking Soda with Bleach?

While dealing with chemicals, be extremely cautious. Nobody wants an accident to occur, but we still tend to be careless. You should be very careful before mixing these two chemicals.

You should always look out for information before using these. But unfortunately, your home isn’t a laboratory where you can experiment with things.

Let us guide you through the process.

• Take an open container or packet of baking soda. Please refrain from using an old one.
• Now take a big container and add bleach to it.
•  Then very carefully, add baking soda slowly to it. Do this step in a well-ventilated room and at a safe distance from the container.
•  Pour very, very less amount of baking soda as high concentration can prove to be extremely disastrous. It can trigger the chlorine to react immediately, causing a hazard.
•  Follow all the steps cautiously. Now, leave the container aside for a few minutes.

Where To Use Baking Soda and Bleach Mixture?

See below a few of them:

• Laundry- This is a boon for rigorous laundry stains. Especially if you have White clothes which have got badly stained, this mixture can be a lifesaver.
• Kitchen stains- Often, kitchen counters get stained badly by dropping food or spraying oil. This mixture works like a charm for this situation too.
• Cleaning desks- You can mix bleach and baking soda and use it for cleaning desks as it removes the dirt.

Summary

Can you mix bleach and baking soda? Bleach is a very reactive chemical. So not everything goes with it, but as mentioned, baking soda is completely safe to be mixed with bleach. 

But still, take necessary precautions while mixing these two effective cleansers. For example, you should not risk your safety by removing a few stains.

Follow these steps with utmost care. First, you should take a new packet of baking soda. And then take a container. Then, if you are using it for laundry purposes, take half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of bleach and import them into the container very safely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you mix vinegar and bleach?

No! It can produce toxic flames, which, when inhaled, can be a cause of intoxication.  

Vinegar is chemically diluted acetic acid. It is dermatologically damaging but not toxic by itself. You should not even mix these two in small quantities as it is potentially hazardous.

People may think that it’s good to use bleach and vinegar together as these are both extremely good cleaners. But it’s not worth the benefit.

What should not be mixed with bleach?

Bleach and ammonia give an extremely vigorous reaction to produce chloramine. And in high concentrations, even hydrazine is released, which is extremely toxic.

Bleach and rubbing alcohol react to release chloroform. And it is strong enough to make you dizzy and unconscious. High concentrations are even capable of killing humans!