Can You Mix Bleach and Vinegar? No, It Releases Chlorine Gas

No, you should never mix bleach and vinegar. Vinegar is an acid, and bleach plus an acid gives off chlorine gas, which irritates the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. If you already mixed them, leave the area, open windows and doors, and call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.

This post adds the vinegar answer to the broader rules in this guide to cleaning products you should never mix.

1. Why vinegar and bleach do not mix

Household bleach contains sodium hypochlorite. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) says that if you mix acidic chemicals with bleach, chlorine can form and be given off as a gas. Its examples are toilet bowl cleaners, but the chemistry is about acid, not the brand.

Vinegar qualifies. America's Poison Centers says to never mix vinegar with chlorine bleach because the result is highly irritating chlorine gas. The New Jersey Department of Health lists vinegar in its "do not mix" table and says the combination produces harmful vapors, including chlorine and chloramine, that can burn the eyes and lungs. The same table warns about lemon juice, because its natural acids can also react with bleach.

2. The numbers behind it

ATSDR's toxicological profile says sodium hypochlorite bleach solutions typically have a pH of 11 to 13. It also says that when enough acid lowers the pH of a hypochlorite solution below 4, chlorine gas is released.

• A bleach solution at pH 11 has to drop at least 7 pH units to pass that line. At pH 13 it drops 9 units.
• The pH scale is logarithmic, so each unit is a tenfold change in acidity. Seven units is 10,000,000 times (10^7) more acidic. Nine units is 1,000,000,000 times (10^9).
• America's Poison Centers says US white distilled vinegar is 4 to 7 percent acetic acid, and cider and wine vinegars are 5 to 6 percent. That is roughly 4 to 7 grams of acetic acid per 100 milliliters, assuming vinegar weighs about as much as water.

None of the sources gives a "safe" ratio or a safe amount of vinegar to add to bleach. America's Poison Centers and the New Jersey alert both simply say not to mix them.

3. What it can do to you

ATSDR says low levels of chlorine cause nose, throat and eye irritation. Higher levels can change breathing rate, cause coughing and damage the lungs. People with respiratory conditions such as allergies or hay fever, and heavy smokers, tend to have more severe effects.

The CDC adds that chlorine gas is heavier than air, so it sinks to low areas, and that when it touches moist tissue such as the eyes, throat and lungs it creates an acid that can hurt those tissues. Most people recover completely. CDC says lung health usually returns to normal within 7 to 14 days after a short exposure, though more serious exposures can cause lasting symptoms, including chemical-caused asthma.

America's Poison Centers describes one case: a 25-year-old woman mixed bleach and vinegar to clean her kitchen. Her chest burned and she had a runny nose. Her poison center had her run a hot shower and breathe the warm, humid air for 15 to 20 minutes at a time while drinking fluids. She still had chest soreness that night, but the next day her symptoms had resolved. That is one case, not a promise about every exposure.

4. If you already mixed them

CDC's guidance for a release from household cleaners is simple:

1. Get away from the area and breathe fresh air.
2. Open windows and doors, and leave until the gas has gone away.
3. If you cannot get away, go to the highest ground possible, because chlorine sinks.
4. Get clean: take off clothes and shower as soon as you can. CDC calls showering the best way to remove chlorine from the body. If your eyes burn, wash them for 10 to 15 minutes with lukewarm water and do not use eye drops.
5. Get help by calling 911 for serious symptoms or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Do not force vomiting if someone swallowed chlorine.

5. What you can do instead

• Never mix cleaning products, especially anything containing bleach, as the New Jersey alert puts it. Keep vinegar and bleach in separate jobs.
• Never combine them in one bucket, spray bottle or dishwasher. The New Jersey alert describes a restaurant employee who died after an acid cleaner and bleach were both used in a dishwasher.
• Watch for other bad pairs on the New Jersey list: bleach with ammonia makes chloramine gases, bleach with rubbing alcohol forms chloroform, and hydrogen peroxide with vinegar forms peracetic acid, which can irritate the eyes, skin and lungs.
• Keep products in their original labeled containers, away from young children, as ATSDR advises.

6. Key takeaways

• Do not mix bleach and vinegar. Vinegar is an acid, and acid plus bleach releases chlorine gas.
• ATSDR says the gas is released when the pH drops below 4. Bleach starts at pH 11 to 13.
• If it happens, get to fresh air, ventilate, shower, and call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
• Hydrogen peroxide with vinegar is also on the do-not-mix list.