Household Chemicals: Separating Myth From Guidance

Household cleaning products are among the most common causes of poisoning in young children, and mixing some cleaners releases toxic gases.

Key takeaways

• Never mix bleach with: ammonia, vinegar or other acids, or rubbing alcohol
• Single-load laundry packets: a poisoning risk for young children; keep them sealed and out of reach
• Most useful single change: Save the Poison Control number in your phone and post it at home.
• Commonest mistake: Pouring chemicals into drink bottles or food containers.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What the guidance actually says

Start with the figures. The claims below are checked against these, not against what sounds plausible.

Where people go wrong

All of these come up regularly. All of them run against the published position.

• Pouring chemicals into drink bottles or food containers
• Mixing cleaning products or using two in a row on the same surface without rinsing
• Leaving products out while you answer the phone or door

What to do instead

• Save the Poison Control number in your phone and post it at home
• Store cleaners up high, locked and away from food
• Open windows or run a fan when cleaning
• Close containers right after each use, even if you will use them again soon
• Use one product at a time and follow the label directions

The part that is genuinely uncertain

Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current US guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.

Related topics

• What the Guidance Really Says About Poisoning Prevention at Home (Injury Prevention)
• The Evidence on Infection Prevention at Home, Without the Hype (Immunity)
• Wildfire Smoke: What Published Guidance Supports (Heat, Cold and Weather Safety)
• What the Guidance Really Says About Norovirus (Infectious Diseases)

Where to go next

• Household Chemicals: What the Evidence Actually Says
• Understanding Household Chemicals: A Plain-English Explainer
• Household Chemicals — the reference entry
• Environmental Health: The Complete Guide
• Lead in Homes and Water: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
• Radon Testing: What Published Guidance Supports

When to speak to a doctor

Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away if someone swallows a household chemical, gets it in the eyes or on the skin, or breathes in fumes, even if they seem fine. Call 911 if the person has trouble breathing, a seizure, is very drowsy or unconscious.

Where this comes from

• Consumer Product Safety Commission — Poison Prevention Information Center
• MedlinePlus — Poisoning

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.