help save the lives of me and my family(AKA Chemistry 101)

[Dedicated_Dad]

Hi guys.

I'm sure it will surprise noone here that I am an utter and complete moron. A bumbling, know-nothing idiot, dumber than a box of rocks.

I know nothing.

If you doubt the truth of this, just ask my wife.

My wife - the woman whose cleaning penchant is legendary around these parts - likes to mix her own witch's-brew of cleaners - like, say... toilet-bowl crystals and bleach, or ___(Insert favorite cleaner here...)___ and bleach... The one guaranteed ingredient is bleach, but other stuff gets tossed in at random, as whim may dictate.

My daughter and I are currently sitting in the van, outside the house, as I try to air out the house from wifey's current concoction - "The Works" cleaner - (active ingredients oxalic and sulfamic acids) - and Clorox (sodium hypochlorite).

First she denies it completely - denies mixing chemicals at all - even though the burning eyes, throat and sinuses we're all experiencing bely the assertion - then she finally admits it and castigates the rest of us for having a problem with it.

They couldn't sell the stuff if it was dangerous, see.

Never mind that the label says quite clearly not to mix it with bleach, else "harmful gasses may result" -- obviously they know nothing either.

I try to explain that the fatal poison gases used in WW1 were basically a mixture of bleach and other stuff - doesn't matter.

I'm an idiot.

Can anyone point me to some credible source that will help her understand that she could literally kill us one of these days with one of these concoctions?

Thanks in advance for the help!!

DD

[mekender]

Can anyone point me to some credible source that will help her understand that she could literally kill us one of these days with one of these concoctions?

Thanks in advance for the help!!

DD

any source you try to show her will only enhance the "you are a moron" claim...

my advice, start stocking up on gas masks

[Darrell]

Muriatic acid makes a great toilet cleaner, but ya gotta close the door and turn on the exhaust fan... (bachelor cleaning tip #27)

[Netpackrat]

Yeah, well, until you achieve phosgene gas in your garage, you are just a piker.

[Fivetoes]

Hi guys.

I'm sure it will surprise noone here that I am an utter and complete moron. A bumbling, know-nothing idiot, dumber than a box of rocks. ..........................

I might trade you places if you would like to spend an evening here when the wife deides to light some of those fucking candles because she wants the house to "Smell Pretty".

[Erik]

New Jersey department of health

Mixing bleach and acids:
When chlorine bleach is mixed with an acid, chlorine gas is given off. Chlorine gas and water
combine to make hydrochloric and hypochlorous acids.
Chlorine gas exposure, even at low levels, almost always irritates the mucous membranes (eyes,
throat, and nose), and causes coughing and breathing problems, burning and watery eyes, and a
runny nose. Higher levels of exposure can cause chest pain, more severe breathing difficulties,
vomiting, pneumonia, and fluid in the lungs. Very high levels can cause death.
Chlorine can be absorbed through the skin, resulting in pain, inflammation, swelling, and

Chlorine gas was used as a weapon in WW1:

Chlorine gas, also known as bertholite, was first used as a weapon in World War I by Germany on April 22, 1915 in the Second Battle of Ypres. As described by the soldiers it had a distinctive smell of a mixture between pepper and pineapple. It also tasted metallic and stung the back of the throat and chest. Chlorine can react with water in the mucosa of the lungs to form hydrochloric acid, an irritant which can be lethal.

[First Shirt]

This is from the first source I found when I googled "household chemical mixtures"

Some of the common chemicals found in your home shouldn't be mixed together. It's one thing to say "don't mix bleach with ammonia", but it's not always easy to know what products contain these two chemicals. Here's are some products you may have around the home that shouldn't be combined.

Bleach with Acid Toilet Bowl Cleaners
This mixture can result in toxic, potentially deadly fumes.

Bleach with Vinegar
Vinegar is a type of acid. Toxic chlorine vapor is produced. Don't mix chlorine bleach with any acid.
Bleach with Ammonia
Toxic, potentially lethal vapors are produced.

Different Brands of One Type of Product
Don't mix different cleaners together. They may react violently, produce toxins, or become ineffective.

Highly Alkaline Products with Highly Acidic Products
Acids and bases (alkalis) can react violently, presenting a splash hazard. Acids and bases are caustic and may cause chemical burns.

Certain Disinfectants with Detegents
Don't mix disinfectants with 'quaternary ammonia' listed as an ingedient with a detergent. The effectiveness of the disinfectant may be neutralized.
Chlorine bleach is sometimes called “sodium hypochlorite” or “hypochlorite.” You will encounter it in chlorine bleach, automatic dishwashing detergents, chlorinated disinfectants and cleaners, chlorinated scouring powder, mildew removers, and toilet bowl cleaners. Do not mix products together. Do not mix them with ammonia or vinegar.

Read the labels of products in your home and following instructions for proper use. Many containers will state the most common dangers from interaction with other products.

We have to take a HAZWOPER class every year for work, a 40-hour initial, and a 10-hour annual refresher, and one of the things that really stuck in my head was that the most likely victim of a hazardous chemical interaction is a female who is cleaning in the house.

[blackeagle603]

All i can say is "Get a film crew."

You may be dead next week but if not your financial troubles are over with selling the rights to that Reality TV show.

Forget the Osbournes! I wanna see what DD's wife is brewing tonight.

[randy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't we invaded and bombed countries for mixing up that kind of stuff?

[First Shirt]

Yes, but their bathrooms still had that tacky soap scum, and their laundry was NOT springtime fresh!