Stop Mixing Bleach with Dishwashing Liquid and Water

Contrary to popular belief, bleach and dishwashing liquid together are toxic. Bleach is known for its ability kill multiple viruses, so some people have unsafely started mixing bleach with dishwashing soap and water. Clean dishes are sanitary and a must in keeping a pest-free home. It makes sense to want to clean them as thoroughly as possible. Still, you should never mix bleach with dishwashing liquid.

The Dangers of Bleach and Dish Soap

Bleach is a chemical, as is dishwashing liquid. Because of this, mixing the two can be harmful to your health, according to Dr. Amitava Dasgupta, professor of pathology at McGovern Medical School at UT Health in Houston, Texas .

Your skin could become irritated and develop rashes.

When dishwashing soap and bleach are mixed, they create harmful gases. Those gases could be hard to see, but they still cause you to tear up. Those watery eyes are caused by irritants in the gases. Repeating this process for months or years may cause irreversible damage to the eyes.

And those dangerous fumes aren’t hard to inhale. Doing so could cause a sore, irritated throat. They burn your sinuses as well and cause fits of sneezing which is your body’s way of attempting to eject the harmful chemicals.

Moreover, your skin could become irritated and develop rashes. Bleach is not safe for your skin and should be handled with care at all times. This includes wearing gloves and other protective gear such as goggles.

How to Do the Dishes

Warm, soapy water is enough to remove the germs from your dishes. It sounds simple, but dishes are used mostly to eat already-cooked foods. Because of this, they don’t have potential contaminants found in raw foods like salmonella. If you are preparing raw foods on regular eating dishes, you shouldn’t be, but that’s a separate conversation.

Bleach kills a lot of things, and one of them should not be you.

For tools and dishes used with raw foods, if you wish, wash them separately with water and bleach to disinfect them. Doing this separately cuts down on potential cross-contamination with other dishes and avoids mixing in dish soap.

The Takeaway

Bleach kills a lot of things, and one of them should not be you, so avoid mixing bleach and dishwashing liquid. Mixing them releases toxic fumes that are harmful to your eyes, throat and skin. The best way to wash dishes is with warm water and dishwashing liquid. It’s the classic clean.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block. He also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new blog posts and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share.