Vinegar is a great cleaner, but be very careful to never let it mix with bleach. There’s plenty of information advising to not mix bleach and ammonia, but not as much about vinegar and bleach. In fact, you may come across some information stating that mixing vinegar and bleach increases the disinfecting power of the bleach. Don’t do it! That little extra punch you supposedly get isn’t worth the chlorine gas mixing the two creates, as I learned by accident.

Vinegar is usually a safe product to use for many things. It’s great for mopping floors -cleans very well and cuts the soap scum that is left on floor from other cleaning products. I’d mopped my floors with vinegar, then decided to give my mop a cleaning with bleach. Although I rinsed the mop with clear water, I apparently didn’t rinse it well enough, because when I put it in the bleach/water mixture, it fizzed and one whiff of the results could knock over an elephant.

I know to be cautious with cleaners and I did what I did by accident, but my experience shows just how easy household accidents of one kind or another can happen.