Cleaning house and chemical precautions

4/3/2020 (Permalink)

Cleaning the house is a normal necessary everyday task done on a regular basis. Some people clean certain parts of their house on certain days and some people clean it all at once over the weekend. Due to this pandemic it has been recommended that all high touch surfaces be cleaned which includes table tops, counter tops, switch plates, handrails, door knobs, cabinet handles, appliance handles, remote controls, toilet handles, faucets, computer keyboards, computer mouse and any other surface in your home that might be high touch.

There are various cleaning products used to clean homes due to different surfaces and which is safe to use on each surface. Some of your choices are from bleach, vinegar, ammonia and even isopropyl alcohol for sanitizing. Using these chemicals separately is ideal because mixing one chemical with another can result in breathing difficulties and even death. Here are some examples:

• Ammonia and bleach mixed create a dangerous and deadly chlorine gas.

• Bleach and vinegar mixed also create a dangerous and deadly chlorine gas.

• Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar mixed creates peracetic acid or corrosive acid.
• Isopropyl Alcohol and bleach mixed creates dangerous and deadly chloroform and hydrochloric acid.
• Bleach and toilet bowl cleaner (containing sodium bisulfate) mixed creates dangerous toxic fumes .

If you are unsure about using chemicals together, do not combine them and use one at a time. There is a lot of cleaning and sanitizing happening now. Cleaning is being done on a more regular basis now due to the pandemic. The need to keep our homes free of any harmful pathogens is a must, to prevent ourselves or our family members from getting sick. You can also reach out to us at SERVPRO of White Plains and New Rochelle and let us clean for you. We do offer deep cleans and proactive cleans to help get rid of nasty germs in your home. We want you and your family to stay safe and healthy.