Bleach & WUL - Reassure me...panicking a bit

[tallulah2014]

I have generalised anxiety disorder so do tend to panic over stuff I shouldn't, so could really do with someone telling me whether I'm overreacting or not...

Earlier on I decided to bleach the bath and tiles round the bath. I know, not very good for the bath or environment but I do it every couple of weeks, as a top up to the daily cleans with a safer disinfectant.

Anyway. I used the washing up sponge to clean with, as it was looking a bit raggedy and I was going to chuck it anyway. Thought I'd clean the bath then throw the sponge away.

How I usually do it is kind of splash the bleach from the bottle up the tiles, and a bit round the edge of the bath and then scrub with a sponge before rinsing. Did that as usual and within 10 seconds my eyes were stinging. I quickly cleaned the bath then rinsed, opened the window and left the room.

It's only after I'd done it, that I realised I'd been washing up not long before that and wondered if I'd forgotten to rinse the sponge out afterwards - meaning I'd effectively mixed washing up liquid and bleach, which is bad, right?

As always when I clean like this, all I can smell is bleach my hands (even after being washed a few times) still stink of it and the house smells quite bleachy - and the eye stinging wasn't new; I always get that for a while after bleaching the bathroom but they are still stinging slightly now. No redness, just sore.

So. As I have children in the house, how much should I be panicking?
My 12 year old has a hoarse voice which she says came on after last lesson, but she's ill with a cold (homeschooling) so that might be the reason for that, it's just coincidence it happened after I cleaned the bathroom with bleach!

Every window is open and no ones complaining of feeling bad - as the bleach incident was over 3 hours ago now, we are safe aren't we?

Please reassure me! And no, I probably won't use bleach in the bathroom again, just to be on the safe side!

You really don't need to panic about this honestly you'll be absolutely fine and there's no way your DCs sore throat was caused by you bleaching the bathroom. Have a cup of tea, and maybe a soak in your lovely clean bath

My chemistry is rusty but washing up liquid is very mild, roughly pH neutral I think, so mixing with bleach should be ok. And the amount of washing up liquid on a sponge after washing up would be miniscule. I think you will be fine and your DD's cough is just a cough. I think you are possibly thinking a bit too much about the smell of bleach on your hands and just sniffing them more because you're anxious. Bleach is more soluble in cold water than in hot IIRC (but as I said, I"m very rusty)

You will be fine but, if your eyes sting, you are using a lot of bleach.
Maybe try this instead, it’s easier to direct the bleach, you won’t use as much and no risk of mixing. Maybe leave a sponge especially for bathroom use in the bathroom.

www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/flash-spray-with-bleach-500ml?utm_medium=cpc&catalogId=10241&productId=90680&utm_campaign=11413376550&storeId=10151&gclid=CjwKCAjwy7CKBhBMEiwA0Eb7antb_Lx5CRQVVK_iRZIgNibHLrSlPlP4Y45wJInna7aXUkQEcTkAtBoC2t8QAvD_BwE&langId=44&utm_source=Google&krypto=hqkzmNcDpSJUXVqjnXXjXJVqFbA9BWglOvgavIt%2BKGM18uiGkZ7DV72sRzKteVL2LxU2Xyuq18eOnntubWXAOtSmsl7T5aJsYgUemtiB9f%2FnefT2n%2FEIb1fT1YrRmEmAvqjSnVUfF2vEywKUeYXimrePEouwhjfgqV7RqTxb6V7u9cQcrbkeRx37Elwn1%2Bmlw2sblH0xLCzIeC9iVlrSVA0lhk%2F00Gu2BrSN73wu0kgcHEfxQxCkTo8UWLwMuzGupvHkK6WWlOEr9j38YygFGgmZoXE0WsamYoSVKDST8lfty1zoNnbmVw6oxMd4fpJinTeZXOBovkLhTfULO2nY0i1ffxmcwB3CHKzyNwOJTbmNDf7uX%2BcQauuALMvem%2FiVmVETuusVxyea%2BdX0%2FVDTWJhfY4L%2F17pL2PT013G4xAdO739%2BADDanQ9jGwJt0U0N%2BEiz8mgfdssvlVHkrWYNyKAjqpddR3Y0n1o6j5tooxAZuk8ZWMp9xo%2F1%2BwCE3%2BVY5cc8rrz6cd%2B%2F%2FOpEQB5wgA%3D%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fflash-spray-with-bleach-500ml

OK so we're not going to die then

I feel silly now but I'm sure you all understand anxiety! Thank you all

OP i'm a bugger for over using the (thick loo) bleach to do the grouting on the wall tiles round the shower and i regularly get it mixed with Cif and god knows what and all i can smell for hours is bleach 'cos it's ''up my nose'' as the family calls.

They can't smell it - i can, for hours.

Sometimes the eye sting as well. It's not exactly good - but you'll all be totally fine :)

I use a mix of bleach and washing up liquid to mop the floors. Hasn't killed anyone in the house yet so I'm sure it's fine

A bottle of kitchen spray inc bleach might be easier to control?

Kim and Aggie on “how clean is your house” recommended bleach and WUL to clean floors. I use it all the time. It’s fine.

You’ve probably used too much bleach in a small room. I open the window first otherwise you get a bleachy smell.

Just an update, we were all fine.

I feel quite silly for panicking but it's just the reaction was so much stronger this time.

But, the bleach smell disappeared from my nose within a few hours of my last message and my daughters hoarse voice also magically cleared up.

Thanks all

Maybe just avoid using bleach unless you have got some reason to use it such as mould. You can also help to prevent mould by drying the bath or shower after using it with a towel and then wash the towel and hang it outside, and airing the room out well.

Thanks for updating, Don't feel silly. The reference to Kim and Aggie was very reassuring I thought - they are never ones to use anything dangerous.

Thank you. Depends on the quantity, but a drop of each of fine. Half a bottle of each might make the floor slippery with the WUL. But that’s all. It’s safe to use.

It probably would be best just to stop bleaching the bathroom. It isn’t good to make your eyes sting, and it isn’t necessary if you are disinfecting every day.

It isn’t necessary to disinfect the bath either, unless you have very unusual habits but I doubt you will stop doing that, so just stop the bleach, which is making your eyes sting: not good.