I tried to clean my home — and nearly poisoned my family

January 27, 2023

It wasn’t the reaction she was hoping for.

One woman found out the unfortunate way that mixing some household cleaning agents doesn’t make them stronger — in fact, it makes them poisonous.

TikTok user @silkalmondmilk_ers said she was cleaning her kitchen with vinegar and bleach last month as the holiday season got underway — and she ended up spending Christmas locked in a room with her family calling the poison hotline.

“My grandparents were just gassed to be spending time with us,” she jokingly captioned the clip, which has sparked over 21.4 million views since it was posted Christmas Day.

The TikToker apparently unknowingly exposed her family to chlorine gas, which has a pungent odor and yellow-green color. It can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and in extreme cases, cause death if there is prolonged exposure, such as in industrial settings.

When the two chemicals are mixed together they form chlorine gas. — When the two chemicals are mixed together, they form chlorine gas.

Vinegar is diluted acetic acid, and sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in chlorine bleach. Blending the two creates chlorine gas.

If that happens, medical specialists recommend opening windows and clearing the air out as soon as possible. Your local poison control hotline is another option.

According to an annual report from America’s Poison Centers, 4,800 exposures to chlorine gas (from mixing a household acid product with bleach) were reported to US poison centers in 2021, making it a common mistake.

Of these cases, 788 people were treated at a healthcare facility.

The TikToker, meanwhile, appears to be OK, as she is back to posting viral content.