Homeowners want their rooms clean and healthy. Having a space that is free of dirt and germs gives us peace of mind, especially now, when we’re all doing our best to prevent the spread of germs and illness.

While we’ve been sharing the message that wood and water (and water and vinegar for floors) don’t mix, here are some household cleaner combinations to avoid.

Dangerous Bleach Combinations
Bleach is a great disinfectant and has many positive cleaning applications. However, bleach should be used by itself to avoid toxic chemical reactions.

• Bleach + ammonia
  Creates chloramine gas that can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, burning pain and irritation
• Bleach + rubbing alcohol
  Creates chloroform that can cause dizziness, vomiting and damage to skin, eyes, respiratory system and nervous system
• Bleach + vinegar (bleach + acid)
  Creates chlorine gas that can cause burning pain and irritation
  While it can be difficult to remember which cleaning products use acids or bases or anything that can have a negative reaction with bleach, here’s a quick list of things that you should avoid mixing with bleach. Even better: don’t mix any other cleaning products with bleach.

        Bleach + mildew stain remover
        Bleach + toilet bowl cleaner
        Bleach + disinfectant sprays
        Bleach + oven cleaner
        Bleach + dish detergent
        Bleach + lemon juice
        Bleach + glass cleaner
        Bleach + drain cleaner

Other combinations to avoid
While bleach is the main ingredient to many dangerous household combinations, here are some other mixtures to avoid.

• Hydrogen peroxide + vinegar
  Creates peracetic acid, a toxic chemical that can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and lungs
• Different drain cleaners
  Drain cleaners use powerful chemical formulas that could create toxic or even explosive reactions.
• Different brands of cleaning solutions
  Each manufacturer uses their own special formulas and can have dangerous results when mixed.
• Batteries + batteries (!)
  Battery brands use different chemicals, and can operate at different voltages even if they're the same size. Avoid mixing different brands of batteries to protect your electronics, and avoid corrosion and leakage.
• Baking soda + vinegar
  Used separately, baking soda and vinegar can have helpful cleaning properties, but this combination is best used in volcano science projects. This combination weakens each other, basically giving you water. Vinegar is a popular DIY cleaner, but there are specific situations for when not to use vinegar on floors — especially with hardwood and natural stone.

While we all want to have the best cleaning solutions for our homes, please fight the urge to create a DIY 'super solution'. Please leave the chemical mixtures to the professionals, and find other ways to boost your cleaning routine.