Woman rushes to the hospital after making a cleaning mistake: ‘It was so ridiculous’
- Replies 12
When it comes to cleaning, we all have our tried-and-true methods.
But did you know that mixing common household cleaning products could potentially create a lethal gas?
This is exactly what happened to Emma Welsh, who accidentally created something dangerous while cleaning her flat and ended up in the hospital.
Emma, a 30-year-old woman from Birmingham, UK, was preparing to move out of her home and was determined to get her AUD 2,000 deposit back. To save on the estimated AUD 400 cleaning fee, she decided to do the cleaning herself.
While wiping down the radiator, she mixed bleach and malt vinegar to remove stubborn stains.
However, she soon noticed that the cotton pads she was using had turned bright orange, and a strong smell of fumes filled the air.
Concerned, Emma turned to the internet for help.
'I Googled it on my phone, and that's when I realised I'd accidentally created chlorine gas,' she said.
'I knew I’d f***ked up because I was starting to smell fumes and wondered why the colour had appeared.'
‘The whole thing was so ridiculous, as I was just about finished cleaning the flat and had opened a beer to relax. The advice was to get away from the gas as soon as possible.’
According to Healthline, when bleach and vinegar are mixed, they can create potentially lethal chlorine gas.
This is because bleach is a sodium hypochlorite solution, and when mixed with an acid like vinegar, the gas can cause severe respiratory distress and even death in high concentrations or prolonged exposure.
Realising the danger, Emma said, ‘I grabbed my cat, opened the balcony window to let some fresh air in, and told my friend, who found it hilarious but agreed I should call 111 (National Health Service hotline).’
'At this point, my throat was burning, so I was glad I’d decided to be safe rather than sorry,' she said.
‘The woman on the phone was really nice but concerned because chlorine gas can be so dangerous. I then got a callback and was advised to go to A&E.’
Emma was rushed to the hospital around midnight.
Despite a six-hour wait to see a doctor, she was advised by the toxicologist not to leave due to the potential risk.
'I felt like the biggest i***t in the world while in A&E,' she said.
'Thankfully, I ended up being seen quite quickly, and the staff consulted the toxicologist, who did an amazing job.'
‘When a doctor inspected my throat, he said it looked like I’d burned the top layer of skin off. After that, I was sent for a chest X-ray. It was a really long wait for the results to come back, and I was so tired by this point. It took about four hours for me to get the all-clear.’
‘To pass the time, I ended up chatting to other patients, most of whom said they also had no idea how dangerous bleach and vinegar can be when mixed,’ she continued.
‘Someone actually said they mixed bleach and vinegar in a bucket to clean, which is a lot more dangerous than my accidental mixing. We all learned something that night.’
Emma got a few hours of sleep before the removal van arrived the next day, and she also got her deposit back.
‘The mark was still on the radiator when I finally got home, but thanks to a post on [social media], I was able to get it out with nail polish remover,’ she said.
‘The smell had gone, and the flat was absolutely freezing, but I did the right thing leaving the balcony door open.’
‘My cat was fine too—she just slept on the bed with the door shut while I was gone.’
Emma is now sharing her story in the hope that others might learn from her mistake.
'You honestly wouldn’t think that two common products that most people use without thinking could be so dangerous,' she said.
Dr Hamdan Abdullah Hamed, MBChB, a dermatologist, said: 'If someone has been unfortunate enough to be exposed to chlorine gas, they'd first feel itchiness or a burning sensation, followed by redness, blistering and peeling skin. ‘
‘With further prolonged exposure, they could see dryness and scabbing below the initial layers of skin. I'd suggest that people would move out of the area to reduce exposure and, at the very least, use water or cold milk to decrease the immediate effects of the chemical burns.’
While we love making DIY cleaning solutions, researching their legitimacy or effectiveness should be a priority.
In a previous story, a young woman learned the hard way when she combined two cleaning chemicals that should never be mixed in the first place. You can read more about her story here.
Have you ever had a similar experience? Share your stories in the comments below. Let's learn from each other and keep our homes safe.
But did you know that mixing common household cleaning products could potentially create a lethal gas?
This is exactly what happened to Emma Welsh, who accidentally created something dangerous while cleaning her flat and ended up in the hospital.
Emma, a 30-year-old woman from Birmingham, UK, was preparing to move out of her home and was determined to get her AUD 2,000 deposit back. To save on the estimated AUD 400 cleaning fee, she decided to do the cleaning herself.
While wiping down the radiator, she mixed bleach and malt vinegar to remove stubborn stains.
Emma was trying to clean her flat when she accidentally made chlorine gas. Credit: Jam Press
However, she soon noticed that the cotton pads she was using had turned bright orange, and a strong smell of fumes filled the air.
Concerned, Emma turned to the internet for help.
'I Googled it on my phone, and that's when I realised I'd accidentally created chlorine gas,' she said.
'I knew I’d f***ked up because I was starting to smell fumes and wondered why the colour had appeared.'
‘The whole thing was so ridiculous, as I was just about finished cleaning the flat and had opened a beer to relax. The advice was to get away from the gas as soon as possible.’
According to Healthline, when bleach and vinegar are mixed, they can create potentially lethal chlorine gas.
This is because bleach is a sodium hypochlorite solution, and when mixed with an acid like vinegar, the gas can cause severe respiratory distress and even death in high concentrations or prolonged exposure.
Realising the danger, Emma said, ‘I grabbed my cat, opened the balcony window to let some fresh air in, and told my friend, who found it hilarious but agreed I should call 111 (National Health Service hotline).’
'At this point, my throat was burning, so I was glad I’d decided to be safe rather than sorry,' she said.
‘The woman on the phone was really nice but concerned because chlorine gas can be so dangerous. I then got a callback and was advised to go to A&E.’
Emma was rushed to the hospital around midnight.
Despite a six-hour wait to see a doctor, she was advised by the toxicologist not to leave due to the potential risk.
'I felt like the biggest i***t in the world while in A&E,' she said.
'Thankfully, I ended up being seen quite quickly, and the staff consulted the toxicologist, who did an amazing job.'
‘When a doctor inspected my throat, he said it looked like I’d burned the top layer of skin off. After that, I was sent for a chest X-ray. It was a really long wait for the results to come back, and I was so tired by this point. It took about four hours for me to get the all-clear.’
‘To pass the time, I ended up chatting to other patients, most of whom said they also had no idea how dangerous bleach and vinegar can be when mixed,’ she continued.
‘Someone actually said they mixed bleach and vinegar in a bucket to clean, which is a lot more dangerous than my accidental mixing. We all learned something that night.’
Emmy wanted to leave but was told not to. Credit: Jam Press
Emma got a few hours of sleep before the removal van arrived the next day, and she also got her deposit back.
‘The mark was still on the radiator when I finally got home, but thanks to a post on [social media], I was able to get it out with nail polish remover,’ she said.
‘The smell had gone, and the flat was absolutely freezing, but I did the right thing leaving the balcony door open.’
‘My cat was fine too—she just slept on the bed with the door shut while I was gone.’
Emma is now sharing her story in the hope that others might learn from her mistake.
'You honestly wouldn’t think that two common products that most people use without thinking could be so dangerous,' she said.
Dr Hamdan Abdullah Hamed, MBChB, a dermatologist, said: 'If someone has been unfortunate enough to be exposed to chlorine gas, they'd first feel itchiness or a burning sensation, followed by redness, blistering and peeling skin. ‘
‘With further prolonged exposure, they could see dryness and scabbing below the initial layers of skin. I'd suggest that people would move out of the area to reduce exposure and, at the very least, use water or cold milk to decrease the immediate effects of the chemical burns.’
While we love making DIY cleaning solutions, researching their legitimacy or effectiveness should be a priority.
In a previous story, a young woman learned the hard way when she combined two cleaning chemicals that should never be mixed in the first place. You can read more about her story here.
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wonder it didn’t go off like a bomb
silly girl.
