Using bleach in your bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen can sanitize any of life’s messes.
Bleach is a great cleaning agent for removing germs and grime from various areas of your house.
However, bleach also has a strong odor, and you may not want that smell lingering in your house.
Luckily, because of its scent, you don’t have to stop using bleach to clean your home.
We’ve done the research, and removing the bleach smell is easy.
All you need are a few everyday household items to leave your home clean and smelling fresh.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few common household items to remove the bleach smell.
- Portable fan
- A scented candle or scented spray
- Air purifier
- Baking soda or odor absorber
Now that you have everything you need, read on to learn how to a bleach smell.
1. Create ventilation in the room
The easiest and most natural way to remove the bleach smell from your house is to create ventilation.
Open a window or a door to allow fresh air into the room.
The fresh air will gradually remove the bleach smell from your house, but if you want to speed up the process, you can open multiple windows or doors to create cross ventilation.
Place a portable fan next to as many open windows and doors as possible to draw the fresh air in and drive the bleach smell out.
Point the fans, so they are blowing into the room, not outside.
If it is too cold to open windows and doors or if you are working in an area that does not have many of them, you can still create ventilation.
Turn on an exhaust fan to allow odors to escape quickly.
Pro tip: If possible, clean items that need bleach outside. Natural ventilation will help to mitigate any bleach smell, and it will prevent the smell from permeating throughout your house.
2. Introduce a pleasant smell to the affected area
Many products on the market are designed to mask unpleasant smells and introduce better ones.
These include things like scented candles and room fresheners.
If you need to remove the bleach smell immediately, you can spray your favorite scent or light your favorite candle to cover up the bleach.
We recommend not leaving the candle unattended as it can pose a fire hazard, but you can also use a plug-in air freshener for a long-lasting scent.
The bleach smell should dissipate on its own underneath the more pleasant aroma, so this method works best if you have guests coming over.
3. Use A Reputable Cleaning Product
Spray the affected area with your cleaner of choice, eliminating the bleach smell.
You can even mask the scent of bleach with a different cleaning product, preferably one you like.
However, if you choose to use another cleaning chemical, be careful not to mix the bleach with a chemical that could create toxic fumes.
Choose your chemical carefully to keep your house safe and smelling fresh.
4. Use an odor absorber or air purifier
If the bleach smell is powerful, consider using an air purifier or an odor absorber to remove the rest of the scent.
If you have an air purifier, set it to either “Purify” or “Ventilation.”
Depending on the size of the room, you may need to let it run for about thirty minutes to remove the smell altogether.
While this will take longer, it will leave your house smelling fresher.
If the bleach smell is in multiple rooms, you might need to purify each room separately.
If you do not have an air purifier, you do not need to buy one.
Instead, you can use an odor absorber.
If you have a commercial one, you can use that in each room, but if you do not, you can also use baking soda.
Pour some baking powder onto a plate and place the plate near the source of the bleach smell.
Allow the baking soda to absorb the odor for about 24 hours to eliminate it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is bleach safe to use around other household cleaners?
Bleach can react with other household cleaners, so we do not recommend mixing bleach and other household cleaners.
If you are unsure if bleach will respond to a specific product, please consult an expert before mixing chemicals.
In general, avoid mixing bleach and ammonia.
This mixture creates chloramine vapor, which is toxic.
Also, do not mix bleach and any acid.
The bleach and acid will chemically react and produce chlorine gas, which is also dangerous for your health.
Acids are part of many everyday household cleaners like multi-purpose, glass, and vinegar.
While bleach is a great household cleaner, it must be used responsibly to keep your household healthy.
Is bleach smell dangerous?
Bleach smell is not technically toxic, but prolonged exposure can lead to health complications.
Some of these can be mild, such as headaches or nausea.
Other complications, such as lung irritation and shortness of breath, can be more serious.
Brief and occasional exposure should not result in serious health issues, but consult your doctor if you have any concerns about the impact of bleach smell on your health.
If you are worried about being exposed to toxic fumes from mixing bleach with another cleaning product, please see your doctor immediately.
These can be dangerous.
What creates a bleach smell?
The pungent smell of bleach does not come from the chemical itself.
Instead, that smell is created by a chemical reaction between bleach and protein.
These proteins can come from pathogens or germs on surfaces, so the more proteins there are, the stronger the bleach smell.
You can reduce the intensity of the bleach smell by cleaning with bleach more often.
This higher frequency of cleaning will reduce the presence of proteins, leading to a milder aroma and a cleaner house.
