House Smells Like Bleach After Cleaning? (Fix It Now!)

The average homeowner keeps bleach around to clean the house or even do laundry. There is no denying that bleach is an effective cleaner, but it is hard to get past the strong smell. So, what can you do if your house smells like bleach after cleaning?

Open the windows and air out your house for up to 24 hours to get rid of the bleach smell. Set out a dish of vinegar or baking soda to absorb and neutralize the bleach odor. Air purifiers are another great way to cycle out the bad bleach odor and simultaneously cleanse the air in your home of impurities.

Bleach is a useful tool for every homeowner, but lingering odors may make you think twice. Luckily, you can still use bleach without worrying that the smell won’t go away. Follow along as we explore what you can do when your house smells like bleach after cleaning.

Bleach is one of the most common chemical cleaners that homeowners use. Every homeowner can recognize the smell of bleach because it is so strong. The unpleasant odor that bleach produces is a result of how it breaks down.

Proteins break down and release a strong odor that is similar to chlorine. It can be irritating if your house smells like bleach after cleaning, but it is unavoidable in many cases. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get rid of the smell using household items like vinegar and baking soda.

The most natural way to get rid of the bleach smell in your house is to air it out. Bleach odors can linger for up to 24 hours depending on how much you used. You can speed up the process if you open windows throughout the house to allow fresh air in.

Prepare to leave the windows open for as long as you need to until the smell is gone. The smell of bleach is notoriously stubborn and it can easily take all day to dissipate. Use a fan in areas where the bleach smell is the strongest so that you can help speed up the process.

Baking soda is absorbent enough that it can help remove the smell of bleach in the air. Homeowners use baking soda to remove odors because it can neutralize molecules that smell strong. Pour baking soda into a bowl and place it in the room or rooms where the bleach smell is strong.

Leave the baking soda alone until it neutralizes the bleach odor. It can take as little as 30 minutes for baking soda to remove an odor in some cases. However, you may need to leave the dish out for 12-24 to fully get rid of the smell of bleach.

You can safely leave a dish of baking soda in each room that smells like bleach. Be careful if you have pets because they may knock the dish over unless you place it out of their reach.

Use an air purifier if you want to simultaneously remove the bleach odor and clean the air in your home. Air purifiers are useful in any household because they can improve respiratory health. They can also remove foul odors from your home, like when your house smells like bleach after cleaning.

Not only will you remove the bleach odor, but you will likely notice an improvement in your home’s air quality. Use an air purifier in combination with other methods, such as baking soda or opening the windows for maximum results.

It is unsafe to mix vinegar and bleach, but you can use vinegar to get rid of the smell of bleach. Much like baking soda, simply pour vinegar into a dish and leave it in a room that smells like bleach. You will be safe as long as you don’t pour vinegar directly onto bleach which can be toxic.

Allow the vinegar to sit for 10-12 hours or as long as it takes to soak up the bleach smell. Close the door to the room to focus the vinegar’s absorbency on one area where the odor is the strongest. Make sure to air out the room after you are done because it will likely smell like vinegar for a while.

These are some additional questions that users had related to bleach and the potential effects of using it to clean.

Breathing in large quantities of chlorine gas can cause fluid to build up in your lungs which can lead to severe shortness of breath. This can be deadly if left untreated. You may also start coughing either immediately after inhalation or after a few hours. This is due to the chemicals irritating the lungs. It is important that you seek immediate medical attention if you feel that you’ve inhaled any chemicals.

If you added the bleach to the wash cycle—not the rinse cycle!—you can wash any type of load after using bleach. There is no need to run an empty cycle beforehand.