I am an Oxy Moron
I like many others fell for all the Oxy Clean commercials. A few years ago I got some and used it to remove stains when things were spilled or dropped on the carpet. One day I mixed up a bigger batch than I needed and I figured I’d just add it to the load of laundry I was doing.
Being a man I rarely ever read directions, or especially fine print. I never knew that Oxy Clean and bleach are not to be mixed, ever. Suddenly the washing machine started sparking and this strange smelling gas vapors rose from the machine. It was like a mad scientist lab experiment gone bad, horribly bad.
Electrical sparks were shooting out from the machine, so I ran to throw the breaker but the smoky vapor was still emitting.
I opened all the doors and windows. Then I set the washer to drain, threw the breaker back on and listen to the barely functioning machine gurgle and burp, and after more sparks the foul liquid was gone.
I tried filling the machine with fresh water but it wouldn’t have it, so made a service call. The washer was toast. Even the repair person never heard of that happening before, so I finally read the fine print on the package, and Oxy Clean is not to be used with bleach.
It was a new machine, but my home-owners policy covered my stupidity and I had a new machine the next day.
My Oxy Moron adventure makes me wonder what other things shouldn’t be mixed.
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 6:13 AM
9 Comments:
A bunch of housewives die every year from mixing cleaning fluids or using them too closely together. The fumes, mostly.
Kind of makes sense to start looking at some of those natural cleaners. Still, I'm pretty partial to bleach - that would be tough to give up. I like the smell...that probably explains a lot about why my brain works the way it does.
Love your title!
And thanks for the heads up - although I don't think it would ever occur to me to try that.
Men (and, yes, some women) come up with the craziest ideas. My eldest son once figured it would be faster and more efficient to boil milk in the kettle for hot chocolate. Kettle - a goner.
Thanks for the post, although I have not had an Oxy Clean mishap I too am guilty of some similar boneheaded mistakes. Now I know I am not alone!
You have to be very careful what you mix with bleach.
My college job was at Kopper Kitchen.
I mixed something with Clorox to mop the kitchen floor one day and we had to evacuate the building.
There was a gas produced that was unbreathable.
All of the customers were allowed to leave without paying.
Then the fire dept set up fans and we ran the ventelation until the air was replaced.
No "employee of the month' award for me over that Boo-Boo.
:-Q
Good rule of thumb: DON'T MIX BLEACH WITH ANYTHING EXCEPT WATER. Bleach is a diluted form of Chlorine - A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL.
Lori, I was nearly one of them.
Beth, I once ran pond water through my Britta thinking it would be purified.
Viddy, you do have competition as long as I'm around.
Gearhead, yet another way to clear a room. I thought your uncle had the corner on that market.
Thom, nice to know you're still out there. Tell Deb I send my love. I know you'll keep her healthy.
Guy, (off subject yet again) I've been checking your paper every so often, and was surprised today to see a letter from my hometown area. Campobello is about 35 miles from the farm I grew up on. I also agree with the letter writer, say no to LNG. I'm one who stood against it to no avail. I live too far away to keep up a good fight against the "powers that be" in that area. Some "Elders" are to elderly to count these days it seems.
Does filtering the pond water make you a Brittiot?
When I was young and dumb, I cleaned the bathroom and bleached the shower while I was Windexing the mirrors and I had to lie down, I literally could not see. My first husband, who was a bit of a butthole, told me to quit my wanking, but now I shudder to think about how close I came to being truly, permanently injured.
My kids will know about the hazards of bleach (which I use often still, though, cheap and cleans well...)
Mike, LNG is a constant battle here. It actually looks like we are making headway against one company, however we had some Port Commissioners give in to another company and it doesn't look good, though they have to run the pipeline somewhere and that is really pissing people off. These are the only two we hear about, but I have heard that there are five facilities trying to get on line here.
Mo3, Britiot? Too funny...
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