Cleaning Up Spilled Bleach

By Lynda (Guest Post)

Since Sodium Hypoclorite is an ALKALINE, the best thing to do is to first try to NEUTRALIZE it with an ACID such as VINEGAR but since that, too, smells strong, I'd suggest baking soda powder (Sodium Bicardonate), just as you would put on battery acid/cables to clean them, even though the acid in batteries is MUCH stronger. I believe the Baking Soda weaker alkalinity will change the bleach's stronger alkalinity enough that it might turn to a yellowish powder, and can then be brushed/vacuumed off. The commercial vacs at a car wash should be able to handle this well. The soda
should ALSO correct the smell. There is NO way the
damage can be light, but at least this is a start. I'd start looking for a replacement seat at a junk yard
a.s.a.p. because you really don't want it on your skin or clothing causing still MORE damage, do you? Hope this helps/works. I'd leave it on for a couple of days, until dry, working it into the cracks,threads, wrinkles, and seams with a rag wearing gloves, with
windows wide open much of the time, even when driving, if necessary to drive until the stuff is vacuumed off and neutralized. Clorine gas disappears fairly soon when aired out. Leave windows down when dry weather. If vinyl seat covering it should be o.k. but discolored. If leather, it might be bleached a lot. If cloth, oh well. However, if it appears to be o.k. initially, later the threads affected might break and cause a big hole there if cloth. Good luck, and God bless you. : )

Editor's Note: Mixing bleach and vinegar or other acidic compounds can create toxic fumes. Please research this or any other tip before mixing other substances with bleach

By carla bledsoe (Guest Post)

the seat may need to be replaced. bleach can melt some plastice and foams. the chemical reaction causes toxic gases to be released. if nothing else, replace the seat cover. most of them can be removed to be washed.

By Grandma Margie (Guest Post)

I was under the impression that the bleach had spilled on the seat of a car, not a child's removeable seat. It does seem the best solution would be to flood the seat with water many times to dilute/remove the bleach from the seat fabric and padding. That is a problem! Do you have a wet/dry shop vac that you could use to suck up the water if you tried this? Does anyone know if there is a dry chemical or product that would neutralize the bleach instead of using water? I barely passed my chemistry class in high school many years ago so I'm no help there. LOL This sounds like a tough one and I wish you the best of luck in solving it!

By Linda (Guest Post)

First, keep bleach well away from a child-it is dangerous.!!! The remove the carseat and throughly wash it with the hose, soak it over and over-the odor should come out as the bleach is washed out of the padding etc. Let the carseat dry in the sun-which could take a few days, so you will need a back-up seat.