It's those unexpected dangers....luckily I was prepared.

[eric joranson]

As I was carrying a large load of laundry; I dropped a bottle of bleach (Clorox) on to the carpet; and as it spilled out; to my surprise it began to foam. Not sure if it was the composition of the carpet or if it had been cleaned with a product which had ammonia in it. But the result was a very strong chlorine gas. I burned my eyes; and as it traveled; it immediately cause my 43 year old cockatoo; to sneeze over and over. Moving her cage into another area of the house was easy enough. But I could not move my indoor enclosure by myself. Luckily I had a smaller tank all set up in case of illness; and for long range travel....I was able to get Titan into a safe area in a tank that was set up almost the same as his larger one. Fans; open windows and doors soon cleared the offending gas out of the house; and spill was cleaned up with wet towels. Even though Ttian has an closed enclosure; I do have vents for an airflow. I hate to think what would have happened to his lungs and mucus membranes if he had been allowed to remain in the gas filled room. I am sure I could have just moved him into the bathroom for a quick fix; but since he secondary enclosure was all ready with lights and heat; he did not have to go through any major lifestyle changes. All animals are fine and no ill effects. But that was one accident I would never had seen coming.

 

[Greta16]

That's exactly why I only use bleach if I absolutely have to! Glad no permanent damage was done and your animals are ok!

 

[eric joranson]

That's exactly why I only use bleach if I absolutely have to! Glad no permanent damage was done and your animals are ok!

yes; I use beach in almost every cleaning areas; but never had a problem before. But I never used it on carpet; and not sure if it was some chemical like ammonia that was used in a carpet cleaner that created the reaction; or if it was a component of the carpet itself. Needless to say; the bleach will never be carried near carpeted areas again.

 

[PJay]

Thanks for sharing that experience. Weird situation though. Must have been an ammonia compound of some sort in the fiber or backing. Could even be something in the padding under the carpet.

 

[Big Charlie]

What a freak accident! I'm glad your animals are okay! Is the carpet permanently damaged? I rarely use bleach. I use pine cleaner in my laundry to kill germs and odors.

 

[teresaf]

Previous owners could have had cats. Cat urine does that.

 

[eric joranson]

What a freak accident! I'm glad your animals are okay! Is the carpet permanently damaged? I rarely use bleach. I use pine cleaner in my laundry to kill germs and odors.

well carpet was already white; and the area I spilled was near the door....and now its cleaner than ever....would do it to the whole area if not for the chemical reaction and toxic fumes.....catch 22....

 

[RayRay]

well carpet was already white; and the area I spilled was near the door....and now its cleaner than ever....would do it to the whole area if not for the chemical reaction and toxic fumes.....catch 22....

just evac the house and dump bleach everywhere.

 

[eric joranson]

Previous owners could have had cats. Cat urine does that.

no cats; previous owner was my brother.....but since he passed away; I could not get any information on what was used to clean carpet; or if it had ever been cleaned.
Interesting fact about cat urine though.

 

[Bee62]

What a luck that no one was hurt !