Can you use bleach and vinegar together. Bleach is not an acid it is a strong base. Keep reading for the facts about what happens when you mix bleach and vinegar and how proper use of these cleaners can help you avoid making a dangerous all too common mistake. Even though many people have both these cleaners in their homes mixing them. Many people mix bleach and vinegar knowing it s dangerous. Another use for mixing vinegar with bleach is to create a strong oxidizing chemical used to turn for example steel wool into iron oxide fe 2 o 3 used for color pigments or chemistry experiments. Chlorine gas itself is greenish yellow but when diluted in the air it s invisible. Bleach and vinegar are common household cleaners used to disinfect surfaces cut through grime and get rid of stains. When you mix these two substances toxic chlorine gas is released which essentially serves as a way to wage chemical warfare on one s self. Although bleach is a strong disinfectant and vinegar dissolves mineral deposits and kills many types of mold fungi and bacteria combining the two can be dangerous mixing bleach with an acid such as vinegar creates chlorine gas a toxic chemical that can be deadly at high levels.