Dangerous Chemicals Question

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I don’t post particularly serious stuff on here but today I am seeking serious responses please.

I’m on edge at the moment probably mostly because I have a funeral this afternoon of my best friend and housemate of ten years. I’m sure that’s what making me more nervous and irrational than usual.

So while it might be tempting to post joke answers in response I’d prefer if you kept them for my next thread.

Yesterday I cleaned my toilet. I used two products and because I know that certain chemicals are dangerous together I took what I considered to be precautions to stopping them from mixing.

So first off I poured a full bottle of Spirits of Salt (Hydrochloric Acid) into my toilet bowl. Window fully opened, goggles and gloves. Held my breath. Closed the door afterwards.

Twenty minutes later I flushed the toilet three times, used a shower head to further wash the inside of the bowl and then flushed again.

Then I dropped one Astonish Toilet Bowl Cleaner Tab in the toilet. Again with gloves and the window still wide open and holding my breath. Came out, closed the door and started washing up in the kitched about five feet from the door.

At some point during the washing up I started to feel anxious and I immediately began thinking about the possibility of tiny trace elements of the first product mixing with the second.

I eventually had a full panic attack.

I’m still alive this morning, clearly, but my throat feels funny (perhaps the beginning of a cold) and again my mind is preoccupied with the idea of mixing the chemicals and producing poison gas.

Can someone who knows about chemistry put my mind at rest please?

Thanks in advance.

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Forgot to include the Astonish details

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I don’t know anything about dangerous chemicals, but I think you’ll be fine

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The big one people worry about is mixing bleach with acid.

It looks like Astonish is basically an acid and base in dry form - when mixed with water will foam up and look busy.

You’re not at any risk here.

Even if you had used bleach, the flushing and washing the loo in between would have made it safe.

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sorry for your loss, @saps

hope you’re doing okay

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You’re absolutely fine pal. Mixing cleaning chemicals tends to, at worst, produce a bit of hypochlorous acid which then degrades to chlorine gas, which if you inhale will give you a bit of a scratchy throat but won’t do you any lasting harm in those small amounts.

(I once properly gassed myself with pure chlorine in a lab. Talked a bit funny for a day afterwards, and that was it.)

I hope that puts your mind at ease, and I’m very sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself, and please reach out if I can do anything to help.

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Thanks everyone. Most of my rational mind has known that I didn’t actual mix any chemicals but the irrational cells have worked overtime and got my body on their side.

I feel certain that I wouldn’t have had a panic attack without the funeral.

I knew some science brains could assist.

I’ll try to stop worrying.

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