mixing vinegar and hydrogen peroxide- question

[kayabrink]

I have been using bleach in my cloth dipes. Yep. I'm officially thoroughly ashamed and all, and really want to stop doing so. I was thinking (reading the other thread about switching from traditional toxic cleaners) about using a mix of vin/H2O2 to wash my dipes. THEN I read about how the two shouldn't be mixed in... large quantities? Well, just wondering if I could possible mix them in the washer or if it will lead to a-the washer exploding b-the dipes incinerating c-toxic fumes being unleashed into the basement and d- any combination of the above.
Insight? Has anyone ever tried this? Or can someone with some chemistry background help me out here?
TIA!

[JamieCatheryn]

Those types of chemical mixing usually the danger is toxic fumes. I thought it was mainly bleach + practically anything that made them though, never heard of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide being hazardous.

My washing routine is a wash with a small amount of detergent followed by a wash with vinegar, then dry. Works great.

[Okapi]

I asked a while back about using vinegar and peroxide to clean hard surfaces, and was told that it's a bad idea to just mix them as the chemical they produce can be dangerous. I just use one, make sure the surface is dry, then use the other. For diapers, I would guess you would have to make sure they are rinsed well in between? I would get the exact instructions from whoever recommended it. FTR, I just didn't use bleach or substitute regularly on my diapers, and didn't have any problems, but YMMV.

[goddessjulia]

chemist chiming in

to clarify an important point: mixing bleach with any acid-- vinegar, lemon juice, other cleaners that contain any type of acid-- will produce a chemical reaction that gives off chlorine gas (which is green, fyi). this can kill you. so, don't do that!

mixing vinegar (acid) with peroxide... let's see. most likely it would be a rapid fizzing reaction, perhaps very forceful so it could "explode" or spew all over the place, like when you mix vinegar with baking soda in a homemade volcano. I doubt it could explode your washer though, and I don't see any way the end products could be anything other than CO2 and water, so it's not that it's toxic, just maybe messy, and yes, it might really destroy the fibers of your dipes. why are you wanting to use both? each serves the same purpose: removing stains/lightening fabric. just pick one, and it should do a pretty good job.

you could also ask yourself, why do you need to remove these stains in the first place? I'm cd'ing for the third time now and I've never used anything to take stains out. I do use hot water to wash, with whichever not-necessarily-special plant-based detergent I have, and that's it. they don't stink, and don't cause my baby any problems, so that's all I do! call me lazy, I'll say "you betcha"

now I'm going to have to play outside with vinegar and peroxide to see what it does wearing my safety glasses of course!!